72-75 SEACART 30_MM127_US.qxp - Multihulls World

TESTText : Philippe Echelle - Photo Philippe Echelle and Pierre Wasselin7372Finally a trimaran which offers excitementclose to that aboard a racing trimaran…The end of a run in the channel leadingto La Trinité!EN Ecstasy PERDITIONon SUR a flying L'ATLANTIQUE… trimaranTHE 60-FOOTERS HAVE OPENED PANDORA’S BOX, BUT IS IT ACCEPTABLETHAT ONLY A HANDFUL OF PROFESSIONALS ARE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THEEXCITEMENT OF SAILING A TRIMARAN ON ONE HULL?SEACART’S ANSWER IS NO!Is all this really reasonable?The Seacart 30' costs as much as asecond-hand 40 to 45’ cruising catamaran,demands a progressive apprenticeshipand good physical condition,and, although it has a double berth (onan inflatable mattress) and 3 additionalsingles, the Spartan character of itsaccommodation deliberately orientatesthe crew towards a hotel booking atstopovers.However, it is the only cruising (racing?)boat in the world to propel the leisuresailor to the Valhalla of the sailing worldand to establish restricted relativityconnections between time and distance!Which other machine could take us fromQuiberon to La Rochelle in an afternoon(or from Antibes to Calvi, for those in theMediterranean)?Genesis of the "black bomb"The Nokia Oops Cup brings together inthe Baltic the old 60-footers from theORMA circuit. The overpowered displaysby these machines electrified theViking racers, and in 2004, Calle Hennix(a Volvo Race veteran) suggested to theprestigious Swedish builder, Marström,that they launch a series of ultra highperformance30-footers, which could beused in a cruiser-racer programme.Marc Lombard looked after the design.A high-fidelity trimaranMarström Composites is a skills centrededicated to very high technology creations,using carbon. The group is used tomilitary and aeronautical tolerances andalso possesses several surprisingdepartments dealing with the creationof esoteric high-fidelity loudspeakers,masts and racing boats (OlympicTornados, 40’ Volvo Extreme, A-Class orM20 catamarans…)!Very high level small-scaleconstructionThe Seacart’s specifications arestraightforward: the aim is to obtain aplatform which is qualitatively comparablewith the ORMA open 60-footers!Each detail must express perfection andwork towards a level of performancenever obtained in production.For this, the pre-impregnated T600 carbon/15mmNomex composite is usedfor the hull and floats; the crossbeamsare in monolithic (carbon) and all theparts are realised in ‘one shot’ infusionand fired at 125° under vacuum!Clever and extremely effectivearchitectureMarc Lombard was the 3rd architectco-responsible for the development of“The aim is toobtain a platform whichis qualitatively comparablewith the ORMA open60-footers!”the 60-footers, along with N. Irens andMVP/VLP. He took a particular interestin the appendages (curved foils, daggerboardswith small chords and highaspect ratios, rudders on thetransom…) and was world-famous inthis area. Even if it looks like one, theSeacart 30 is not a _-scale 60-footer.The architectural approach and theeffort put into its creation are completelyauthentic. The floats, of course,have very slim forward sections andharmonious volume distribution (becomingalmost cylindrical at the stern),the central hull’s rocker is quite markedand the stern sections rest on asuperb flared sugar-scoop to stop theboat’s bows lifting at high speed (5crew members to windward at thestern!). The Seacart can be dismantledand transported; the assembly methodtherefore has to be rigorous: the armsfit into conical sleeves integrated intothe master bulkheads and 2 pairs ofrod martingales look after the verticaltraction. These areas are subjected toconsiderable dynamic compressionwhen sailing hard, but the tests on‘Jedi’ carried out by Pete Goss duringthe Round Britain Race, or the crews inthe SEACART Series (including therecord round the Gotland peninsula…)speak volumes on this subject.Flying in the windA day sailing aboard the Seacart 30’ ina good breeze is an unforgettableexperience! The ‘missile’s’ silhouetteis attractive at rest and