Racing · Transpac 2027 · Los Angeles → Honolulu
250 days
to Transpac
2,225 nautical miles of Pacific. The race the original Extreme H2O finished first among the multihulls. It is the reason PB72 exists.
- Course
- 2,225 nm
- Los Angeles → Honolulu
- Starts
- 6–10 Jul
- 2027 · staggered by class
- First held
- 1906
- One of the oldest ocean races
- The opportunity
- Line honours
- And the multihull record
“According to our velocity prediction program, we broke the record.”
The course
Downwind
to Diamond Head
Transpac starts off Point Fermin in Los Angeles and finishes off Diamond Head, Honolulu. After the first days of upwind and reaching work out of the California coast, the fleet turns south-west into the trade winds for more than a thousand miles of downwind sailing.
For a foiling catamaran, that is the dream course: long, steady trades in exactly the wind range where PB72’s velocity prediction shows her sailing at twice the wind speed. Starting with the last group of the fastest boats, the opportunity is clear: reach the trades first and keep flying.
PB72 has not yet raced. A Transpac 2027 entry is being explored with the owners and partners who want to be part of it.
2015
The first
multihull home
In 2015 the original Extreme H2O was the first multihull to finish Transpac. Pat Benz and his crew took home the Rudy Choy Trophy.
PB72 is the answer to the question that race asked: what if the foil carried all of it?
“Sailing it from Spain to the U.S. Virgin Islands… then we’re ready for Transpac.”
Los Angeles
to Honolulu
July 2027
Private enquiries
PB72 is in sea trials. Partnerships, racing programs, experiences and charter are discussed personally with our team.
Extreme H2O · Foiling ocean catamaran · Technical specification
PB72 specifications
Morrelli & Melvin · GA PB72_001 Rev A · Persico Marine build spec
- Length overall
- 21.95 m
- 72.0 ft
- Beam
- 9.50 m
- 31.2 ft
- Racing displacement
- ≈ 21.5 t
- As built · VPP targets at 20.3 t
- Mast
- 32.33 m
- Air draft 37 m
- Upwind sail area
- 420 m²
- Main 224 + J1 196
- Fastest upwind
- J3 + main
- Full main 224 + J3 115 m²
- Fastest downwind
- MHO + main
- Full main 224 + MHO 358 m²
- Predicted top speed
- 40+ kn
- VPP
Principal dimensions
- Length overall
- 21.95 m72.0 ft
- Length incl. longeron
- 24.10 m79.1 ft
- Length waterline
- 21.45 m70.4 ft
- Beam overall
- 9.50 m31.2 ft
- Hull centreline spacing
- 7.52 m24.7 ft
- Freeboard
- 2.07 m6.8 ft
- Draft, boards down
- 5.31 m17.4 ft
- Draft, foils raised
- 0.65 m2.1 ft
- Air draft
- 37.00 m121.4 ft
Displacement & stability
- Light displacement
- ≈ 21,000 kgAs built · design 20,500 kg
- Racing displacement
- ≈ 21,500 kgAs built · as sailed in sea trials
- VPP target displacement
- 20,280 kgDesign racing weight used for the polar targets
- Design displacement (mLDC)
- 23,047 kgMaximum load condition
- Max total load (ISO 8666)
- 22,518 kg
- Steady-state sailing RM
- 830 kNmAt full-payload displacement
- Max dynamic RM
- 1,340 kNmRace mode, RMFoil deployed
Rig
- Mast tube length
- 32.33 m106.1 ft
- Mast design rake
- 4°
- P
- 31.285 mReefs: 26.604 · 21.970 · 14.190 m
- E
- 9.678 m
- I (1 · 2 · 3)
- 33.470 · 32.775 · 30.900 m
- I headstay (5 · 6)
- 28.050 · 25.720 m
- J (1 · 2 · 3)
- 12.180 · 11.730 · 10.980 m
- J headstay (5 · 6)
- 8.744 · 8.072 m
- BAD · HBI
- 1.906 · 2.019 m
Sail areas
