July 20, 2002
The Full Hull and Keel of the Cabo Rico 54/56

The full hull, with keel, is now dramatically on view. This unique creation is Chuck Paine's masterful blend of Cabo Rico qualities, as developed by Bill Crealock, and Chuck's design skills evolved to yet another level by the demands of Cabo Rico's owners, Fraser and Edi Smith. Chuck's genius was dramatically demonstrated by his Cabo Rico 40/42 design, to date Sail Magazine's only "ultimate bluewater boat" in their TOP TEN comparisons. Sail Magazine 2/00

The hull form blends the traditional characteristics of grounding protection and tracking ability with very high pointing abilities and significant speed potential in all types of winds. The keel is significantly cut away in the forefoot for pointing and tacking speed, yet will still "heave to" well. Amazingly, it also gives her owners the benefits of shallower draft than other craft over 50 feet, while not having to compromise keel foil shape nor needing a centerboard.

Safety and stability are enhanced significantly by this design and improved still further by its very low center of gravity.

“…susceptibility to knockdowns…depends mainly on hull shape and ballasting.” The fuller keel boat “will come back upright at all times, even starting from a position with her mast pointing straight down.” The lineal keel boat with its skeg hung rudder “will come back upright as long as her angle of heel is less than 139 degrees;” the fin keel boat “will come back upright only from heel angles that are under 110 degrees…the more she heels, the less she tries to right herself.” Richard McCurdy, Cruising World

"The boats will be very stable underway, with a very comfortable and predictable motion as sea. The tracking characteristics and balance will be such that, like all Cabo Ricos, on many points of sail, except straight down wind, the boats will sail themselves for an hour or more at a time without any adjustment to the helm. These factors make Cabo Ricos very easy to single-hand and power consumption of an optional autopilot is reduced." Fraser Smith

The underbody has slightly slacker bilges than many designs today, so they do not pound in rough seas. The clipper bow also yields a smoother ride and dryer decks than any other design. That’s why this shape evolved over hundreds of years of ocean sailing.

Click to see a brief history of the clipper bow shape in this excerpt from Ferenc Máté's latest version of his book, World's Best Boats Sailboats, being released later this fall.

A great deal of care was taken in blending beam with an entry which is relatively fine… Too fine and you may have a lack of sailing balance, possible porpoising and wetness. Too bluff and windward ability will suffer. The true clipper bow has a very fine entry, remarkably close in the lower parts of the first two sections to grand prix racers, but flares to what amounts to good reserve buoyancy, which is vital in keeping the boat from submarining when driving into waves. The stern overhang balances the clipper bow nicely while dampening pitching motion and presenting extra reserve buoyancy to a following sea.

“The clipper bow is an excellent type of bow for combining a relatively fine entry with the reserve buoyancy and the flare and flam which make for dryness and an easy motion.” W.I.B. Crealock

Above:
The framing for the deck mold plug is now revealing
our characteristic sea-going, "Cabo Rico" shape.

Back to Cabo Rico 56

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