Every car and boat builder knows that weight is the enemy of speed. Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus sports cars, summed it up particularly well, saying, “Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.”
Exactly the same principle applies to boats, especially planing ones, but it’s the effect weight has on fuel efficiency that is arguably even more compelling given the financial and ecological pressure bearing down on boat owners. The heavier a boat is, the more power it needs and the more fuel it burns. The more fuel it burns, the larger the tanks have to be and the more weight you end up carrying. It’s a vicious circle that results in a heavier, slower, thirstier boat with larger fuel bills and a bigger carbon footprint.
Colin Chapman’s solution was to make his cars simpler and lighter than the competition. It worked – in 1968 Graham Hill won the F1 world championship in a Lotus 49 weighing a meagre 499kg – well under half the weight of a modern Mini!
Perhaps it’s no surprise then that the man behind SAY Carbon Yachts, Karl Wagner, also comes from an automotive background. His previous company, Carbo Tech, produced carbon-fibre mouldings for the likes of McLaren and Aston Martin as well as various F1 teams. Now he’s using that expertise to build lightweight carbon-fibre sportsboats. There are currently two models in the range, the SAY 29 and this boat, the SAY 42, although a SAY 52 is also in development.
WEIGHT WATCHER
Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...
