Newcomer adds modern touch to NZ racing fleets

Enthusiasts may soon be sailing Class 950 yachts in off-shore racing if Kevin Dibley has his way. Photo / Supplied

It's not quite fair to say the last production sailing boat launch in New Zealand happened about the time Adam was learning to sail, but it sure has been a long time between champagne corks.

A combination of high local costs, cheap imports and a switch to powerboating have all played their part but it is no secret that our local-class racing fleets largely comprise 1980s and '90s veterans, like the Young 88, the Farr 1020 and the Elliott 1050.

However, that may change if an unlikely trio of a Wellington sailor, an ex-Canadian designer and an Auckland boatbuilder have their way.

Ex-Canadian and now very Kiwi designer Kevin Dibley is one of the driving forces behind the possible introduction of the Classe (or Class) 950 here.

"The Class 950 is a box-rule design that was created by famed French solo sailor Jean-Marie Vidal in 2006," says Dibley. "It is aimed at coastal, semi-offshore, and offshore short-handed racing."

Dibley says the class is already well established in Europe, where it is seen as a stepping-stone from the Mini Transit 650 to the increasingly popular Class 40.

He describes the 950 as "the perfect yacht for the Corinthian [amateur] sailor looking for a mid-sized, competitive, fast, fun and affordable boat to race".

However, because the rules also stipulate a minimal amount of interior fittings (including a small galley, head, berths and a navigation station), the 950 will also be more than adequate for reasonably comfortable weekend cruising.

Dibley and his company Dibley Marine are working alongside well-known Wellington short-handed sailor, Geoff Herd, and Auckland boatbuilder Edlin Marine to develop what Dibley describes as an affordable and exciting package for his version of the design.

The Class 950 rules stipulate maximum beam, length overall, maximum sail area and maximum draft, but almost everything else is allowed.

This means the designer has room to really push the boundaries in performance and aesthetics.

As a result, his new Dibley 950 has a total beam of 3.7m with U-shaped sections forward, morphing to what he describes as a carefully designed chined hull form aft.

"The result is a hull shape that will easily get on the plane off the wind, but also be a very stable and powerful platform on the wind," he says.

"A maximum total upwind sail area of 80sq m, as stipulated in the rule, results in a yacht that can really fly. Combining this with 450 litres of water ballast and twin rudders, this yacht will have total control, with speed, at all angles of the wind."

Dibley says builder Richard Edlin has been working closely with Herd to produce Dibley 950 packages at "very competitive" prices.

What makes it even more enticing, he says, is that if Edlin can build two or three boats at the same time, the cost savings become even greater.

Edlin Marine is planning to offer hull, deck and internal packages to any stage a client requires, including "finished" and "sailing".

Herd, who has already completed a two-man Round the North Island Race and has helped organise the stopover for this year's event, is keen.

Herd has plans to sail the first Dibley 950 in the next Round North Island Race as well as in any events, such as Auckland to Fiji short-handed and the Melbourne to Osaka Race, that will lower their minimum size limits to accommodate the design.

In the meantime, Dibley, Edlin and Herd are keen to hear from anyone who thinks the new Class 950 design might be for them. Who knows, if they get enough real interest, production yacht building might just return to the City of Sails.

Dibley Class 950

LOA: 9.5m.

Beam (overall): 3.7m.

Draft: 2.4m.

Displacement: 2700kg.

Upwind sail area: 80sq m.

Downwind sail area: 155sq m.