OK sports fans, today we have a glimpse into the future. For those of you opposed to the use of cats for the America’s Cup, or who are on the fence, take a look at the video we have for you. You will be astonished.
Just imagine two of these boats match racing, keeping in mind […]
Over the last couple of years we have had numerous questions about the FPB 64’s hinged mast system. This is a costly exercise compared to a fixed rig.
The hinge itself looks simple enough. But by the time you do the engineering, execute the weldments, and make the necessary wiring allowances, there is a considerable investment. […]
Every fall there is a huge gathering of marine professionals at what is called IBEX. Every major vendor of marine items is there. Along with thousands of items to check out, there is an extensive array of hands on exhibitions and seminars. They have used photos of our designs in the past and this year […]
We hesitate to give out early performance information, but since the preliminary data off yesterday’s runs with Iron Lady are in the ballpark for what was expected, we thought we’d give you an early look. Iron Lady displaces roughly 34 metric tons / 75,000 pounds as as she has a bit of fuel and water […]
The basic dock check having been completed and stabilizers initialized,its time to see what she’ll do. The series of photos which follow have Iron Lady at about 34 metric tons / 75,000 pounds. She is doing approximately nine knots (instruments are yet to be zeroed in).
The first thing to note are the bow and stern […]
Let us introduce you to FPB 64-3, Iron Lady, about to start her sea trials.
Iron Lady is the first FPB 64 to have a stern extension bolted on. We will have performance numbers on this shortly and report them in due course.
Note the nicely faired buttock lines.
The rudder is huge relative to the steering loads […]
Being cold and wet in much of the Northern Hemisphere, with long nights the norm, we thought some light reading material might be in order.
If you click here, you will be able to download chapter seven of the FPB 64 Owner’s Manual. This will give you an idea of the operation and logic behind the […]
Anchor snubber lines, shock absorbers in reality, offer a number of benefits and several potential problems. Let’s address the rigging first.
The ideal snubber will be made from a stretchy material (we favor three strand nylon), and long enough to provide plenty of give as the loads come on.
Because the snubber line is constantly moving in […]
We usually specify what is called an anti-singing edge on our props. Essentially this is a chamfer on the forward face trailing edge of the blades as shown above. Occasionally this is not quite the right shape and at certain RPMs and loadings the prop will start a high pitched, and very annoying, song.
The props […]
Pete Rossin, on of our FPB 64 owners, has researched protecting wireless Internet communications in the age of “Firesheep”. Pete has been kind enough to share the approach he has adopted, including screen shots, to make a similar installation relatively painless.
We have put Pete’s comments into a PDF file which can be downloaded here. We […]
