Not a gramme was spared in the build of Niklas Zennström’s latest maxi, Rán 5, at Persico… as build manager Jason Carrington explains

F rom the get go the build process for Rán 5 benefited from a strong sailing team who probably have more experience of the IRC Mini Maxi class than any other team on the circuit. Add to this the Judel-Vrolijk design office and Steve Koopman of SDK Structures and a formidable team with an established and successful track record was in place and ready to go. From our first meeting the brief was clear: build the most refined and lightest boat possible within the rule.

It’s never easy to raise the bar. Not only did we need to improve on pretty much every area compared to the team’s previous boat, we also had to deliver the new boat within a tight timeframe. Palma Vela was targeted as the first regatta and seen as vital to getting the best out of the boat for the coming 2014 season.

With the hull lines delivered in September 2013 this essentially meant a 7½- month build programme. We needed to choose a builder who was not only capable of building to a very high standard but also able and willing to squeeze 34,000 hours into those 7½ months with no adverse effect on quality or weight.

Persico are without doubt now established as one of the very best raceboat builders in the world. Their facility has benefited from ongoing investment and their tool-making and milling facility is probably unmatched. With the Volvo fleet construction under control Persico’s skilled labour force was available and motivated to build a grand prix raceboat.