Home » Amateur » Projects » 9 metre Race Yacht »

9 metre Race Yacht

Design Concept

Designed and built by Piers Findlay of Pilot Bay Boats,  9m Racing Yacht NFI, is the perfect length for a fun club racer; big enough to be a "real" boat and small enough to be fun to handle.   While being ultra lightweight for very fast, responsive sailing, NFI's robust construction also meant that she could be sailed offshore without any concerns with structural integrity.

NFI was designed to be very economical and simple to build, to ensure the project could be completed by an amateur.  The simple but spacious accommodation makes her suitable for weekending, and the boat can be trailered behind a regular vehicle with over-width signage.

Construction

NFI 's hull and deck, built in two halves over CNC- routed MDF frames and set at 600mm spacings, were strip planked with 13mm DuraKore Composite Strips edge glued with a mix of WEST SYSTEM brand resin/hardener modified with low density 411 Microsphere Blend.  One layer of 750grm triaxial E-fibreglass was laminated with KINETIX R246TX high performance resin, to either side of the planks to complete the structure.

16mm DuFLEX Composite Panels were CNC-routed for the bulkhead kits and cockpit, and were bonded into position with a structural adhesive mixture of WEST SYSTEM resin/hardener and 403 Microfibre Blend filler.  A super lightweight interior was built with 16mm Featherlight panels, cored with phenolic impregnated paper honeycomb, which are easily kerf-cut and shaped into rounded corners, where required.  The stiffness of the Featherlight panels makes them ideal for reasonable-span applications in flat areas, such as bunk and bench tops.

WEST SYSTEM 410 Microlight was chosen to fair the boat because of it's low weight and excellent moisture resistance significantly higher  than other low density fillers in the market.  The other significant advantage of the 410 is that it is 30% easier to sand than other fillers, making it ideal for amateurs approaching their first large fairing job, and wanting to achieve a high level of fairness.

A high quality finish on the topsides was achieved with Wattyl's Epinamel Epoxy Undercoat and a final finish of DuPont Nason 2 pack Urethane Topcoat, and a mixture of WEST SYSTEM resin/hardener and pure copper powder was rolled on below the waterline for an abrasion resistant, top racing finish. 

Carbon fibre, laminated with KINETIX resins, was used in the keel floors, bow prodder and other strategic areas.  The rudder was constructed with timber and 750grm triaxial e-glass, and the keel was a fabricated mild-steel fin, with WEST SYSTEM brand epoxy used as a protective coating.  The bulb, a 700kg lead casting, was bonded to the steel fin with WEST SYSTEM, using no mechanical fasteners. 

NFI has been kept simple to sail, much like a modern day skiff.  A very simple deck layout and minimal sail wardrobe, allow focus to be put on sailing fast and furious.  The rig is a modest, but efficient, 9/10ths fractional, carrying both symmetrical and asymmetric spinnakers from the masthead.

NFI is used frequently for weekending, and the simple interior sleeps four adults quite comfortably, with a simple galley, esky and toilet.  A 6hp Yamaha outboard motor retracts in a well at the forward end of the cockpit, giving good motoring performance, while reducing drag and weight for sailing.

"Construction was a hugely fun and rewarding process.  I was nervous starting, as I had never built anything like this size before.  Seeing the shape of the boat spring to life, as the planks go on is addictive, and after 6 weekends, I had a hull and deck planked and glassed - it was a relief to have something which looked like a boat. 

NFI was built over a dirt floor with only handyman tools.  Build time for NFI  was just over two years of weekends and evenings.

After two seasons of hard racing, both inshore and offshore, NFI has not suffered any structural faults or a single hairline crack - a testimony to the light but tough construction that an amateur can achieve with ATL products." PF

NFI is currently leading the offshore series and midweek series at her home club in Launceston.  She is consistently fast, often beating competitive yachts in the 40' size range, boat for boat - a lot of performance for a yacht which cost under $40,000 to put together.

  Download PDF for construction photos