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SKUD18

On February 27, Australia's Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, officially launched the SKUD18 (SKiff Universal Design), at the opening of the 2006 Australian & International Access Dinghy Champonships. Also present were Phil Jones, CEO of Yachting Australia and John Burgess, President of Yachting Victoria
Yachting Victoria Media Release and Photographs.

On November 8, 2005 Serge Jorgenson, the International Foundation of Disabled Sailing's (IFDS) president, announced:

"The IFDS is pleased to announce that the Equipment Evaluation Committee recommendation presented, accepted by the IFDS Executive Committee and endorsed by the IFDS Recognized National Authorities (RNA’s). The equipment used in the Two-Person Keelboat Event will be the UD-18, an Australian Mitchell/Bethwaite design."

The SKUD18 is the result of collaboration between B & B Technology and Innovation - Julian Bethwaite/Bethwaite Design in Australia and Argentinean naval architect, Martin Billoch, along with Access Dinghy's Chris Mitchell.

By combining 20 years of Bethwaite experience, research and technology and Mitchell's unique understanding and ideology of sailing for people with disabilities, the result is the innovative 'lead assisted skiff' (LAS), the SKUD18.

For Paralympic competition the SKUD18 will be a stict one design class with two sailors seated on the centreline.

Bethwaite, who also designed the Olympic class 49er skiff explained, 'The design evolved to be a 5.8m LAS, capable of carrying weight whilst maintaining a high level of performance and control, keeping the cost down and incorporating a range of interesting features that should allow easy stacking/containerisation, simple maintenance and general ease of use. The boat will be a challenge for able-bodied and disabled sailors alike. This boat has been designed from a performance basis, to offer scintillating, crisp and snappy response to sailors regardless of their ability/mobility.'

Mitchell, designer of Access Dinghies continued, 'The UD18 is very versatile and can be handled by a variety of crew configurations. The helmsman can transfer manually and be steering with tillers, or be in a fixed seat on the centreline using a manual joystick, push/pull rods, or a servo assist joystick with full control of all functions. The forward crew can either be on the centreline, transferring manually, or using a swinging seat. Or both crew could be mobile - even riding trapeze. As its name says, the SKUD18 is of Universal Design and can be sailed by all levels of physical ability.'

Specifications

	Metric	Imperial
Length	LOA - 5.8 m LWL - 5.5 m	LOA - 19 ft. LWL - 18 ft.
Beam	2.3 m	7.55 ft.
Draft	1.7 m	5.57 ft.
Weight	Hull - 125kg Keel - 155kg (140 kg lead)	Hull - 275lbs Keel - 342lbs (308lbs lead)
Displacement	550 kg. (incl. 250kg for 2 sailors and their personal gear)	1212lbs. (incl. 551lbs for 2 sailors and their personal gear)
Mast	7.2 m above deck	23.6 ft.above deck
Sail Area	Main - 10.64m2 (Reefed to 8.3m2) Jib - 4.78 m2 Spinnaker - 20.78 m2	Main - 114.5 sq.ft (Reefed to 89.3 sq.ft) Jib - 51.5 sq.ft. Spinnaker - 223.7 sq.ft.
Sail Plan	Sloop rig with high roach. Auto de-powering, fully battened mainsail. Self-tacking, reefable jib. Tube launched asymmetric spinnaker on carbon fibre pole.
Seating	2 x Adjustable fibreglass centreline seats
Steering	Standard - Manual joystick Optional - Push/pull or Servo Assist
- Hull has sufficient positive buoyancy (600 litre).
- Twin rudders maintain exceptional directional control even when heeled.
- Cockpit is self-draining.
- Flaired topsides give exceptional stability.
- Wide side-decks provide considerable buoyancy in extremem conditions.
Reefing - Mainsail has slab reef. - Jib has roller reefing providing 100% to zero sail area.
Construction is 8mm PVC foam sandwich with bi-directional glass and polester resin.
Manual Controls - Joystick or push/pull lines. - Cleat console for easy sheet control. - A single speed sheet type winch for easy halyard tension, mainsail reefing line tension and keel handling.
Servo Assist Controls and Winches for: - Helm (variable speed optional) - Main sheet - Jib Sheet - Boom vang and cunningham - Spinnaker sheets - Spinnaker Halyard (up and down)
Servo Controllers include: - A wide variety of electonic joystick configurations to suit sailors with all types of disability. - Sip & Puff - A wide variety of secondary control switches.
Launching - Has lifting lugs for easy launching by cranes, or is easily trailer launched at a boat ramp.
Ventilator and personal equipment compartment optional.
Extremely comfortable, nimble and above all great fun and exciting.

