The Nacra 20 is a catamaran

sailing dinghy Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using five essential controls: * the sails * the foils (i.e. the daggerboard or centreboard and rudder and sometimes lifting foils as found on the Moth) * the trim (forward/rear angle o ...

that was designed by Gino Morrelli and

Pete Melvin Pete Melvin (born January 11, 1962) is an American sailing (sport), sailor. He competed in the Sailing at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Tornado, Tornado event at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Melvin is also a noted yacht designer with his partner Gin ...

as a one-design racer and first built in 1998. The design is a development of the Nacra F18 Infusion, using the same rudders, mast, inter-hull beams and other small parts and fittings, but with new, longer hulls. The design was originally marketed by the manufacturer as the Nacra Inter 20 and later as the Nacra 20, more recently it has been developed into the Nacra F20 Carbon and the hydrofoil-equipped Nacra F20 Carbon FCS. The Nacra F20 Carbon is a recognized

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international competition class.

Production

The design was initially built by Performance Catamarans in Santa Ana, California,

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, but that company is out of business. Since 2007 the design has been built by Nacra Sailing in Scheveningen,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and it remains in production as the Nacra F20 Carbon and Nacra F20 Carbon FCS models.

Design

The Nacra 20 is a racing catamaran

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminolo ...

. All models have fractional sloop rigs with rotating masts, vertical transoms, transom-hung

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

s controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

and retractable daggerboards. They are normally sailed by a crew of two and the design is equipped with two trapezes for balance.

Variants

;Nacra 20 :This model was introduced in 1998 as the Nacra Inter 20 and later called the Nacra 20. Production of this model ended after three years, in 2001. The hulls are built from a

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

foam sandwich. It has a length overall of , a beam of and displaces . The hulls have

plumb stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up t ...

s and a

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

of with the daggerboards extended and with them retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. ;Nacra F20 Carbon :The hulls on this model are built predominantly from a

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

foam sandwich with epoxy resin. It has a length overall of , a beam of and displaces . The hulls have reverse

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

s and the rudders are a "kick-up" design. The rudders and daggerboards are made from

pre-preg Pre-preg is a composite material made from "pre-impregnated" fibers and a ''partially cured'' polymer matrix, such as epoxy or phenolic resin, or even thermoplastic mixed with liquid rubbers or resins. The fibers often take the form of a weave ...

carbon fibre. The spinnaker is made from

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

. ;Nacra F20 Carbon FCS (Flight Control System) :This sailing hydrofoil model commenced production in 2014. It shares most of its parts with the Nacra F20 Carbon, including hulls built predominantly from a carbon fibre foam sandwich with epoxy resin. It has a length overall of , a beam of and displaces . The hulls have reverse raked stems. The pre-preg carbon fibre hydrofoil daggerboards and rudders are unique to this model. The daggerboards are "L"-shaped and the rudders "T"-shaped. The spinnaker is made from polyester.

Operational history

In a 2012 review of the Nacra 20 Carbon in ''Sail magazine'', reviewer Jeremy Evans wrote, "the Nacra 20 Carbon is a spectacular new one-design that is very light—20 pounds lighter than the smaller Formula 18—very stiff and very powerful, with its all-carbon wave-piercing hulls and a superb carbon/Kevlar mainsail ... Sailing in a light to moderate breeze, I found the boat to be stable, predictable and effortlessly quick .. All in all, this is a beautiful boat capable of blistering speed and a truly thrilling ride in a wide range of conditions."

References

External links

Official F20 Carbon websiteFormer website archives
on

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