Ernesto Tross, the yacht design heretic

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Nato in Germania, la famiglia si trasferisce a Roma nel 1940 e qui il ragazzo viene contagiato dalla passione per il mare. Già nel 1962 progetta e costruisce la sua prima barca, una canoa a bilanciere in compensato marino. Nel 1978 passa all’alluminio con il quale realizza le sue prime barche adatte alla navigazione oceanica. Nel 2000 costruisce il 9 metri Orso Grigio. Nel 2009 il 10 metri Orso Bianco.

His extensive sailing experience, solo or almost solo, in oceans around the world, but especially in the Indian Ocean; combined with astatistical analysis of the most frequent accidents that can happen to ocean sailors (surveyed and analysed by the US Coast Guard) has pushed him towards his own personal philosophy of sailing, totally oriented towards safety and therefore simplicity. A philosophy that he recounts and explains in his book My Safe Boat, a publishing success since 2007.

Ernesto Tross

Ernesto Tross's yacht design philosophy in 10 points

1 – Aluminium hull and deck. This metal is stronger than wood but weighs less than steel. It is also immune to rust. Galvanic currents, the only weak point of this construction material, must be taken into account.

2 – Double-edged hull construction and with a flat bottom to facilitate work on site (welding aluminium is slightly more complex than welding steel).

3 - The hull must be totally watertight. Skylights, portholes, hatch and any opening must be watertight. Even the mast, which will be strictly resting on the deck.

4 - Blanket flush deckwithout a deckhouse. On a boat of around 10 metres in length, it is not essential to have sufficient height below deck. At most, the sides can be raised a little. The deckhouse is an element of weakness in the structure. If a large wave breaks over the boat, the deckhouse-deck junction can give rise to waterways. To prevent accidental slips, the deckhouse aluminium should be knurled, like the gangways of construction scaffolding.

5 – Integral moving drift. The fixed keel produces a toppling effect when a large wave comes in from the transom and hits the boat's broadside. Under these conditions, a boat with a fixed keel can capsize. A boat with a movable keel, on the other hand, will simply tend to slide sideways. The ballast will consist of removable lead cakes placed in the bilge. It will then be possible to lighten the boat if necessary.

6 - Drift and rudder made of wood and with bayonet retractable system. In the event of a collision with rocky shoals, coral reefs and semi-submerged objects, these break, acting as fuses and thus saving the hull. They are easily repaired or replaced.

7 – Bow with flat design, preferably T-shapedlike aircraft carriers. It facilitates mooring in the harbour (which must always be done from the bow) and makes it much easier to go ashore, even when carrying heavy objects, bicycles and mopeds, which are essential for moving ashore.

8 – No mainsail. So no boom and no risk of receiving strong blows to the head suddenly. The boom in fact causes a large number of head injuries among sailors. The sail rig must therefore be made up as follows: a mast set far back, 2 stays and 3 forestays. On the forestay closest to the mast, the storm jib is rigged (to be used in real winds of over 35 knots); on the second one, the jib (for winds of 15 to 30 knots); on the furthest forestay, a large furling genoa or a gennaker with sock or mainsail (in winds of under 15 knots).

9 – Deck equipment and standing rigging must all be oversized. Yacht designers tend to design boats for coastal cruising, light and fast. They have no clear idea of what can happen in the ocean when a boat sails a thousand miles from any port.

10 – 4-stroke outboard enginepreferably Yamaha. This makes maintenance easier and there are no sea intakes in the hull. For a 10-metre long aluminium boat, a 25 horsepower is more than enough. All you need to lower it into the water (and hoist it when you don't need it) is a stern sled and a four-way hoist. Yamahas are the most reliable, and it is no coincidence that they are used by all fishermen, at every latitude and longitude on the planet.

Ernesto Tross

Our considerations

Let us start from the premise that the opinions of Ernesto Tross are aimed at the ocean-going publican audience of a few thousand people worldwide. With this in mind, we totally agree with the arguments regarding the choice of construction material and hull design. We also agree with the choice of the integral centreboard.

On the sailing plan We express doubts, because a boat designed in this way, without a mainsail, will have many difficulties to sailing upwind. True, it is a gait little used in ocean navigation (Tross dismisses the matter by saying: 'a serious boat never goes upwind', meaning that in the oceans one plans long transfers by following the trade winds and thus sailing with a downwind or aft wind) the fact remains that being able to go upwind, even for a few miles, is a safety factor when you have a downwind coast and a storm coming in.

Another concern, more related to the comfort, has to do with the knurled aluminium deckwhich would make it painful to move around barefoot. Sailing in the tropics having to wear trainers on deck all the time (as Tross recommends anyway) would be a very annoying thing. Especially for those who can't wait to get on board and forget their shoes in a locker for the duration of a holiday or crossing.

Otherwise, it is certainly a voice outside the chorus, not conforming to current yacht design standards, which deserves to be heard and analysed. If only to understand that there is never just one way of doing things and that real experience is always the best teacher there is.

Source: My safe boat, Ernesto Tross – Edizioni Nutrimenti[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_fullwidth_slideshow padding=”0″ images=”7766,7845,7846,7847,7848,7849,7850″ stretch_images=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_button dimension=”outline” corner_style=”full_rounded” size=”medium” icon=”mk-icon-home” url=”/” align=”center” margin_top=”30″ margin_bottom=”0″ margin_right=”0″]Torna alla Home[/mk_button][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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