- Mainsail, full
- 224 m²Reefs: 183 · 144 · 76.8 m²
- J0
- 219 m²
- J1
- 196 m²
- J3
- 115 m²
- J4 / staysail
- 87.3 m²
- FRO
- 304 m²
- MHO
- 358 m²
- A1
- 365 m²
- Fastest upwind setup
- J3 + full mainJ1 in marginal upwind conditions, 13–14 kn: partial foiling
- Fastest downwind setup
- MHO + full main
Foils & flight control
- Righting-moment foil
- ≈ 16 × 3 ftCurved carbon foil in a hydraulically raked case
- Daggerboards
- Centreline, per hullIndependent of the lifting foil
- Rudders
- Raking, T-foilConical titanium bearings · ≈ 6 ft T-foils
- Flight control
- Designed for fly-by-wireFoil lift and rudder-elevator control; programmed after sea trials
Construction & class
- Hull
- Carbon fibreFoam & Nomex sandwich
- Superstructure
- Carbon fibreFoam & Nomex sandwich
- Classification
- ISO 12215-7 Cat. ASER1 multihull · highest category, sport boat
- Propulsion
- 2 × 35 kW electricTorqeedo
Rig & deck hardware
- Mast
- Carbon rotating wing mastSupplied by SSNZ · single spreader, double diamond, running backstays
- Primary winches
- 4 × Harken 1125.3
- Secondary winches
- 2 × Harken 65.3 ST
- Windlass
- Lewmar V6 hydraulic
Propulsion & power
- Main engines
- 2 × Torqeedo electric25 kW continuous · 35 kW max each
- Drive
- Shaft driveStrut and P-bracket · Gori GP20 folding propellers
- Motoring speed
- 9.2 kn max7.5 kn cruise (estimated)
- Generators
- 2 × 20 kW Fischer Panda
- Propulsion battery
- 40 kWh lithium-ionBMW i3 cells
- Solar
- 2 kWPanels on the coachroof
- Electrical
- 120 V and 240 V AC400 V DC charging & hydraulic bus · 24 V domestic · Empirbus digital switching
Tankage
- Fuel
- 2 × 550 L
- Fresh water
- 2 × 450 LPlus 70 L drinking water
- Watermaker
- Schenker Modular Zen 50
- Black water
- 2 × 220 L
Comfort & systems
- Air conditioning
- 64,000 BTU/hTermodinamica
- Galley
- Gaggenau hobsPizza oven · Miele microwave · Miele coffee machine
- Refrigeration
- 3 × 172 L fridgesPlus Frigonautica freezer
- Navigation
- B&G / Simrad
- Communications
- VHF · 5G · SatcomSatellite broadband
- Steering
- Outside helms + inside helmFly-by-wire steering at the inside helm station
Performance
- Predicted top speed
- 40+ knPolar peak 40.7 kn
- Foiling onset
- 11–13 kn TWSDepending on sail set
- Upwind, 13 kn of wind
- ≈ 24 kn
- Downwind, 14 kn of wind
- ≈ 31 kn
- Crew
- 4 per watchTo sail her fast; two watches for round-the-clock ocean racing
Velocity prediction program, partially validated in sea trials.
Design & build
- Naval architecture
- Morrelli & MelvinNewport Beach, California
- Lead designer
- Ferdinand van WestThen at Morrelli & Melvin; now Van West Naval Architecture
- Interior architecture
- Design Unlimited
- Builder
- Persico MarineItaly
- Flight control
- Team New Zealand engineers
- General arrangement
- PB72_001 · Rev A6 August 2022
Figures from the Morrelli & Melvin general arrangement (PB72_001, Rev A, August 2022) and the Persico Marine build specification. Displacements are approximate as-built figures from Ferdinand van West (2026); righting moments are design estimates; performance figures are VPP predictions, calculated at the 20,280 kg design racing displacement.
Every cell is a predicted boat speed from the velocity prediction program. The circled cells are the targets PB72 has already hit in her first sea trials, with the foils still trimmed by hand. Each one came in on target.
