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Class30 One Design – Karver in the race
What a big event that the two biggest French and English clubs are joining forces to launch a truly international, fun, modern and affordable one-design. The stated objective is to give a new impetus to the coastal and offshore regatta with a double proposal.
High technology & performance
The 30ft monohull with its voluminous bow will therefore be available in two versions: Club and One Design Racing. Karver is obviously in the race, well placed after a good start, for this project with DNA so close to its own, since it combines both high technology and performance. Cedric Rafin, Export Sales Manager explains how Karver studied this strategic file.
Launched following an international call for projects, common to the French UNCL (Union Nationale pour la Course au Large) and the English RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club), the Class 30 One Design promises to be one of the major offshore racing boats of the next few years. The duo selected for the design and manufacture of this ambitious one-design is made up of naval architects from VPLP and the Multiplast shipyard. If the proximity of the two actors from Vannes does not harm, it is above all the DNA that surrounds this project which corresponds 100% to that of Karver.
Cedric, how did the Class 30 one Design file arrive on your desk?
We are of course always on active watch on this kind of project. As the tender and the results of the competition received wide coverage in the press, we very quickly got in touch with all the different partners. The first to talk about it in September 2021 were VPLP and I therefore spoke with Antoine Lauriot Prevost. Very quickly, we also approached Multiplast. Both know us well since we have equipped the two Class40 that the former designed and the latter built, the Clak40s. In addition to our exchanges, Philippe Roulin the project manager at Multiplast was able to try our winches during the open days organized by Performance Spirit. This test only confirmed the a priori goodness of our products. Of course, in this specific case, we also consulted the UNCL and Yves Ginoux, its Vice-President, who is a very involved interlocutor. We finally saw each other again at the Mets in Amsterdam, the equipment manufacturers’ show, then at the Nautic in Paris.
How do you build your technical proposal for such a project?
It is our daily job to offer a complete study of deck plans and associated fittings specifications. From all the elements that we receive from the architects and the shipyard (deck plan, sail plan, sail surfaces, boat dimensions, displacement, ballast ratio, etc.), and thanks to the amount of knowledge that we have accumulated in the race, with nearly twenty years of experience at the highest level, we define each piece of fittings, each blocks, winch, furler, mainsail car and track, jammer, according to the use and the efforts in presence. Everything is then synthesized in a document, the famous “Karverized“, which allows the customer to have at a glance an exhaustive vision of the fittings offered, from the piano to the masthead, including the bow.
What is Karver’s proposal for such a boat?
All these exchanges led us to make two proposals: one for the Club version, and another for the One Design and Racing versions. Indeed, these last two are very close, with performance as the first criterion of choice, which suits us perfectly. For example, our KF1.5 spinnaker furler, or in its Eco Concept KFEC version, is really the ideal item on such a boat. If our winches, absolutely unique, are perhaps not fitted to the standard version with a very constrained budget, they are fully justified for who wants to race at a high level. On this subject, beyond the club and One Design fleets, skippers of the Transquadra have also shown interest in an IRC version and the enthusiasm could well exceed the potential expected. However, Karver has on this race, an experience, a past, a legitimacy, which plead in his favor. The fittings budget can represent up to 20% of the budget on a performance-oriented and high-tech boat, so it is an eminently important subject that builders watch carefully. But it is also for more affordable boats, for which Karver provides truly innovative solutions, from the power winch to the KJH handle via the KRO open ring, to facilitate access to sailing for as many people as possible. It is a question of being both efficient, but also that it remains accessible and fun, which is exactly the program for this boat.
What do you see as Karver’s best assets for the Class 30?
Clearly it is the high performance of our products, from the furlers to the winches, which is perfectly in line with the boat’s program. On the Compact winch for example, which we offered on the Class 30 Club, we have the power of a 45 for the size of a 20, it’s unique! Then, it’s true that we know well the problems of ocean racing, which is a market at the origin of Karver creation. So inevitably, we are organized to respond perfectly to this clientele, whether in terms of available stock, our responsiveness certainly helped by our proximity in France, but which also applies within the international after-sales service network. Undeniably, we offer an extremely relevant performance-quality-price ratio for a boat like the Class 30.