Grand Soleil GS 48 Race

Design and Engineering for the GS48 Race from Grand Soleil and subsequent production tools and procedures. The small series of high performance sailing yachts was built at Cantiere del Pardo in Forlì, Italy.

The goal of the project was to develop a hybrid boat capable of winning prestigious races around the mediterranean while also being able to revert back to a fast cruising mode. This necessitated a rigorous weight management and design process. Where possible, parts where eliminated or made to serve several functions. All cruising equipment and furniture had to be easily removable for racing. Every part of the boat was optimised either for performance or ease of sailing, creating a very capable boat that can be sailed by a smaller crew.

This new level of performance necessitated a much more precise assembly. Part of my design task was to develop processes, improved moulds and tools to facilitate this. This meant that structures where not only designed to maximise weight savings and rigidity but also ease of installation. The result is the most precisely assembled boat the shipyard has produced to date!

The deck structure is designed with cruising and racing in mind and can, according to the owners wishes, be optimised for either or both of them. For the interior we decided upon a modular route with different types of construction according to the needs of the owner. While yachts that will mostly be used for fast cruising have a light but luxurious interior, the full race boats have one that is simpel and airy. To save weight, lots of fabrics and foam core construction is used, with modular closets that can be taken out for races and replaced with a cloth variant.

In sea trials the boat surpassed all expectations and especially in light winds proved to be an admirable contender.