What Are They Pedaling On America’S Cup Yachting?

The 35th Americas Cup is a match race between sailing yachts from two rival clubs, one from the defender who earned the honor in the previous edition and the other from a foiling monohull with four cyclors. The boats use American Magic’s AC75 Patriot to glide through the water near Pensacola, Florida, and as it picks up speed with favorable winds, the imposing dark hull picks up speed. There will be up to three Preliminary Regattas, with the first two racing in a new one-design class of AC40s, and the last one at the Match venue in AC75s.

The Kiwis first debuted the cyclors during the 2017 Americas Cup, using cyclists pedaling stationary bikes to replace traditional grinders to power the hydraulic system. The 36th Americas Cup is taking place in Auckland, New Zealand in the first quarter of 2021. British challenger have declared four of their ten-person sailing team as cyclors, and SRAM, one of the largest manufacturers of bike parts in the world, has partnered with the New Zealand team.

The 37th Americas Cup has little to do with the rest of the sport, which includes half the AC75 crew providing pedal-power. The Kiwis have hired rowercyclist Hamish Bond, cyclist Louis Crosby, and multi-sport athlete Dougal. The pedal bike grinders on Emirates Team New Zealand are constantly grinding to pump up the hydraulic pressure needed to operate the various parts of the boat.


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How are America’s Cup boats powered?

So there’s a pretty simple equation. As in the more power the cyclore. Can output the more Dynamic you can be with the sails. And there’s there’s the other side of things that.

How much does an America’s Cup boat cost?

How much do America’s cup boats cost? – Quora. It’s thought the AC75s cost about $8–10m just to physically build. The costs aren’t published; and the teams which race are known to spend far more than that for each challenge.

America's Cup cyclors
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What do grinders do in the America’s Cup?

The AC50 class yachts used in the America’s Cup competition have four positions (on each side) for grinders. These must be continuously operated to generate the hydraulic pressure needed by the yacht’s controls. Until 2017, the machinery was arm operated winches. However, in 2017 Team New Zealand changed their grinding system to pedal operated positions (cyclors) similar to exercise bikes. This change reportedly gained a 40% increase in power delivered to the hydraulic system. In 2018, a decision was made to ban cyclors in the 36th America’s Cup They were subsequently re-allowed for AC37.

  • ^ Fountain, Henry (13 February 2010). “Motors Have Muscled Out the Grinders”. New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  • ^ Pearson, SN
  • Hume, PA
  • Cronin, JB
  • Slyfield, D (September 2009). “Strength and power determinants of grinding performance in America’s Cup sailors”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 23: 1883–9. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181b2ba55. PMID19675468. S2CID24043124.
  • ^ Miles Dilworth, “Oracle Team USA: America’s Cup Defenders copy Kiwis in surprise move to pedal power”, The Telegraph, 15 May 2017.
  • ^ Cheree Kinnear, “America’s Cup: AC75 Class Rule explained”, NZ Herald, 2 April 2018, retrieved and archived 20 August 2018.
  • ^ World, Yachting (2021-11-16). “America’s Cup: Protocol released for 37th AC”. Yachting World. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
Cyclor sailing
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

How much do the America’s Cup boats cost?

In the world of competitive sailing, and more specifically the world’s richest boat race, open check books, cutting-edge technology and potential death is all fair game. Adventure publication Outside reports that each boat can cost anywhere between US$8 million and US$10 million to construct.

Sailing is an old pastime best enjoyed on calm waters accompanied by cheese, wine and someone you supposedly want to spend the rest of your life with. Wrong. In the world of competitive sailing, and more specifically the world’s richest boat race, open check books, cutting-edge technology and potential death is all fair game.

Adventure publication Outside reports that each boat can cost anywhere between US$8 million and US$10 million to construct. This figure is independent of the US$3 million entry fee, the cost of shipping boat equipment across the globe, maintenance, operations and incidentals. Each team can employ up to 130 people and it has been estimated that successfully leading an America’s Cup campaign can easily exceed the US$100 million mark. It’s believed that American businessman and CEO of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison, spent between US$250 million to US$300 million defending his team’s 2013 America’s Cup title.

The sadder statistics already confirm one death in 2013 alongside an endless array of high-speed capsizes causing serious injury to crew members. America’s Cup sailors have even given the feared high wind turning manoeuvre a name: “death zone”.

How much does an America's Cup yacht cost?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

How much does an America’s Cup yacht cost?

In the world of competitive sailing, and more specifically the world’s richest boat race, open check books, cutting-edge technology and potential death is all fair game. Adventure publication Outside reports that each boat can cost anywhere between US$8 million and US$10 million to construct.

Sailing is an old pastime best enjoyed on calm waters accompanied by cheese, wine and someone you supposedly want to spend the rest of your life with. Wrong. In the world of competitive sailing, and more specifically the world’s richest boat race, open check books, cutting-edge technology and potential death is all fair game.