| Wind angleTrue wind (kn) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45° | 7.6 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 9.8 | 10.4 | 11.3 | 12.6 | 13.6 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 16.0 | 17.4 | 20.5 | 23.4 | 24.0 | 23.7 |
| 50° | 8.0 | 8.9 | 9.7 | 10.5 | 11.2 | 12.8 | 14.3 | 15.1 | 16.3 | 17.6 | 19.5 | 21.6 | 27.1 | 27.5 | 27.0 | 26.5 |
| 55° | 8.4 | 9.3 | 10.2 | 11.2 | 12.2 | 14.2 | 15.7 | 17.0 | 18.8 | 20.8 | 23.4 | 27.6 | 30.1 | 30.2 | 29.5 | 28.9 |
| 60° | 8.8 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 15.3 | 17.1 | 19.3 | 21.5 | 26.1 | 28.6 | 30.2 | 32.4 | 32.3 | 31.6 | 30.9 |
| 65° | 9.1 | 10.1 | 11.2 | 12.3 | 14.3 | 16.4 | 19.1 | 21.5 | 26.1 | 29.0 | 30.8 | 32.2 | 34.3 | 34.2 | 33.4 | 32.4 |
| 70° | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.5 | 12.7 | 14.9 | 17.9 | 20.9 | 24.1 | 28.6 | 30.8 | 32.4 | 33.8 | 35.8 | 35.7 | 34.8 | 32.3 |
| 75° | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 15.4 | 19.4 | 22.6 | 27.3 | 30.2 | 32.2 | 33.7 | 35.1 | 37.1 | 37.1 | 36.2 | 34.0 |
| 80° | 9.7 | 11.0 | 12.3 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 20.6 | 25.1 | 28.7 | 31.4 | 33.2 | 34.7 | 36.1 | 38.1 | 38.2 | 37.3 | 36.2 |
| 85° | 9.8 | 11.2 | 12.6 | 14.2 | 16.2 | 21.3 | 26.9 | 29.8 | 32.2 | 34.0 | 35.5 | 36.9 | 39.0 | 39.1 | 38.3 | 37.5 |
| 90° | 9.9 | 11.3 | 12.7 | 14.4 | 16.4 | 21.5 | 27.7 | 31.5 | 33.5 | 35.1 | 36.3 | 37.5 | 39.6 | 39.8 | 39.1 | 38.7 |
| 95° | 9.9 | 11.3 | 12.8 | 14.4 | 16.5 | 21.0 | 28.7 | 31.7 | 33.9 | 35.5 | 36.8 | 37.9 | 40.0 | 40.3 | 39.8 | 39.5 |
| 100° | 9.9 | 11.3 | 12.7 | 14.2 | 16.3 | 22.3 | 28.8 | 31.7 | 34.2 | 35.8 | 37.0 | 38.1 | 40.3 | 40.6 | 40.3 | 40.0 |
| 105° | 9.8 | 11.1 | 12.5 | 14.0 | 15.7 | 21.0 | 28.3 | 31.4 | 34.0 | 35.8 | 37.1 | 38.2 | 40.3 | 40.7 | 40.5 | 40.3 |
| 110° | 9.7 | 10.9 | 12.2 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 17.7 | 26.8 | 31.0 | 33.3 | 35.5 | 37.0 | 38.2 | 40.2 | 40.7 | 40.6 | 40.4 |
| 115° | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.5 | 16.5 | 19.9 | 30.0 | 32.6 | 34.8 | 36.6 | 37.9 | 40.0 | 40.3 | 40.4 | 40.1 |
| 120° | 9.2 | 10.3 | 11.4 | 12.5 | 13.7 | 14.9 | 17.4 | 25.8 | 31.8 | 34.0 | 35.6 | 37.4 | 39.6 | 40.0 | 40.0 | 39.6 |
| 125° | 8.9 | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.6 | 12.4 | 13.5 | 14.7 | 16.3 | 29.7 | 32.9 | 34.9 | 36.4 | 39.0 | 39.6 | 39.6 | 39.1 |
| 130° | 8.5 | 9.4 | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.3 | 15.5 | 17.1 | 18.0 | 33.4 | 35.4 | 38.1 | 38.9 | 39.1 | 38.6 |
| 135° | 8.2 | 8.7 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 12.6 | 13.7 | 14.8 | 16.2 | 17.3 | 18.4 | 20.0 | 37.0 | 38.0 | 38.2 | 37.7 |
| 140° | 7.6 | 8.2 | 9.1 | 9.9 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 14.0 | 15.2 | 16.4 | 17.7 | 19.1 | 22.1 | 35.4 | 30.7 | 35.0 |
Predicted speeds from the velocity prediction program. Sea-trial targets achieved with manual foil trim; the automatic flight-control system comes online after calibration.
- VPP targets calculated at
- 20,280 kg
- Design racing displacement
- Sea trials sailed at
- ≈ 21,500 kg
- As-built racing displacement
Every circled target was reached with the boat about 1.2 tonnes heavier than the weight the predictions assume.