On the right track - Part II

Merfyn Owen of Owen Clarke Design looks at the design evolution of his company's - current Class 40 - production output

In the first part of this Class 40 review we covered the birth and growth of this new class and the rules by which it is governed. In this article we will expand on some of the points previously touched on relating to performance and consider in more detail the Owen Clarke Class 40s that are already sailing, and those in build. To do this we will look chronologically at the development of our Class 40s and use each boat to expand on particular areas of the design and/or - construction.

Background
In 2004 Owen Clarke Design (OCD) began development of a first-generation Class 40 design that we intended to market as a stock boat that could be built to a standard or modified specification by yards anywhere in the world. Once OCD had completed the preliminary design and engineering, bid packages were sent out to 10 yards and suppliers worldwide from the US in the west to China in the east, France/Turkey/UK in the north and - Australia/New Zealand down south. A comprehensive database was created and has been kept updated ever since. During this period we were approached by industrial designer Jonathan Crinion who was looking for a naval architect firm to work with on the design of his own 'forty'. The arrival of a 'real' project provided added impetus and the additional funding to allow us to commit more time and resources to this project than we would otherwise have been able...

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