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Ice, Design IOMDV01-01 Through IOMDV01-03
Dario was introduced to the IOM class when he accepted a commission to optimise Paul Armstrong’s first One Metre Rush.
Paul created the original prototype using his considerable 'feel' and his surfboard shaping skills.
Before commissioning Carbonicboats he had been sailing for a few months with mixed results.
Rush was quite a powerful boat with a wedge shaped deck plan, wide beam and generally powerful sections.
The deck layout was quite straightforward with a flat foredeck and a plain step down into an open 'dish' cockpit.
The prototype was planked in balsa with hard gunwales.
Ice was the result of this optimisation.
It was still a fairly wide planing boat but the hull shape, volume distribution, foils, centres and deck layout were significantly tweaked.
The changes added up to a measurable gain in performance and consistency.
The bow was fine, elliptical in underwater section and slab-sided.
It opened gradually to a flared midsection and tapered in a bit at the stern.
Ice enjoyed a prolific production run.
Light Ice, Design IOMDV03-01 Through IOMDV05-02
The final version of Ice had a parallel-sided fin and a very elegant semi-elliptical high-aspect rudder.
The latest decks were exquisitely shaped with a complex curve in the foredeck and moulded-in mast partners.
However, the limitations of the 'skiff' type were becoming apparent with fleets worldwide
migrating toward more moderate and conventional all-round boats.
Enter Light Ice , a completely new design.
Light Ice pioneered a concept that has since been widely imitated. Dario campaigned this design in Auckland in 2001 and 2002.
At the same time a number of skippers as far off as Malaysia and Canada provided feedback that helped refine and tweak the details during the evaluation phase.
The single largest change since the prototype was shifting the fin aft by 4mm.
The appendage design was refined by optimising the profile, planform and foil area. A flattened bulb was introduced beginning with Design IOMDV05-01.
The cockpit shape evolved with the introduction of firmer corners for greater rigidity.
Detailing included fairings to deflect water before the standing rigging as well as moulded integral mast partners.
Access was through a single cockpit hatch and a foredeck hatch. A radio gear pot could also be installed if desired.
The sailing pictures shown are of Dario's own Light Ice '33', courtesy of Francesco Binetti.
33 is now in Italy and has been purchased by the owner of the Joe Fly racing team after being campaigned by Francesco.
Light Ice 2, Design IOMDV06
This boat is very much a linear evolution of LightIce 1.
After extensive testing and competition, the inevitable list of desired improvements became extensive enough to warrant investment in new tooling.
Overall beam was very similar, an increase of 4mm being primarily due to the revised beam distribution.
Centres and maximum beam were moved forward to the practical limit dictated by the one-design jib boom length.
The principal difference in section shape was a rounding off of the distinctive 'U' shaped bilges found on the previous boat.
Priority was given to handling and balance.
Careful attention was paid to maintaining a smooth transition in heeled underwater shape.
For practical reasons the deck mould was carried over.
Only minor changes were necessary to accommodate the modified beam distribution.
After testing of the new hull shape returned satisfactory results, attention was focussed on the foils.
A revised fin section was tested and found to be satisfactory.
The next stage in the programme involved refinements in fittings, rig setup and sailmaking.
DV 7, Design IOMDV07
DV 7 was a purely experimental design with the defined aim to explore handling, balance and manoeuvrability.
The section shape was derived from pure arcs.
Careful attention was paid to prohibiting the migration of the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic centres with heel.
The result was a similar waterline beam to the other contemporary production boat but considerably greater beam on deck.
Tiziano Desmatogiovanni from Italy constructed the tooling and tested the prototype.
Results were used to calibrate our in-house software and were valuable in informing the next generation of IOM designs.
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