bewitchingunder way. 12 – 15 knots of southwesterly(gusts at 18-20 knots) in theBaie de Quiberon: under full main andjib, the trimaran shot off like a rocketon a close reach, but remained civilised,almost comfortable. PatriceVivient (the importer, ex-KL 28 builder)was at the helm. There were five of usaboard. After a quite laborious photosession (the Seacart likes exclusiveattention), I took the helm, askingPatrice to coach me for the first fewminutes.In fact the Seacart is so well-balancedthat it is easy to sail; with the mainsheetin good hands, confidence rapidlygrew and I began to fly the centralhull, to find that this position allowedthe Seacart to show its full potential:the very light helm became sensual,surgically precise, the platform transmittedthe float’s vertical thrust andwas completely reassuring.The geometric rigour was a source ofpermanent pleasure; with the crewgrouped at the rear of the windwardfloat (2 metres above the water), andthe central hull flying, the excitementlevel is high! The small footrest integratedinto the trampoline is just

TEST7574You need to learn how to use the Seacart…The ‘beast’ in its case.Starting to bear away: the rubber marks can be seen behind!enough to keep your feet on the backof this thoroughbred.It is essential to remain concentrated;this overpowered rocket allows absolutelyoutrageous pointing angles: atbetween 14 and 17 knots at 40° to thewind, the Seacart’s float cuts throughthe well-formed chop with surprisingagility.Sailing to windward so easily wasmagical! Bearing away in the gustsrevealed this multihull’s magic; it seemedto be able to accelerate withoutlimits up to 30 knots and slipped alongcomfortably at a steady 20-22 knots.The first circuit of the bay was alreadyover, but I wanted to return, and thesecond time around opened up otherThe legendary Marström mast andthe custom carbon blocks…perspectives: with more confidence, Iloaded the float to its maximum bybearing away in the strongest gusts(more than 20 knots), this led to themain traveller trimmer (who knows the‘beast’ well) freeing off and allowedus to approach the limit serenely in acloud of spray.It was not warm (end of October), thesky was grey and it was raining on andoff, but the sight of the Seacart literallyflying over the bay was exciting.This boat is magical; it gives the exclusiveexcitement normally reserved forFormula 1 drivers and their crews,whilst proving to be reliable and quitesimple to use.This trimaran literally fixes a smile on its crew’s lips!Custom carbon traveller; rudder track rods and outboard bracket likewise.The beast’s entrails – full carbon!A monastic, but dry, interior!ConclusionFew boats in the world can give asmuch pleasure. It is certain that, atnearly 300 euro per kilo, the Seacartmay appear unreasonable, or evenhysterical! But this is not my point ofview. I experienced a beautiful object,which when all is said and done isquite practical (transportable, can bedismantled, light) and discovered anew dimension to leisure sailing: astrict and relatively economical class(just one suit of sails per year), anCRUISING: *SPORT: *****• Brilliant platform• Exceptional construction• Seaworthy andbalanced handling• Circuit quality• Carbon and ecology!• Material demanding care• Beware of the limits (theyexist!)• ‘Physical’ mainsheet travellerattractive circuit and an incredibly funmultihull. The construction qualityneeds no comment. The Seacart is acompletely successful trimaran, capableof adapting to different programmes:day sailing, coastal camping (inthe case of our test boat), racing orocean racing (Ocean Lake Marine evenplans a transatlantic race coupledwith the ARC!).TECHNICALSPECIFICATIONDesigner: Calle HennixArchitect: Marc LombardBuilder: Marström Composites(Sweden)Material: impregnated carbon/Nomexpost bakedLength: 9.10mWaterline: 9.00mWith bowsprit and rudder: 11.15mBeam: 6.67mAir draught: 17m (15m two-part rotatingmast)Draught: 2mWeight without crew: 760kgMinimum racing weight: 930kgEngine: 6 to 15hpMainsail: 43m2 (3 reefs)Jib: 19m2 (1 reef)Genoa: 37m2Gennaker: 77m2Mocra rating: 1.568Price: 233,000 euro inc. VAT