Adventure publication Outside reports that each boat can cost anywhere between US$8 million and US$10 million to construct. This figure is independent of the US$3 million entry fee, the cost of shipping boat equipment across the globe, maintenance, operations and incidentals. Each team can employ up to 130 people and it has been estimated that successfully leading an America’s Cup campaign can easily exceed the US$100 million mark. It’s believed that American businessman and CEO of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison, spent between US$250 million to US$300 million defending his team’s 2013 America’s Cup title.

The sadder statistics already confirm one death in 2013 alongside an endless array of high-speed capsizes causing serious injury to crew members. America’s Cup sailors have even given the feared high wind turning manoeuvre a name: “death zone”.

What does a cup grinder do?
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What does a cup grinder do?

A diamond grinding cup wheel is a metal-bonded diamond tool with diamond segments welded or cold-pressed on a steel (or other metal, such as aluminum) wheel body, which usually looks like a cup. Diamond grinding cup wheels are usually mounted on concrete grinders to grind abrasive building materials like concrete, granite and marble.

There are various styles and specifications of diamond grinding cup wheels to fit various application requirements. The ones with many big diamond segments can undertake heavy workloads, for example, grinding concrete and stone, while those with small or sparse diamond segments are normally used for fast removal of paints, wallpapers, glues, epoxy and other surface coatings.

Just like other metal-bonded diamond tools, the diamond segments on diamond grinding cup wheels can have different bonds, different diamond grits, different diamond quality and different diamond concentrations to fit different uses. For example, if the material to be ground is hard, the bond should be softer, and if the material is relatively soft, the bond should be harder.

What is the primary purpose of grinders?
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What is the primary purpose of grinders?

What Are the Uses of a Grinder?. Grinders are indispensable for machining items into precise shapes and giving them smooth surface finishes. Their ability to work with a wide range of materials makes them versatile. Grinders are efficient for high-volume production, ensuring consistency and uniformity in products. They play a vital role in maintenance, tool sharpening, woodworking, metalworking, and construction. DIY enthusiasts often use angle grinders for handheld tasks. Angle grinders excel at non-precision cutting, grinding, and polishing due to their high speed and handheld nature. They’ll also remove paint and rust from surfaces without damaging the underlying material. They are excellent for cutting materials like ceramic tiles and stone, leaving behind clean edges. Additionally, angle grinders make mortar removal easier and are adept at cleaning and cutting metal and even sharpening tools. For woodworking, they can be used to carve and plane wood.

What Industries Typically Use Grinding Machines?. Grinding machines help aerospace, automotive, and medical-sector manufacturers produce highly precise components (precision bearings, engine crankshafts, and medical implants like hip joints). They are integral to the metalworking industry for shaping and finishing metal parts, while in tool and die making, they craft and maintain cutting tools to exact specifications. Precision engineering, bearing manufacturing, mold and die making, and energy sectors all rely on grinding machines for critical components. Additionally, they find use in construction for surface preparation, woodworking for enhancing wood surfaces, and mining for mineral processing.

What Are the Different Types of Grinding Machines?. There are many different types of grinding machines on the market, each with its own unique applications. Some common types of grinders include:

Why do cup boats use wings to sail?

The recent America’s Cup matches have shown that at high wind speeds and in large applications, the wing sail is much more efficient and capable of producing higher boat speeds than that of a traditional sail.

What is the top speed of the America's Cup yacht?
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What is the top speed of the America’s Cup yacht?

America’s Cup: American Magic marks a milestone with top speed and other stats release401.5 hours.5568.2 miles.2466 tacks.1765 gybes.Max speed: 49.83 knots.

American Magic – AC40 – Day 108 – April 4, 2024 – Barcelona © Job Vermeulen / America’s Cup.

US Challenger American Magic marked 100 days of sailing in their AC40 America with the release of some key statistics including an impressive to speed.

The top speed released was less than 0.2kts off the magical 50kts mark.

Are catamarans allowed in the America's Cup?
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Are catamarans allowed in the America’s Cup?

The America’s Cup boats are known as “AC75 class racing yachts”. These are monohulls, which means they have a single hull, unlike the catamarans used in previous editions of the America’s Cup.

These yachts are equipped with “foils” or retractable ailerons that allow them to rise above the water to reduce drag and increase speed.

Teams employ advanced electronics, hydraulics and aerodynamics to optimize the performance of their boats.

How do America's Cup boats go so fast?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

How do America’s Cup boats go so fast?

Aerospace technology — including advanced aerodynamics, lightweight materials, wind tunnel testing and advanced simulation technology — has revolutionized the sport of America’s Cup racing. Today’s cup-class yachts use a wing that is more akin to an airplane’s wing or airfoil than to a traditional sail.


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What Are They Pedaling On America'S Cup Yachting
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Debbie Green

I am a school teacher who was bitten by the travel bug many decades ago. My husband Billy has come along for the ride and now shares my dream to travel the world with our three children.The kids Pollyanna, 13, Cooper, 12 and Tommy 9 are in love with plane trips (thank goodness) and discovering new places, experiences and of course Disneyland.

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