Sweet… Secret Mens Business

Fler coola båtar från “down under”. I vintras spanade vi in Chutzpah, en 40-fotare från Reichel/Pugh som var en radikalare variant av Beu Geste/Sjambok. SMB3 är en annan vidareutveckling av samma koncept. Geoff Boettcher är inne på sin tredje SMB, och målet lär vara en snabb resa till Hobart. Första racet blir Audi Sydney Gold Coast Race nu till helgen. TCC 1.303.

Tur att det finns fler som går igång på porriga detaljer…

Sammanfattning och bilder (med tillåtelse) från “Sportscar”:

At Sandringham YC on a cold and blustery Saturday saw the arrival under motor of the new 2008 version RP 47 built by Mal Hart for Geoff Boettcher of Adelaide to replace his previous RP47 Secret Mens Business that was severely damaged in a start line incident just a few seconds into Hamilton Island Race Week last year. This new boat looks to be a bigger version of the RP40 Chutzpah launched late last year and has some very similar design features as shown in these photos. As usual, Mal Hart’s build quality and finish is superb.

Just to be different, this RP boat is finished in silver with just a splash of red. The gray shadow Southern cross graphic aft is a subtle touch.

The carbon rig from local spar builder Peter Kula’s Applied Composite Technologies is beautifully finished with some innovative features that Peter asked me not to photograph. He told me this is the fifth big rig built by his company this year so it is great to see a local business getting a sizeable slice of this specialist market. These rigs are quite stunning in their detail and are becoming works of art in their own right. I don’t have any technical detail about the boat but no doubt it will come to hand soon.

I went back for another look at SMB3 today while Jack was out training with the team for the Cadet Worlds later this month. I met up with Gary Boettcher, the proud and delighted owner of the boat who had earlier seen me taking these shots and for some reason asked me which website they were going to appear on. When I told him they would go to you at S.A., he expressed his approval with a big grin and said that would be OK. I wished him well with the boat and he said he looked forward to reading about it on the site.

On going back for a more detailed look at the boat, it was apparent that SMB3 is really quite different to the RP 40 Chutzpah in that it has a lot less hull flare forward than Chutzpah and looks to be, proportionally quite a bit narrower down aft too. Interesting rigging details can be seen in the following photos.

Halyards & control lines run through turning blocks at the deck then down inside the cowling alongside the cabin trunk. They then turn through “deadeye blocks” rather than sheaves before running aft to jammer banks port and stbd. Rigger says that the friction is insignificant and the weight saving considerable with no wear and tear on non moving parts.

Shows the “deadeye block” (that’s my terminology – not sure what they call it officially) Panels will cover these access hatches in the side cowlings.

Jammer bank and control line cleats port and stbd

Access panel in cowling. Teardrop shaped hole above the bigger hole is for the mainsheet coming from the side ofthe boom which then exits through the deck level tube (behind the stanchion in this pic) and back to a winch pt/stbd, Adjustable jib car sytem, again with a ring (no moving parts) also shown.

Bowsprit features complex internals with two tack lines and in-built Martin breaker (tack release) systems.

Bow on shot shows much less forward flare than Chutzpah and twin tack line exits in bowsprit.

Patriotic owner has continued his theme featuring the Australian flag on the topsides of his yachts, this time in a very subtle grey on silver.

General deck arrangement. Jib fairlead is halfway between the jammer bank and the primary electric winch and a bit outboard. As per earlier Pic 1, this is a deadeye arrangement with no moving parts. I guess the electric winch takes care of the friction. You can see the electric primary winch control buttons on the deck just outboard of the primary winch. This technology will see the end of the traditional “Grinder” crew role which begs the question- will it be replaced by the “Pusher” and bulging biceps replaced by calloused fingertips? As John Kay’s Steppenwolf once sang, “Goddamn the pusher man…”

Cheers,

Chris / SPORTSCAR