Taking on the F18 world

A new F18 is on the way from White Loday

The F18 is fast becoming one of the most popular racing catamarans in the world. Part of the reason for the class’ success can be put down to the fact that it is a box rule and therefore multiple manufacturers are able to build their own vision of a fast beach catamaran. Hoping to break into their class this summer, the highly potent partnership of White Loday will be launching a new F18, hoping to break into one of the biggest fleets in the world.

White Loday have bought a number of successful catamarans to the market, most notably the Spitfire which is similar to a modern F18 though designed for lighter weight sailors and just 16ft long. In terms of actual sailing experience Reg White is, of course, the first ever Tornado Gold Medallist, and previous Tornado builder, his son Rob is also a Tornado Olympian, while Yves Loday also has a Tornado Gold medal under his belt as well as a formidable catamaran design background.

In fact Loday was responsible for the design of the first ever F18 rule boat when he designed the Hawk back in 1994, a boat built in the Reg White yard as well. That boat was so successful it went on to become its own one design class with the rights subsequently going to Dart to create the Dart Hawk class. So this new boat represents White Loday’s second stab at the F18 class, albeit after a gap of over a decade.

Interestingly two or so years ago there were a number of rumours about the Whites getting back into Tornado building, bringing out a new hull design. When we questioned Rob White about this, it turned out to be true,however, recent events have got in the way somewhat. “We were looking at doing a Tornado but then with the class being dropped from the Olympics there was no point really, so we decided it would be good to do an F18 instead,” he explained.

Of course all this experience is all very well and good but the F18 market is hugely competitive. A quick look back at the results for the last season shows four Hobies, four Capricorns and four Nacras in the top 12 at both the World and European Championships. These three designs are already established and are bound to cause some trouble for any new F18 coming into the market. In particular the Nacra Infusion was only launched a couple of years ago and has a rapidly growing fan – and results – base. “Well it will be a new formula 18 and it is always difficult to come out with something different and new, but I think we have done that,” commented Reg White to TheDailySail. “How much of a percentage quicker it might be is difficult to tell because again there are so many different designs in the class.”

So what is new about the new White Loday boat? Principally the difference is in the aft run-off of the hulls, Reg White explains: “We have built a chine into the back of the boat, which helps with the drag forcing the water out the side of the boat and also gives a very flat run off out the back. That will prevent some of the pitching moment.” This slightly flatter aft section is an idea that seems to be coming to the fore in a number of designs of late. The idea is to allow the boat to get up on the plane faster when going downwind. The Nacra Infusion utilises the same idea and has been very successful so to some extent precedent has been set.

“I am really excited about the boat because looking at the hull shape I think it is going to be a really smooth boat to sail and I do not think that it is going to pitch a great deal,” White continues. “We learned quite a lot with the Spitfire, and at 16ft it can sometimes beat Formula 18s depending on the conditions. Hopefully we will be able to apply what we learned to the F18 boat.”

In addition to the hull Yves Loday has also been doing a significant amount of work on rig design. “It does not really matter how well the hull is designed - if you do not get the rig to go with it, you are not going to be winning,” White comments. He adds that the main thing they have been working on is the mast bend characteristic and mast shape. “That is important because we think we have got a very powerful hull so we will need a mast that is not ultimately stiff. It needs to be flexile enough that we can carry a very powerful sail and get rid of the power easily, which should make it good for a variety of weights. That was very important to us be cause there is no point in bringing a boat to that sort of market that goes very fast but only with a very specific weight on it.”

In spite of the new features White says they are not looking for anything too radical in the boat. “You are only really looking for a little bit here or a little bit there,” he explains of what it takes to be competitive in the F18 class.

Speaking to Rob White about how well the hull might be received he was a little cagey about the endeavour. “At first we are looking at selling a few and if it takes off, then great. The important thing is that we make a good product that is fast.” Reg White echoes these thoughts. “The thing is we always want to put the quality of the product first and that is the most important thing. If demand were seriously high it would just mean we would need to put two sets of tooling down to maintain the quality. But we will cross that bridge when we get there.”

Originally the new boat was expected to be launched in mid to late spring. However, as is often the case, the boat now looks as though it will be delayed slightly. Currently there is a boat being built for a customer which should be ready for launching in roughly two months time at the start of August. Certainly the F18 fleet will always be a hard one to crack but the rewards for producing a competitive boat are clear for all to see in this ever expanding fleet. The White Loday partnership certainly has the experience and reputation to make a success of this boat. We will wait and see what happens this summer when hull number one goes racing.