In his 25-year boatbuilding career, industry stalwart Oliver Dawson has probably handled enough composites to wrap Table Mountain, or close to it.
The Cape Town boat builder has manufactured composite everything, from swimming pools to Antarctic accommodation pods. Even racing cars.
Now he’s aiming to go higher – about one metre higher, which is the average lift of the type of high-performance 40ft foiling racer he plans to build.
Dawson, who founded Evolution Marine Manufacturing in 2017, has partnered with two world-class naval architects to deliver the MV40, with the project currently in its final design phase. Dawson hopes it will be the first of many such advanced builds.
“The combined ambition of the design and build team is to launch a multi-yacht series capable of competing internationally, both within a dedicated class and under IRC,” EMM said in a statement this week. “The MW40 Offshore Foiler will be built to a One Design Class “Box Rule.”
The project partners are Sailing Architect BV, led by offshore racing specialist Willem Jan Landman, and South America–based Wilson-Marquinez Naval Architects, a firm recognised for its work in advanced composites and foiling platform design.