On the application of modern naval architecture techniques to historical crafts

The Thames A Rater class had a predominant role in the popularisation of inland racing in the United Kingdom towards the end of the 19th century, and remains a historical racing class that owes its longevity to the progresses made in naval architecture and technology; the most emblematic example being the 43 feet tall carbon fibre rigs on the 27 feet centenary wooden hulls. Today, the class is a perfect illustration of the balance between historical conservation and modernisation. The design of a contemporary wooden Thames A Rater will be presented, aiming at retaining the spirit of tradition of the class, while incorporating the latest design evolutions, and complying with the current rules and regulations. Techniques such as computational fluid dynamics and parametric optimisation will be employed, leading to a significant increase in performance quantified thanks to a velocity prediction programme, thus demonstrating the applications of modern naval architecture techniques to historical crafts.