The Grand Soleil 48 Performance is born by the cooperation between three important teams: the Technical Dept. of Cantiere del Pardo, Nauta Yacht Design for the interiors and the deck, and Marco Lostuzzi for the naval architecture.
Their expertise has translated into an important project. First goal: creating a fast and performing sailing boat. The new Grand Soleil 48 Performance belongs to Cantiere del Pardo’s Performance category. Double offer for his owners: two different products to meet two different kind of customers’ needs. On one hand, the Long Cruise, which satisfies long cruise-lovers; on the other hand, the Performance, thought for sport-loving owners who look for a high-performance boat, perfectly fit for races.
TOP CONSTRUCTION
First-class materials and techniques have been used for this important project. The main characteristic of the Grand Soleil 48 is that the owner can choose among different kinds of construction: the infusion of the Race version can be done either in epoxy resin and fiberglass or in epoxy resin and carbon with four composite bulkheads. The Performance version, instead, is hand-laminated and realised in vinylester and fiberglass (the main bulkhead is made of composite).
THE DECK: FROM PERFORMANCE TO RACE
The deck plan is one of the most interesting features of the new Grand Soleil 48. It is indeed what mainly distinguish the Race version from the Performance one. The first one has six or eight winches on the deck – it comes with two aft winches to regulate the split backstay -, a hydraulic piston at bow to regulate the stay, a jib equipped with diagonal tracks and a dolphin striker 100% longer than the Performance version one, which gives a wider sail plan surface.The Performance version is equipped with four winches nearby the rudder and standard self-rotating jib that allows an easy manoeuvring of the boat and a greater comfort even to the smallest crews.
As far as the external layout is concerned, there is the possibility of placing the windows following the owner’s needs – which can be taken to extremes in a completely “nude” version.
A POWERFUL AND EASILY-HANDLING SAIL PLAN The sail plan has been studied for a long time with fake VPP speed programs. The outcome is a powerful but easily handling sail plan. In addition to this, all the manoeuvres have been put back to the cockpit.
The spaces under the deck have a wide beam and a free board that give spacious and comfortable interiors with three cabins and two heads, both with separated shower stall – a fantastic solution for a race soul boat -, the kitchen, the saloon and the chart work. The natural lighting gives more comfort, because it gets through the windows located on the hull and on the deck. All the interiors are made with high quality materials in accordance with Grand Soleil’s unique style: in the Race version, the lightened woods allow to save 30-40% of weight.
