Built using a relatively simple construction method of carbon fibre and foam core, close attention was paid to detail and to weight. Because the IRC circuit is so competitive, both Ker Design and Salthouses were determined to ensure that Ptarmigan was "absolutely cutting edge" on her launch date.
To ensure this, the yacht was designed and built at the same time. "On a boat like this, because it's a race boat, you don'twant to design it and then start building it, because it's six months out of date at that point," explains Simon Schofield of Ker Design.
To ensure this, the yacht was designed and built at the same time. "On a boat like this, because it's a race boat, you don'twant to design it and then start building it, because it's six months out of date at that point," explains Simon Schofield of Ker Design.
"Salthouse's willingness and ability to work this intimately with the design team was one of the key reasons why the Kiwi company was chosen to build the yacht." "We ... needed to communicate very closely as we designed components just in time for them to be built, meaning we had to work through concepts and engineering continuously." Part of that process was to perfect the hull shape through the use of advanced RANs fluid dynamics software for intensive virtual tank testing.
Ptarmigan has proven this design/build collaboration to be a successful formula placing second in the IRC East Coast Championships 2011 and claiming IRC Overall Winner at Block Island Race Week 2011 & 2012.
Ptarmigan has proven this design/build collaboration to be a successful formula placing second in the IRC East Coast Championships 2011 and claiming IRC Overall Winner at Block Island Race Week 2011 & 2012.
