Reimagining the 50-foot offshore racer

Is it a boat or a revolution? Palanad 4 scales the scow-bow concept to 50-feet, defying IRC norms with a blunt nose and raw power. Louay Habib reports for Yachting World:

At first glance, the Mach 50 Palanad 4 looks as if it has arrived from a different discipline entirely when compared to her rivals in recent offshore races. The bow is wide and blunt, the sections powerful and unapologetic, the design is reminiscent of a Mini Transat rather than a conventional 50-footer built to race under IRC.

Yet this is no conceptual flight of fancy. Palanad 4 is designed to sail at high consistent average speeds across long distances – including the demanding miles of a transatlantic crossing – and to win under IRC.

The project is the latest evolution in a design journey shared by French skipper Antoine Magre and designer Sam Manuard, a collaboration rooted over multiple seasons of Class 40 racing and a growing conviction that the scow-bow concept could scale far beyond its origins. – Full report