The architect who took the scow bow from the Mini 6.50 to the IMOCA and 50-foot IRC classes
Sam Manuard is a French naval architect who has been designing since the late 1990s, combining an initial training as a geophysics engineer with offshore racing experience. His firm first gained recognition in the Mini 6.50 class, then expanded its portfolio to include Class40, IMOCA, Bénéteau and Seascape series, and more recently a 50-foot IRC scow-bowed yacht.
Trajectory
Manuard began by designing and building his own Mini 6.50s, including the first (Tip Top, 1998) for the 2001 Mini Transat. In 2023, he joined the Alinghi - Red Bull Racing design team for the 2024 America’s Cup while continuing his own design office.
The scow bow gamble
The firm’s signature is the scow bow: wide, rounded, and voluminous at the bow. The concept increases righting moment (and thus power) without significantly penalizing drag, improving stability and reducing bow-diving at downwind angles. Manuard first pushed this design in the Class40 (Mach 40 range), then in IMOCA with L’Occitane en Provence for Armel Tripon, and finally in IRC with the Mach 50 Palanad 4.
Yard partnerships
The design office primarily collaborates with JPS Production (Class40, Mach 50), Bénéteau / Seascape (First range), Pogo Structures (Pogo RC), and Black Pepper Yachts. IMOCA builds are carried out at dedicated sites depending on the project (L’Occitane was built at Black Pepper).
