Oystercatcher XXVIII was designed by Tom Humphreys of Humphreys Yacht Design and launched in Wellington, New Zealand, in October. It is the second Humphreys-designed racing yacht for owner Richard Matthews.
The hull and deck of Oystercatcher XXVIII were constructed using ACG’s Lloyd’s Register of Shipping approved VTM®260 Series carbon prepregs direct from female moulds. This technique offers optimum surface finish and minimal material usage, thus helping to deliver the performance demanded by racing yachts. The hull utilises a foam core to provide the toughness required for offshore racing while the deck and internal structures employ Nomex honeycomb cores to reduce overall weight. Central to the design is a hydraulically operated lifting keel, which effectively reduces the draft from 3.65 m to 2.5m.
The rig, supplied by Southern Spars, was manufactured using ACG’s MTM®57 Series ultra-high modulus carbon fibre prepregs.
Oystercatcher XXVIII is heading off to compete in a gruelling race programme encompassing Cowes Week, the Key West Race Week, Rolex Fastnet, the RORC Caribbean 600 and Ocean Races.
