A 60-foot Finot-Conq from the IMOCA Vendée Globe 2008-2009
Ourson Rapide is a fast cruising sailboat of 60 feet designed byFinot-Conq and built in Vannes byMultiplast. Launched in 2009, it comes out of the molds after the three IMOCA 60s that Multiplast delivered for the Vendée Globe 2008-2009 (Générali, BritAir, DCNS). The program: a fast long-distance voyage with a reduced crew, with an Open’s hull adapted for cruising.
Hull design: an IMOCA reoriented for cruising
Finot-Conq starts from the wide, carbon hull of recent IMOCA designs, then replaces elements unsuitable for cruising. The canting keel of racing boats is replaced by aretractable keel — draft 2.40 m / 4.00 m — to access shallow harbors. Sideballast tanks (2.2 t each) serve the same purpose as the canting keel: they stiffen the boat and reduce heel without the hydraulic complexity of an IMOCA. The rigging typeC-Wing — without shrouds or stays — eliminates tension adjustments and allows for a roached mainsail.
Technical specifications
- Hull length: 18.28 m
- Beam: 5.40 m
- Draft: 2.40 m keel up / 4.00 m keel down
- Light displacement: 15 t (ballast 4.8 t, side ballast tanks 2.2 t each)
- Sail area: 246 m² upwind, 425 m² downwind
- Construction: Nomex sandwich / carbon prepreg cured at 120 °C, integral from keel to masthead
- Rigging: C-Wing without shrouds, carbon mast
- Layout: four cabins, four heads, aft saloon with panoramic view
Achievements and program
Ourson Rapide competed in theARC 2009 (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, Las Palmas — Saint Lucia) in its launch year. The boat then went on to complete ocean crossings and long seasons with a family / reduced crew, the mode for which it was designed.
