new 470

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Research on the new 470 began again in 2021, just after the Tokyo Olympics, with the aim of improving hull and rudder performance: more than 50 different hull forms were designed and evaluated using CFD with 10 different boat speed and attitude combinations. The result was a truly impressive hull. The innovative rudder concept developed in the previous project and used by gold medalists Matthew Belcher/Will Ryan is also an important feature of the next design. The new 470 project team has been organised with Tsujido Racing as builder, Innovative Composites Centre (ICC) for FRP and materials research and ACT as designer. The construction of the boat will soon be completed and sailing tests of the boat will be carried out in cooperation with North Sails Japan.

 

Completely new hull shape developed on the second 470 project

Reduces drag by 1-3.5% compared to existing hulls, not only in light but also in medium and heavy winds, depending on speed

Good yaw balance and easy steering for different modes

Innovative rudder design for reduced drag, improved response and grip

New laminate schedule for stiff and low CG hull & deck

CNC machined hull and rudder plugs

Good quality control construction method with ICC support

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Designer's comment:

As for the hull, I believe I have created a well-balanced hull that has less drag than existing boats in any wind range and can transition smoothly between different modes. As for the rudder, during the development of the 470, the idea of a new rudder that met the rules came to mind. The blades of a conventional 470 rudder are positioned just behind the transom and the flow on the blades is complex. It interferes with the sternwave, which is detached from the transom of the hull and looks very draggy. So if the leading edge of the rudder could be positioned below the hull bottom, the flow would be smoother and the drag caused by the interference would be reduced. Therefore, a new rudder shape was successfully designed to meet the rules and validated by CFD with effective results. The new rudder concept was used by the Australian team of Tokyo Olympic gold medallists Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan, and also by the Japanese team silver medalists Okada and Yoshioka at the 2024 Paris Olympics.