THE CHALLENGE

ISAF states that the Olympic multihull should "Enable the Olympic regatta to reflect and promote multihull racing at its most demanding".

And since 1976 the Olympic multihull has, in fact, been the pinnacle high performance multihull.

That this has been achieved in a 'one design' multihull is one of the great stories in the history of the sport.

While 'one design' classes offer stability, innovation flows around them; particularly in the box rule classes, which are free of fixed designs and licensed builder restrictions.

'One design' multihulls age quickly; and 'one design' A-Catamarans or Formula 18s simply fade away... the Australis A-Catamaran and International Nacra F18, are now out of production.

To survive the onslaught of innovation, a "one design" multihull class must start with a great design and it must evolve.

So, it is both unique and extraordinary that a 'one design' has been the pinnacle 2 person multihull for 40 years.

ONE DESIGN DEFIES TIME

In 1967, the Tornado dominated the IYRU observation trials - winning with a total of only 8.7 points, while the 2nd place boat finished with 25.7 points.

In 1997, Meade Gougeon explained the Tornado's dominance in Sailing World:

"The Tornado, even in today’s world, is an almost perfect boat...
It’s very difficult to improve on the [1967 vintage] Tornado hull."

In 2008, the Tornado is still the pinnacle two person catamaran; and it is still the only International B Class.

FIRST IMPROVE, THEN BUILD IT RIGHT, THEN EVOLVE

The Tornado has often been referred to as a development class. This is not true. It is a 'one design' with closed class rules.

Within the class rules, Tornado sailors have continuously improved the quality and reliability of every component of the boat.

Most changes to the class rules have sharply tightened tolerances, as performance on the water has established the 'right' equipment.

The only major change to the class rules were driven by the ISAF decision in November 2000, that the Olympic multihull for 2004 would be the Tornado with spinnaker and and double trapeze.

In response, the class approved a revised sail plan. It has not changed since it was first introduced in 2001; and it is higher performance and perfectly balanced.

At the end of 2004, the class approved a carbon mast, to end the chronic downwind breakage of aluminium masts and improve the 'one design' standard.

Yet, overall there have been fewer class rule changes than is the average for International classes.

Hulls
The Tornado hull design is brilliant; and its dimensions, as detailed in the Official Plans have never changed.

But, it took nearly 20 years of effort to build a Tornado that was equal to its design. The Tornado's low weight and maximum width presented daunting structural challenges.

In the mid-1980s, the use of epoxy laminates with lightweight cores finally achieved the goal of a light, stiff, tough, and durable hulls; and Marstrom mastered the engineering of the beamed-up platform.

Hull construction has not changed since; and the dominant Marstrom hulls use the same moulds today that were approved by the IYRU in the early 1980s.

Hull Appendages
Rudder and centreboard profile shapes, dimensions, and tolerances, detailed in the Official Plans have never changed.

However, the cross-section shapes needed to evolve. Rudders, particularly, had a nasty tendency to cavitate at high speed.

The correct rudder cross-section shape was achieved by the 1980s, and it has not changed since. Similarly, centreboard cross-section shape has changed little since the 1980s.

Rig
From 1967 to 2000, the mast and standing rigging rules remained unchanged.

In 2001, the class sharply reduced the dimension tolerances of the mast; and the location tolerances of the rigging attachment point.

For 2005, the class approved the change to a stronger and more strictly controlled carbon mast. Its certification tolerances are the most stringent required of any mast in production worldwide.

Sail Plan
The sail plan remained unchanged from 1967 until early 2001, when the class approved its current sail plan.

Sail materials have always been limited, and today are further restricted to specific commercially available polyester and nylon cloths.

SO... WHERE IS ALL THE 'DEVELOPMENT'?

Sail makers work continuously to improve sail designs; and almost all 'one design' classes take advantage of these improvements.

However, the rotating masts used on multihulls cause the interaction between the mast and the sails to be very dynamic. Particularly, because the mast bend characteristics change as the mast is rotated.

And... Tornado class rules restrict sailors to only 1 mainsail, 1 jib, and 1 gennaker in competition.

So, a sail must perform across the entire apparent wind speed range, which goes from less than 5 knots up to 40 knots!... and multihulls never flog any sail.

It is no surprise that sailors commit great time and effort to finding the best mast / sail combination.

But there is much less volatility than is commonly assumed.

A WORD TO THE WISE

Imelda Marcos convinced herself that she needed 1000 pairs of shoes... but that does not mean that shoes are too expensive to own.

Olympic equipment is not expensive because sailors with money buy dozens of gennakers.

Olympic equipment is expensive when it cannot hold up under top level use 200+ days per year, and must be replaced.