Dmitriy-Mikhailov-about-Farr-IMS-600

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Dmitriy Mikhailov about FARR HORIZONS - SUMMER 2003 PAGE 3
An inside look at our world of yacht design.
NEW DESIGN FOR THE IMS 600 CLASS BY Farr Yacht Design, Ltd.
2002 was a year of challenges for Farr Yacht Design and our
newest IMS design was no different. Production builder
Sinergia Composites of Spain approached us late in 2002 to
design a second generation IMS boat for the IMS 600 Class,
which is very active in the Mediterranean. Having not designed a pure IMS racing yacht at 41 feet for quite some time,
it was another challenge that the team at Farr Yacht Design
accepted without hesitation.
At the same time this design began, a production
builder in Russia (Non Commercial Partnership 40 Feet) contacted our office and commissioned the same IMS 600 design.
The builder has claimed this will be Russia’s first production
racing yacht and 10 confirmed orders have been placed to date.

[Information from the article "Business Under Sail" by Viktoriya Makarenko, published in the Gorod N business weekly, Rostov-on-Don, which was recognized as the highest-quality business print publication in the south of Russia in 2003-2004.]

The Taganrog organization "Non-Profit Partnership (NP) '40 Futov'" has begun mastering a type of business still considered exotic for the Rostov region, the construction of racing-cruising yachts that meet world standards. The project author is the American company Farr Yacht Design Ltd, a leader in global yacht design. The curator is the Russian Sailing Federation. In addition to capturing the Russian market, Taganrog shipbuilders plan to sell their yachts to foreign clients as well.

The idea to establish a sports shipyard in Taganrog, based at a local ship repair plant, and to launch serial production of modern cruiser-racer yachts was conceived by local yachtsmen united by the Taganrog yacht club.

"When it came to choosing a design, we reached out to many countries: England, Italy, New Zealand, manufacturers in South Africa," recalls Dmitry Mikhailov, manager of NP "40 Futov." "But Farr from the USA responded the fastest. They offered us a yacht design that would be best suited for sailing in the Mediterranean Sea basin, whose geographical conditions most closely resemble Russia's."

As for technological discipline, according to Dmitry Mikhailov, the Taganrog team had to get used to requirements that were previously unheard of in Russian yacht building. Traditional technology involves constructing a wooden frame, onto which a plastic and wood sheathing is then attached. The fundamental difference of the technology used in Farr's designs is that first, a mock-up, a template (called a "plug" by shipbuilders), must be built. Then, a mold for the yacht's hull is made from this template.

The work of constructing the "plug" accounts for over 70% of the total work volume and requires great precision (as Mr. Mikhailov stated, the tolerance for physical dimensions can be no more than 5 mm) and strict adherence to time standards. This is due to the extensive use of special epoxy resins: if chemical operations are over-timed or under-timed by even a minute or two, the entire yacht can be rendered scrap later. To learn how to work the American way, the Taganrog team went to New Zealand.

"All the most modern yachts for America and Europe are built there today," says Dmitry Mikhailov. "Over several months, our group of engineers visited more than 20 shipyards. And we realized that besides our engineers, we would also need to train our production personnel in the new methods."

Upon returning to Taganrog, a group of workers—about 15 people—was formed. It includes the yachtsmen themselves, dockers from the port and the ship repair plant, and chemical engineers. Shipbuilding companies in New Zealand provided specialized literature—textbooks for workers. And now, every Saturday, Dmitry Mikhailov conducts training for the production personnel at the Taganrog yacht club.

The workers immediately apply their theoretical knowledge in practice: in the workshops of the Taganrog Ship Repair Plant, the template is being built, from which the hull of the first yacht to the Farr design will be "sculpted." The work is financed by several Russian business structures, whose representatives will subsequently also compete as yachtsmen in various regattas.

Currently, the work on constructing the template is 80% complete. According to Mr. Mikhailov, besides the Taganrog team, another yacht to the Farr design is being built by a Spanish team. They started building their vessel slightly earlier than the Russians, but the Taganrog team (apparently, enthusiastic about applying the new technology) is progressing through the yacht construction stages a bit faster. NP "40 Futov" intends to complete the construction of the Farr-design yacht in August-September.