Construction of the hull of our 15.50 m Lemsteraak design started mid February 2010 at “Skipshelling I. Blom” in Hindelopen.

This yacht is being built for “Dirk Blom Lemsteraken” and will be used as a prototype yacht for evaluating a number of design innovations. All companies involved share two main goals:

• To build a fast Lemsteraak with the use of the most modern available techniques;
• To set-up a group of companies co-operating together for the purpose of developing new Lemsteraak projects together with prospective clients.

The hull lines of a Lemsteraak are restricted by tight class rules. Late 2003 we completed an extensive study into the possibilities for further optimization of a Lemsteraak. We designed a new 13.5 m Lemsteraak according to the conclusions of this study in 2007. This yacht, with sail number VA-208, was very competitive during races in the summer of 2009.

For this new design we again went one step further. We used the latest state of the art software tools currently available. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations were performed in developing the lines of the hull and the appendages. These calculations included runs for both the downwind and the upwind sailing condition, including dynamic trim and sinkage effects, in shallow water. The calculations were carried out with our CFD code ISIS from Ecole Centrale de Nantes (ECN).

With the resistance and side force data obtained from these calculations our inhouse VPP was fine-tuned. A new analyses of previously carried out wind tunnel tests were also carried out leading to a fine-tuning of the Aero-module in our VPP. With the new version of our VPP we are now able to calculate side force, resistance, lift and drag characteristics of this type of sailing yachts with a much higher level of accuracy than before.

With the new version of our VPP we have carried out extensive studies aimed at optimizing the displacement, sail plan and many other speed-related factors.

Companies involved in this new project are:

• Dirk Blom Lemsteraken: General project coordinator - Marketing
  www.dirkblom.nl
  
  
• Van Oossanen & Associates b.v.: Design – Naval architecture – Hydro- and Aerodynamic optimization
  www.oossanen.nl
  
  
• Skipshelling Blom: Builder
  www.blomaak.nl
  
  
• Workumer Jachthaven: Technical Systems – Painting – Interior
  www.wjh.nl
  
  
• Zeilmakerij Molenaar: Sails
  www.zeilmakerijmolenaar.nl
  
  

The first yacht of this new series will sail mid 2010. We’ll keep you posted!