News

February 8, 2008

Mean Machine TP52

The 2008 season is anything but uneventful for the Mean Machine team. Not only are they completely committed to the highly competitive Farr 40 Circuit, but now the brand new Mean Machine TP 52 is also just weeks from leaving the shipyard.

With a design by trusted boat-designer Rolf Vrolijk, whose hand has forged many a Mean Machine before, and built in the Salthouse shipyard, the new TP 52 is starting to take shape.

The construction of the new TP 52, which should take some 5 months, began last October. The build has definitely had some good wind behind it with part of the Mean Machine contingent also getting involved in the detailed construction process.

New Zealanders Ray Davies and Tom Dodson have been keeping a close eye on developments, along with Construction Manager and Captain of the new Mean Machine, Chris Reid.

The new Mean Machine hull, built in carbon fibre has recently been finished and the team are now working on the brand new deck.
Peter de Ridder commented on the new design: “we’re not going to see a very different Mean Machine from the other new Vrolijk designs in terms of the hull, but the whole team has been working on developing an innovative layout for the deck area, which will be revealed when the boat comes out of the shipyard”.



Despite the team straddling Europe and the United States right now with the Farr 40 regattas, the supervision of the construction process has been exhaustive. “Our boat Captain, Chris Reid has kept us updated on a day to day basis and we’re currently right on schedule with the build”.

The brand new Mean Machine TP 52 should be leaving the shipyard mid-March, to then be loaded onto a cargo ship bound for Belgium. From thereon the boat will be carefully transported by road down to Valencia where the she will finally be put together from the 22nd April onwards.

There’ll be little rest for Peter de Ridder’s crew who’ll barely have time to step down onto the quay following the Farr 40 World’s in Miami, before rushing off to Spanish soil to get the new Mean Machine race-ready.



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