North American Catamaran Racing Association
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NACRA (North American Catamaran Racing Association) is a class of racing catamarans originating in the USA with adoption in Europe, Australia, and many island nations. Within the NACRA class are a variety of catamaran sizes and styles ranging from resort hire boats to performance racing.
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History [edit]
The first NACRA's were built and designed by Tom Roland in California. It was a revolutionary boat with vertical seams and a teardrop hull shape. He established the Nacra name with the creation of the Nacra 5.2 and 18sq. His idea and design have been a major influence in today’s multihull world, with many large multihulls still using this hull shape.[1] NACRA catamarans are currently built by Nacra Australia in Brisbane, Qld, where Nacra has been produced since 1985, and by Performance Catamarans Inc. in California, USA.
The Nacra 17 catamaran was selected for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio for the sailing category "mixed multihull".
Features [edit]
- A fully battened, boomless mainsail
- Adjustable diamond spreaders
- Mesh trampoline
- Adjustable kick-up rudder system
- Early models featured vertically split molds with hand-laid fiberglas which evolved to molded foam sandwich hulls. Newer boats are made from Vinylester foam sandwich.
- One piece extruded masts and beams
- Dacron sails
- Foam core battens
Current and notable past models [edit]
| Model | Period | Length Over All | Beam | Weight | Sail Area | Spinnaker | Crew | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14sq | late 1980s-Early 1990s | 4.5m | 2.44 | 105 kg | 14m² | Optional | 1 | Daggerboards |
| 4.5 | 4.50 m | 2.44 m | 120 kg | 17.5 m² | Optional | 1-2 | Skegs | |
| 460 | 4.50 m | 2.35 m | 142 kg | 15.2 m² | - | 1-2 | Skegs | |
| Blast | 4.80 m | 2.45 m | 159 kg | 15.6 m² | 12.55 | 1-2 | Skegs. Design: Alain Comyn | |
| 16sq | 5.0m | 2.5m | 130 kg | 16 m² | Optional | 1 | Daggerboards | |
| 5.0 | 1985 | 5.0 m | 2.44 m | 130 kg | 19 m² | - | 2 | Skegs. Design: Roy Seaman |
| 500 | 5.0 m | 2.44 m | 150 kg | 17.6 m² | 17 m² | 1-2 | Skegs | |
| 5.2 | 1979-mid-80 | 5.2 m | 2.44 m | 170 kg | 20.43 m² | - | 2 | Daggerboards |
| F17 | 5.20 m | 2.44 m | 156 kg | 15.25 m² | 17 / 19 m² | 1 | Daggerboards | |
| Nacra 17 | 2012 | 5.25 m | 2.59 m | 132 kg | 18.25 m² | 18.5 m² | 2 | curved Daggerboards. Design: Morelli und Melvin |
| 18sq | 5.48m | 3.35 m | 18m² | 1 | Daggerboards | |||
| F18 Inter 18 | 5.52 m | 2.6 m | 180 kg | 20.45 / 21.15 m² | 19/22 m² | 2 | F18 class boat. Design: Morelli und Melvin | |
| F18 Inter 2 | 5.52 m | 2.6 m | 180 kg | 20.45 / 21.15 m² | 19/22 m² | 2 | F18 class boat. Design: Alain Comyn | |
| F18 Infusion | 5.52 m | 2.6 m | 180 kg | 20.45 / 21.15 m² | 19/22 m² | 2 | F18 class boat. Design: Morelli und Melvin | |
| 5.7 | 5.67 m | 2.44 m | 163 kg | 21.3 m² | - | 2 | Skegs | |
| 570 | 5.65 m | 2.44 m | 163 kg | 21.1 m² | 21 m² | 2 | Skegs | |
| 5.8 | 1985 | 5.8 m | 2.5 m | 160 kg | 22.8 m² | - | 2 | Daggerboards. Design: Roy Seaman |
| 580 | 5.8 m | 2.44 m | 188 kg | 22.1 m² | 23 m² | 2 | Daggerboards | |
| 6.0 | 6.10 m | 2.59 m | 191 kg | 24.5 m² | 2 | Daggerboards | ||
| N20 | 6.12 m | 2.6 m | 192 kg | 20.45 / 24.9 m² | 25 m² | 2 | Formula 20 class boat |
References [edit]
- ^ NACRA 36 Revisited
External links [edit]
- NACRA class association
- Nacra Europe
- Brisbane Catamaran Centre, Australian NACRA manufacturer
