Maltese Falcon pix

jfm

jfm

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I posted this on S'butt so probly breaking rules by posting here too, but I know Mobo forumites are interested in techy stuff. So here are pix of Tom Perkins's new Perini, Maltese Falcon, taken in Antibes yesterday. Sorry it was a tiny camera, I'll get some better ones later. First time I've seen it in flesh. Striking machine, but heavy looking rig (unstayed masts by the way, all painted silver) and narrow beam. She's gonna heel, surely? Quite a sight, and impressive engineering...

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Are the masts made from kevlar or carbon fibre or something else v light and strong 'coz as you say she looks as though she'd fall over at the first puff of wind? I guess the naval architects have done their calcs
I hate the ugly square rigger look on such a modern boat. As they say, money can't buy you taste
Any other details? Weight, cost, speed etc?
 
I did a google search on Tom Perkins..............as I knew the name, but couldn't recall who he was - anyway - lots of stuff there - I looked at a Yachting Universe, or somesuch site - very impressive ! Not sure she's to my taste though......

- one of these days I must learn how to post links !

Adrian

www.cleanandshiny.co.uk
 
How odd - I had two very swift reactions to this boat. My first one was "wow, what a stunner" then a few second later I had completely the opposite reaction - "urggh its pig-ugly".

It must have the mother of all keels to stay upright and how on earth do you keep masts up with no rigging, err, other than make them as ugly (and technologically beautiful) as those!

Thanks for the piccies jfm.
 
I dont find her ugly, esp under sail. My pics don't really do her justice. And I admire the risk taking and envelope pushing of Tom Perkins. I dont know the weight, cost etc off hand but there is much on the web. The striking part for me is the height/weight/windage of the rig, on such a narrow beam. Not just the weight of the masts, but the cross spars and furled sails too. And the keel I believe is swing not lift, so no bulb, eek. And there's a lot of sail high up. So you'd expect her to heel loads more than say M5. The pics seem to show lightish wind (from the sea state) and plenty of heel.

The history is that she is a new boat but built on an 8-10year old steel hull that Perini happened to have lying around in Turkey. built for another project or something, i dunno. so that hull was reworked into MF. Hence, the narrow beam is something the rig designers had as a non variable
 
OK, I admit she looks slightly better under sail but I still wonder why they went for a square rigger sail plan. I know next to nothing about sail boats but are'nt square rigged sails a lot less efficient than modern triangular sails?
It just looks slightly naff and not at all elegant as a large sail boat should be
 
From the look of the sail angle, the yards are holding the sails in a close-hauled position not dissimilar to a Chinese rigged boat. That would enable her to get along pretty well to windward but what a lump! I can think of many sailing boats or mobos I would rather have for a fraction of the money. Surely we all like to look with pleasure at our boats and not wince when walking up to them? Can this guy?
 
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