America’s Cup Famous Boat Introduction

Thanks to the technology that lifts the boats above the surface of the water (more on that later), they can actually travel faster than the wind. Think of the America’s Cup as the Indy 500 on water. With another race in the lead-up series happening on June 11-12 in Chicago, and the main event set for next summer in Bermuda, now is the perfect time to get up to speed. Yes, it’s a boat race, but calling these things “boats” is like calling Elon Musk’s Hyperloop a choo-choo train. These are some of most advanced racing vessels on earth, capable of speeds in excess of 55 miles per hour.

America’s Cup Famous Boat Unique Features

For starters, the hulls are made of honeycombed aluminum (so they’re light as can be) and the fixed-wing sail is made of Kevlar and carbon fiber instead of a flappy fabric sheet. This is made possible by L-shaped hydrofoils or “daggerboards” that lift the hull completely out of the water at speed. However, the biggest difference is in how they move. Where a traditional boat muscles through water or skips across the surface, an America’s Cup boat barely even touches it.

America’s Cup Famous Boat Advanced Technology

Various teams partner with aerospace companies like Red Bull Advanced Technologies, Airbus, and Cosworth to develop the technology.  Each team designs and develops its own boat and tries to keep the proprietary technology secret from other teams (despite the best efforts at spying when competitors are practicing on open water). Of course, there are hundreds of nerdy boat rules that teams have to follow, but specifics around materials and drag-reducing technologies to provide an edge are kept under wraps.  What we do know is that everyone will be racing a twin-hulled catamaran that uses a hydrofoil to lift itself out of the water at speed.