Lines plan for AUSTRALIA II

Designer Ben Lexcen (1936 - 1988)

Date1 April 1982

Object numberANMS1543[313]

NamePlan

MediumInk on tracing film

DimensionsOverall: 2570 x 780

ClassificationsMaps, charts and plans

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Terms

DescriptionA Ben Lexcen 12m America’s Cup challenge boat hull and keel ‘lines plan’ from April 1982 drawn by JRK, who was with Ben Lexan at ‘Miller & Whitworth’ in 1972. The drawing is believed to be CHALLENGE XII (KA-10), a 12m yacht commissioned by Alan Bond as a possible challenge boat for the 1983 America’s Cup race but later sold to but sold to the ‘Challenge 12 Syndicate’ in 1983. The hull lines plan drawing of any yacht is the most important and most valuable to the naval architect or designer. This drawing will have been used by the builder to build the actual yacht in 1982. HistoryAustralia’s quest for the coveted America Cup began in 1962 with the Alan Payne designed GRETEL. This was followed in 1966 with the Warwick J. Hood yacht DAME PATTIE and by GRETEL II in 1970. Alan Bond took up the challenge hopes in 1974 when he hired Ben Lexcen (then Bob Miller) to design SOUTHERN CROSS (KA-4). The 1974 challenge was not successful, but they went on to design and build AUSTRALIA (K-5) for the 1977 and 1980 races. For the design of AUSTRALIA (KA-5) in 1977, Lexcen teamed up Johan Valentijn, a young but experienced Dutch naval architect, who had worked for ‘Sparkman & Stephens’ in the US. Lexcen and Valentijn worked together as a partnership on a number of yachts including the 45-foot IOR yacht GUIA V IN 1976 for experienced Italian racing yachtsman Giorgio Falck. The designers spent seven months in 1976 testing 1/9th scale models of AUSTRALIA at the University of Delft test tank in the Netherlands. This period of on-site design and tank testing scaled models in the water, proved vital for later design work on AUSTRALIA II (KA-6). The 1977 and 1980 challenges of AUSTRALIA proved unsuccessful, but were a considerable help in the future design and build of the winning yacht AUSTRALIA II. Interestingly, Bond ordered two yachts to be designed by Lexcen for the 1983 America’s Cup challenge. In addition to AUSTRALIA II (KA-6) Lexcen also designed CHALLENGE XII (KA-10). The yacht was built by ‘Steve E. Ward & Co.’ and launched in 1982 but sold to the ‘Challenge 12 Syndicate’ in 1983 and shipped to Newport, Rhode Island in the US for the challenge trials. The displaced weight of CHALLENGE 12 was significantly more than AUSTRALIA II and had a larger ‘bustle’ aft and more volume in the forefoot. The ballast keel was conventional in plan-view but sported a bulbous shape in section view, lowering the centre of gravity. CHALLENGE 12 was not successful in the trial races at Newport RI in 1983 but despite this the yacht was used by several other challenge syndicates in France and Italy. In 1996 CHALLENGE 12 underwent an extensive three-year refit and raced again at the St. Tropez Rolex Cup in 1999. Purchased by Jack LeFort in 2017 the yacht returned to Newport, Rhode Island. In 2019 CHALLENGE 12 won the Modern Division of the 2019 12mR World Championships help at Newport. SignificanceIt is unusual for a yacht designer to be commissioned from one client to design two 12m America’s Cup challenge boats at the same time for the same race. Alan Bond chose Ben Lexcen to design two boats for the 1983 challenge, and both yachts were built by by ‘Steve E. Ward & Co.’. CHALLENGE XII (KA-10) was launched in 1982 and trial sailed by the Australian challenger crew. It proved to be a fast yacht but Alan Bond decided to use the lighter, more radical designed, AUSTRALIA II (KA-6).