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FC53 - 1, 2, 3

Year 2016
Project type Custom cruising

Installation of systems numbers 1, 2, and 3, including initial aluminum wiring installation performed by Skysat in 2016 on SPOCK, the first FC53 built by Knierim Yachtbau.

Crédits photos : Finot-Conq / Knierim Yachtbau. FC53 #3: Tor Johnson Photography.

Fast cruiser carbone Finot-Conq, first three hulls N°1 to N°3

The FC53 (sometimes noted FC3 53 by the designer) is a 16.16 m hull (17.56 m overall) fast cruising sailboat designed byFinot-Conq and built byKnierim Yachtbau in Kiel. The design transposes IMOCA 60 architectural choices into a fast cruising format: wide hull, low displacement, lifting keel, and water ballast.

Hull architecture and construction

  • Hull length: 16.16 m (17.56 m overall)
  • Beam: 5.26 m
  • Air draft: 23.30 m
  • Draft: 1.60 m / 3.75 m (lifting keel)
  • Light displacement: 10 to 11 t depending on options
  • Construction: carbon-epoxy prepreg sandwich, Corecell core (hull) and Nomex core (deck, structure)
  • Water ballast: 1 t per side
  • Sail area: 175 m² upwind, 315 m² downwind
  • Propulsion: Volvo 75 hp (saildrive), Fisher Panda 10 kVA generator, 200 l/h watermaker

Hull and appendages architecture by Finot-Conq, interior and exterior design by Pierre Forgia, project management by David de Prémorel. Carbon prepreg construction at Knierim Yachtbau, a German yard specializing in high-performance composite sailboats (IMOCA, Class40, Maxi).

The first three hulls

  • Hull N°1 — Spock, launched July 2016. First FC53, commissioned by an experienced racer seeking a fast long-range cruiser for short-handed sailing.
  • Hull N°2 — Kiwi Spirit II, delivered in 2017.
  • Hull N°3 — Nica, launched April 2018, intended for a circumnavigation program sailed as a couple with participation in regattas en route.