Preliminary design of a 46ft IRC competitive racing yacht.

The aim of the dissertation is to outline the preliminary design of a 46ft (14m) racing yacht, with a view to competitively racing under RORC's IRC rating system. The jS46 is an attempt to answer the design brief of a competitive racing yacht to compete in a range of conditions and races. The author is particularly experienced in this field of yacht racing. The proposal was to produce a solution, which is both a sensible easily built design, fit for purpose, whilst meeting both the performance and rating expectations, as well as being an aesthetically pleasing boat, the focus on performing under the rating rule being the most recurring focus during the design process. This dissertation has relied heavily on the use of performance prediction, with the aid of trial IRC time correction numbers, against a trial boat that is both similar in concept and a proven performer whilst racing in IRC regattas and events. The preliminary design was driven heavily by the initial weight estimate, influencing all aspects of the design spiral, whilst stability was a key factor in optimising the boat during the later iterations of the design process, from its inception the boat was to be light weight and aimed at being faster than its IRC TCC, rather than an exercise in slowing the boat less than its rating drops