MYC completes refit on Class 40 "Dragon"

Maine Yacht Center has completed the refit on Dragon, an Owen Clarke designed Class 40 offshore racing yacht. Dragon was refit during the winter of 2013-14 in preparation for the Route du Rhum, a single-handed trans-Atlantic race from France to Guadeloupe which starts in November. The main focus of the refit was to make the boat more competitive and lighter. Design and engineering services were provided by Owen Clarke design, U.K.


The refit included:

  • New Articulating Bowsprit to improve downwind VMG’s. The fixed bowsprit was removed and a section of the bow was cut away. A new bow section was built to incorporate a bearing for the sprit to rotate on as well as receive the strop for the head stay. The foredeck was cut away and a new section was built with a step to accommodate the inboard arms of the sprit when they travel transversely. A new bow pulpit was fabricated to fit the new bow sprit.
  • Mast – Original carbon mast was replaced with a new carbon mast to reduce weight and lower center of gravity. Mast was built by Axxon Composites in Romania and shipped as deck cargo direct to Portland, Maine.
  • Keel Bulb – As a result of global weight savings achieved during the refit, 140 kg of lead was cut off from the trailing edge of the bulb. A composite cone was built and installed to retain the as designed bulb profile.
  • Water Ballast System – plumbing was modified and a new, custom built, high volume pump was installed to increase tank fill and transfer times.
  • Hatches – Custom, cored panel construction hatches were built to save weight.
  • Deck – new non-skid paint was applied to the deck, cabin and cockpit.
  • Rudders – new self-aligning upper rudder bearings were installed.
  • Bottom – new race finish anti-foul. White on bottom and orange to keel and rudders.
  • 90 Degree Test – Because of the significant weight savings achieved during the refit a new stability test was required to empirically prove that the pull up force at the mast head was still within Class 40 rules.


Dragon will compete in the Atlantic Cup and the Newport-Bermuda race this summer before sailing to France for the Route du Rhum.

For more details, see our PROJECT PAGE here.

Great American 4 hauled for 2016 Vendee Globe refit at Maine Yacht Center

Rich Wilson, who succesfully completed the 2008 Vendee Globe (a single-handed nonstop race around the world,) has set his sights on the 2016 Vendee Globe.
Wilson finished the 2008 race in 9th place of 11 finishers of 30 starters !!!!!  
Wilson's previous Open 60, Great American 3, was refit at MYC prior to the 2008 race (see details of this project here.).  He has returned to MYC with Great American 4 for a refit prior to the 2016 event.
GA4 is a new boat to Wilson. GA4 is the ex "Mirabaud", an Owen Clarke designed Open 60 built in NZ by Southern Ocean Marine.


The refit will include:

  • Rig modifications and inspection.
  • Removal of canting keel, inspection of keel pivot bearings, keel hydraulics and service.
  • Removal of twin assymetric daggerboards and replacement of bearings.
  • Removal of rudders and bearing service.
  • Deck hardware modification.
  • Construction of an ergonomic chart table, bench seat and custom chair.
  • All new electronics and wiring including sailing instrumentation, satellite communication and computers.
  • New Lithium Ion battery bank.
  • New charging system to include custom direct drive engine alternator/regulator, hydro-generators and solar.
  • New stantions, bow pulpit and pushpits for higher life line configuration.
  • New race bottom job

For more details and pictures see our PROJECT PAGE here.

Maine Yacht Center launches new Akilaria RC3 Class 40

MYC has just launched the first of two new Akilaria RC3s. The Class 40 is a box rule, water ballasted, fixed keel, twin rudder, hard chine offshore racing boat. The fleet has grown well beyond 100 strong, with the majority of the fleet residing in Europe.

Since 2007, MYC has been collaborating with French designer Marc Lombard and Tunisian builder, MC-Tec to import parts for completion at the Portland Maine yard. To date, MYC has imported, completed and sold previous Akilaria versions, RC1 and RC2’s. Using all the experience and knowledge gained from the highly successful Akilaria RC1 and RC2 versions, we are extremely proud to introduce the new Akilaria RC3 version.

The RC3 is a completely new design that utilizes and builds upon all the empirical data from previous RC1 and RC2 generation boats. New tooling was built for all components as well as new appendage design, mast design and interior layout. The RC3 is now built to the minimum Class 40 weight of 4,500kg in a Category O configuration. The RC3 incorporates all the latest design features of Generation 3 Class 40’s, such as an articulating bow sprit to achieve deeper downwind sailing angles. The objective is to produce a boat that is optimized as closely as possible to the current limits of the Class 40 rule and to be competitive across a wide range of sailing conditions and race formats.

MYC earns "Clean Marina" designation

Clean Marina Logo.JPG

The Maine Clean Boatyards & Marinas Program (MCBMP) added another facility to its growing list of Designated Clean Marinas with the presentation of the flag and certificate of designation to Maine Yacht Center in Portland.

On a perfect summer day Portland Harbor found more to celebrate than just the weather as the Clean Marinas flag was run up the newly installed flag pole at Maine Yacht Center for the first time. “It is such a joy to see this flag flying here at MYC” said Susan Swanton, MCBMP Program Manager. “Although this facility is still fairly new, there was still work to be done to achieve the high standards of the program and Brian and everyone here at the marina worked hard to make it happen.” According to Brian Harris, MYC General Manager “the facility was designed with a number of best management practices in mind, but as time progressed and regulations changed there were some things that we needed to improve on to achieve our goal. It’s important to us to be good corporate citizens by protecting the environment that we rely on for our work.” Maine Yacht Center is a full service boatyard and marina offering major repair and refit services along with winter storage and seasonal slip rentals.

The purpose of the program is to curb pollution resulting from stormwater runoff, boat maintenance, fueling activities, waste storage and disposal and sewage. In order to qualify as a Maine Clean Boatyard & Marina a facility must demonstrate a high level of compliance in each of the five program areas. Participation in the Maine Clean Boatyards & Marinas Program is voluntary, with participating companies signing a pledge, completing a self-assessment and then inviting an independent verification team to inspect the facility. The Maine Clean Boatyards & Marinas Program is sponsored by the Maine Marine Trades Association with assistance from the Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection and the Maine Coastal Program. For more information about the Program please visit www.mainemarinetrades.com/clean_marinas.

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