Photos

Click on image for larger view

Comfortable sailing for two.

Centreline seating configuration

Extremely stable

Control line console and halyard winch

Trailerable and easily launched from ramp.

Video

10 seconds of UD18 in action on Port Phillip Bay (613KB) NOTE: Fitted with one centreline seat.

Media Links

October 05 - Sailing Anarchy
October 05 - Boating Oz
October 05 - Sail-World
August 05 - Sail-World

SKUD18 LAUNCH

MEDIA RELEASE
Graeme Adam - 27 January 2006

Minister launches innovative Paralympics yacht - opens Access Class Championships at Melbourne Stopover for Volvo Ocean Race

L-R: Deirdre Schahinger (President, Australian Access Dinghy Class Assoc)
Phil Jones (CEO, Yachting Australia)
Senator Rod Kemp (Federal Minister for the Arts & Sport)
Chris Mitchell (Designer, SKUD18)
John Burgess (President, Yachting Victoria)

This morning, Federal Minister for Sport, Senator the Honourable Rod Kemp, officially launched a new Australian-designed yacht for the 2008 Paralympics and opened the largest regatta in Australia for sailors with disabilities. The ceremony was staged at Victoria Harbour in Melbourne Docklands, venue for the Melbourne Stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race.

The boat, the SKUD18, has been selected by the International Association of Disabled Sailing (IFDS) as the craft for the new Two Person Sailing Competition at the 2008 Paralympic Games, taking Australian innovation and technology to the world. The SKUD18 (Skiff of Universal Design) is the latest design of accessible sailing dinghies from Access Sailing Systems Managing Director Chris Mitchell.

Access Dinghy was supported with its project by the Australian Government through its business unit AusIndustry with an innovation grant to develop the SKUD18. AusIndustry delivers a range of more than 30 business products, including innovation grants, tax and duty concessions, small business services, and support for industry competitiveness worth nearly $2 billion each year to about 10,000 small and large businesses.

Apart from the exciting hull shape, innovative technology is being developed so that all actions of the boat can be controlled with servo assist winches, enabling the SKUD18 to be sailed by sailors regardless of age and ability. The seats support disabled sailors so that they can maintain stability as the boat heels. Controllers enable sailors to utilise their best moving body part to sail the boat. They include breath-operated micro-switches, and joysticks that can be operated by chin, foot, elbow etc.

Senator Kemp also officially opened the Access Class 2006 Australian and International Championships, one of the highlights of the Melbourne Stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race which has attracted sailors from most states and territories and overseas. The event is being staged on Victoria Harbour 26-29 February and is already delivering exciting, spectacular, close-in competition with starting fields of up to 60 boats.

Present at the ceremony were Deidre Schahinger, President of the newly-established Australian Access Class Association, senior officials of Sailability Australia (peak body for sailors with disabilities) as well as Yachting Australia, Yachting Victoria, AusIndustry representatives and around 100 disabled sailors and volunteers.

Access Dinghy has been widely recognised for its contribution to sailing for the disabled - winner 2002 Prime Minister's Award for Business Community Partnerships with Access Dinghy Foundation and Sailability, 2004 Services to Yachting Award from Yachting Australia. 65% of Access boats are exported from the Dandenong (Melbourne) factory. Access Dinghy Foundation aims to extend accessible sailing to disadvantaged around the world. Patron is the Governor General of Australia, Major General Michael Jeffery.

Chris Mitchell explaining the concept of specialised seating
and servo assist steering to Senator Kemp.

Senator Kemp with (R-L) Wendy Evans, NSW (Cerebral Palsy),
Alistair Peek,ACT (Intellectual Disability) and
Paul Borg, VIC (Vision Impaired)

Senator Kemp and Chris Mitchell with AusIndustry's
Olga Shand and Thalia Brazdil