36th America’s Cup Class Rule Revealed

In the past decade, foiling catamarans have been the signature of the America’s Cup. The 36th edition of the renowned sailing race will be no different.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Circolo della Vela Sicilia, together with their respective teams – Emirates Team New Zealand and the Challenger of Record – Luna Rossa, recently published the AC75 Class Rule for the 36th America’s Cup.

The AC75 Class Rule lays out the strict guidelines that must be followed when teams are designing their respective yachts for eligibility in the heated competition. It regulates all aspects of the boat to ensure a fair and exciting race, while leaving the teams room to create some cutting-edge innovation.

Given the class rule has been revealed, the competition can now begin development on their state-of-the-art cruisers and continue to looking for areas where they can pick up a real advantage.

Highlights of the AC75 Class Rule include:

1. Strict limitations on the number of components that can be built – including hulls, masts, rudders, foils, and sails, which encourages teams to do more R&D in simulation and subsequently less physical construction and testing
2. Supplied foil arms and cant system to save design time and construction costs
3. Supplied rigging
4. One design mast tube

To read more about how the 36th America’s Cup is shaping up, visit the official America’s Cup website.