Wallyrocket 51 (15 m), the world’s fastest boat

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There is a new “rocket” on the way that has a clear goal: to be the fastest boat in the world in compensated time. It is called Wallyrocket 51 (15.50 x 4.32 m) what will be the lightest one-design ever, only 6.25 tons light displacement. Inspired by the TP52s (not at home collaborating with Wally was the Botin studio, a specialist in these “beasts”) and created to beat them, we will see it on the water in 2024. A tight one design that aims to make class but also to win as much as possible with IRC and ORC offshore regulations and fees. Who but Luca Bassani, Founder and Chief Designer of Wally, could tell us the secrets of this “space” boat?

wallyrocket51

Luca Bassani tells Wallyrocket 51

Luca Bassani (Milan, 1956) founder and Chief Designer of Wally, the brand that brought easy sailing to the world of high-end boats while influencing design trends throughout sailing
Luca Bassani (Milan, 1956) founder and Chief Designer of Wally, the brand that brought easy sailing to the world of high-end boats while influencing design trends throughout sailing

Last year, we had noted during a Wally board meeting that the racing world was contracting again, and the major responsibility fell on the rising costs of running seasonal campaigns.

The Wally class itself had suffered from this problem when more enthusiastic owners had raised their racing budgets while more cruising owners, not following those budgets, realized they were no longer competitive. With the result that they have permanently removed themselves from the class and from racing. Situation that occurs in every class that is not one-design and allows professionals to helm the boats.

So we decided to investigate and study what new class of boats could reduce this risk by bringing back a formula that would make owners enjoy racing in the class itself as much as in other nonclass regattas with consistently lower budgets.

How a superboat is born

Therefore, a team was formed to conceive this new class of boats consisting of world-class professionals, starting with Studio Botin together with Vasco Vascotto and Guillermo Parada. The goal was to design and build the world’s fastest boat in compensated time, to be competitive with every other boat on the market, But with a class regulation that would also allow a class one design to be formed, with very serious regulations so that within the class itself all boats would remain competitive for many years. The result of this study defined 51′ feet as the maximum length of this boat.

After the first encouraging simulations, but before moving on to the final design definition, Stefano De Vivo (Chief Commercial Officer of the Ferretti Group that Wally joined in 2019, ed.) and I were not satisfied with the results because they did not seem to be based on real innovations technical nature, postponing, by unanimous decision, the designers to a new review of the project. After the second round of design, the naval architects themselves were very pleased with the new work that came out of the previous stimulus, and at that point the project was approved and the final design and industrialization process began. Today finally the project, having started the construction of the first hulls and the complete definition of the class rules, was officially presented to the market.

Wallyrocket 51
The cockpit, “open” in the style of TP52s and Maxi 72s, is as sgrombro as possible in full Wally philosophy, with the two rudders far forward. At the stern, the water ballasts are not only a straightening aid, but also provide a more neutral pitch, further improving hull strength

Wallyrocket 51 is faster and cheaper than a TP 52

The Wallyrocket 51′ will adopt a fixed keel with trim-tab and a water ballast system. The two solutions, combined with a full-carbon construction with America’s Cup technology, show the computer an advantage of the Wallyrocket toward the best TP 52 of 30 seconds in real time and 50 seconds in compensated time per hour of racing.

Wallyrocket 51 has an adjustable trim tab on the trailing edge of the keel blade. A solution that greatly increases upwind lift by taking advantage of only the aft profile of the blade, reducing drag and providing a neutral drift. With the water flow aligned with the boat, there is a great reduction in hydrodynamic drag
Wallyrocket 51 has an adjustable trim tab on the trailing edge of the keel blade. A solution that greatly increases upwind lift by exploiting only the aft profile of the blade, reducing drag and providing a neutral drift. With the water flow aligned with the boat, there is a great reduction in hydrodynamic drag

At the same time, the sail plan and deck plan were designed to reduce the number of crew members and the total number of sails used.

wallyrocket51
The boat can be driven by a crew of only 11 people. The deck ergonomics are designed for a small crew, with two masts providing power for everything from mainsail trim to hydraulics, thanks to an intelligent switching system.

All this will reduce both the boat cost and the racing budget by about one-third compared to TP52s, while still having a winning boat in all kinds of races.

IRC and ORC, obsolete regulations

This result could have been better if the regatta regulations allowed electrification of all on-board maneuvers, including propulsion. But the regulations, and we are talking about IRC and ORC, are obsolete in this field because they still heavily penalize these systems that would further reduce the number of crew members who, at the end of each season, represent the highest cost item of the racing campaign.

In addition to all this, the Ferretti Group will be able to offer a “rent to buy” formula that may be of interest to shipowners who would like to start with one or two trial seasons before proceeding with the final purchase. The class will also offer crew recruitment, winterization, maintenance and service services, also with a view to blocking any attempts to “illegally upgrade ” boats. The Wallyrocket 51′ thus presents itself not only as a very fast and very fun boat, but also as an all-around project to protect the investment in the boat and its management.

With its reverse leapfrog, flush deck and long bowsprit, the Wallyrocket 51 is instantly recognizable as a Wally
With its reverse leapfrog, flush deck and long bowsprit, the Wallyrocket 51 is instantly recognizable as a Wally

Wallyrocket51 – Data Sheet

Overall length 15.50 m
Length at waterline 14.68 m
Maximum beam 4.32 m
Draught 3.50 m
Light displacement 6,250 kg
Ballast 550 liters per side
Mainsail 97 sqm
Jib (103%) 66.90 sq. m.
Gennaker 264 sq. m.
Naval Architecture Botin Partners
Website wally.com

Luca Bassani

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