Major Hull Surgery: Transom Modifications, Fairing, and Sourcing an America’s Cup Rudder

Executing multiple complex hull projects with a focus on structural integrity and performance gains.

Author: Shayne & Anna

Key Message: A systematic, professional approach allows multiple major refit projects to be run in parallel, turning a daunting workload into a series of manageable, high-impact upgrades.

Introduction

Transforming a boat’s hull lines is one of the most ambitious projects an owner can undertake. For us, it was a necessary step to improve both form and function. This project log covers the intense, multi-faceted work period where we executed transom extensions, full hull fairing, and began the journey of creating new high-performance rudders—a journey that took a thrilling turn with the acquisition of an ex-America’s Cup foil.

The Transom Extension: Adding Form and Function

The original transoms offered little practical space for boarding or swimming. Our goal was to create integrated swim platforms without compromising structural integrity.

• The Process: After carefully cutting back the existing transom, we built a foam-and-fiberglass framework, vacuum-bagging the initial layers for optimal consolidation. The final structural glass work tied the new extension seamlessly into the existing hull grid, creating a strong, monolithic structure.
• The Payoff: This extension provides secure access from the water and a more practical platform for stern-to mooring, significantly enhancing liveaboard comfort and safety.

Hull Fairing and Systems Rationalization

With the structure complete, the focus shifted to the hull surface itself.

• The Great Sand-Off: We stripped the hulls down to the epoxy primer, a dusty but critical step to achieve a perfect base for new antifouling. A fair hull is a fast hull, reducing drag and improving sailing performance.
• Removing Redundant Skin Fittings: Every through-hull is a potential point of failure. We systematically identified and glassed over unused seacocks, reducing complexity and enhancing overall safety.

The Rudder Project: A Tale of Discovery and Opportunity

The removal of the old rudders revealed more than we expected and opened the door to a major performance upgrade.

• The Discovery: Upon extraction, we found the old rudders were water-logged, adding significant weight and compromising the core material. This confirmed the necessity of our planned rebuild.
• The Opportunity: Rather than building from scratch, we sourced a rudder from the Spanish Ibedrola America’s Cup campaign. This provided us with a proven, high-performance foil shape to use as a master for creating our new rudders.
• The Method: We created a “splash mold” from the America’s Cup rudder. This process involves taking a precise female mold directly from the existing object, allowing us to reproduce its exact hydrodynamics in our new, custom-built rudders.

Conclusion

This phase of the refit was about laying the groundwork for massive performance and lifestyle gains. By methodically tackling structural modifications, surface preparation, and leveraging high-performance opportunities, we are systematically transforming Paikea into the modern, capable performance cruiser we envision.

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