Consistent Refinement on 59ft Classic, Hound

Moore Brothers has enjoyed a continual relationship with Hound, a 59ft Aage Nielsen sloop built by Abeking & Rasmussen in 1970, since early 2021. A traditional yacht utilizing modern components, the Hound program has shown a consistent competitive edge after notable improvements. In addition to a composite bowsprit, rudder and boom, Moore Brothers delivered a new mast in preparation for the 2022 Newport-Bermuda Race. The mast was designed, built and stepped in less than 6 months, providing the crew a decent training window and opportunity to go on and win their class. With the next race to Bermuda just one week away, we’re wishing them all the best.

Moore Brothers modified Hound's racing bowsprit again this year and after spending a recent Sunday afternoon onboard, co-founder and director Oliver Moore reflected on the program,

““They take their program as seriously as anyone, chasing every inch of performance out of the boat. Integrating modern components on a classic structure has been an invigorating challenge…”

...Designing their racing bowsprit to fit both aesthetically and structurally within the confines of a classic yacht, working in three sail points for the crew, required careful attention from our team and theirs.  We enjoy being a partner in their development and seeing the ongoing refinement of Hound."

Read more about the components Moore Brothers built for Hound and other sea-faring vessels in Seahorse Magazine.

Building a Better and Faster Bella Mente

It would be hard to find someone in the world of sailboat racing that isn’t familiar with Bella Mente and her team’s impressive track record.

The first Bella Mente was acquired in 2005 and would go on to win the 2006 Newport to Bermuda Race. Since then, there have been four iterations of Bella Mente, each better and faster than the one before, and each boat winning races around the world. The fourth and most recent yacht was built by New England Boatworks (NEB) in 2018: a 72-foot Mini Maxi. Moore Brothers supported the build by supplying composite components for select control systems. Bella Mente has continued their racing success, including notable wins at the 2023 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and most recently at the 2024 IMA Maxi European Championship in Sorrento.

Hap Fauth's Bella Mente pulls ahead to leeward after a start at the 2024 IMA Maxi European Championship. © IMA/Studio Borlenghi 

“Working with Bella Mente has been a gift, that keeps on giving,” says Simon Day, production and product designer at Moore Brothers Company. Prior to coming onboard at MBC, Simon was intimately involved in the 2018 build of their Maxi 72 through his work at NEB, which included a 2-foot extension of the hull. “It was some pretty serious surgery,” says Simon. When Simon moved over to MBC, program director Peter Henderson (aka “Pirate Pete”) confirmed the Bella Mente team would follow him. “Personally, I have a great relationship with Simon,” says Peter.

Improvements began soon after - In 2023 Bella Mente decided to go from a single, 9-foot rudder to two rudders that would be a third of the size of the original one, and create a water ballast system.

Image courtesy of Bella Mente

The job essentially required re-engineering the whole back of the boat, creating two 1,000 liter tanks for the ballast system, as well as all-new structure for the twin rudders. “It’s a pretty amazing operation,” says Simon, who help layout the design of the system. “In addition to designing a lot of the carbon ballast connection pieces, I created layout drawings for the builders to ensure all the pieces of the puzzle came together as intended.”

The ballast system uses a powerful electric pump and manifold with valves to move the water where needed, to trim out the boat.

Separate companies in the UK built the mechanics for the ballast and steering system components. Moore Brothers made the “stuff that connects those bits,” says Simon, so the carbon components for the ballast system including tubes, manifolds, tank connection pieces and tank vents.

Image courtesy of Bella Mente

As the team’s project manager, Moore Brothers relied on Henderson to be the conduit between Bella Mente’s performance group, the design & engineering staff at MBC, and eventually the fit and install on the boat. Some projects require a member of the MBC engineering team to assume this role, but with Peter in place the group relied on him to collect the finished components for the new steering and ballast system and integrate them into the existing boat with Bella’s in-house composite team. Identifying the process and key players is essential to job success, as well as keeping the right result at the forefront for everyone.

“We got immensely positive feedback, and were proud to deliver everything on time,” says Simon. “MBC actually built 4 rudders total since, as the team got more confident in the system, they decided to further reduce the size of the new rudders.”

Peter says that the the new rudders, steering sytem and a ballast systems where delivered on Wednesday and sea-trialed on Thursday. By Friday, the boat was out racing with very little adjustments needed. “Normally, it doesn’t work that easily, ”he says.

“We didn’t want to drastically change the way we sailed the boat,” Peter says, but rather unlock the boats performance capability. The modifications allow the team to significantly change the trim and modes of the boat according to racing conditions.

“It makes it dramatically more efficient,” says Simon, about the new design. “Winning the Maxi World was testament to that,” he says.

“The drive to improve Bella’s performance never ends. The Team’s feedback from 2023 has been excellent and they look forward to working together again with the Moore Brothers Team.”

Moore Brothers and Ocean State Composites join forces to get the job done

MOORE BROTHERS AND OCEAN STATE COMPOSITES TEAM UP TO GET THE JOB DONE

After two years of working with REGENT Craft, Moore Brothers Company was selected to build their first full-scale prototype vessel in May of 2023. REGENT is developing a range of all-electric seagliders, flying vessels that combine the speed, comfort, and navigation systems of an aircraft with the convenience, maneuverability, and affordability of a boat. At 55ft long with a 65ft wingspan, the full-scale composite prototype vessel would represent the company's flagship design and perform it's first crewed testing. Moore Brothers worked closely with REGENT through their initial development and supported their establishment in Rhode Island, and as a young company now earning contracts for larger projects, founders Oliver and Sam Moore quickly acknowledged the need to expand.

"When it came to acquiring additional talent, it was important we did it in a sustainable way," said Oliver, who led the decision to sub-contract another local company, specialists Ocean State Composites, to lead fabrication of the REGENT hull. The vessel hull is a 55ft fuselage, built to critical weight specifications that require technical out-of-autoclave prepreg lamination skills.

Working collaboratively with the community empowers Moore Brothers and its neighbors to support big jobs with greater strength and experience, with less of the risk that comes with rapid onset growth. "Ocean State Composites has brought the highest level of composite craftsmanship to the project here at Moore Brothers," Oliver continued. "We've enjoyed working with them and would like to think the partnership has been beneficial for all parties - We’ve pushed each other."

In addition to Moore Brothers' project management and engineering teams, staff of 20 core builders and 15,000sq ft facility, the Ocean State Composites brought 25 of the industry's top talent and the large-scale fabrication expertise of it's owner, Zack Parent. In uniting under a common goal, the teams have proven their hardworking nature... true to people who have worked the waterfront for many years and carried Rhode Island’s marine trade proficiency to clients and countries overseas.

Zack and the team at Ocean State Composites have worked at Moore Brothers to manage the hull build and "pitched in" in more ways than one, often stepping in to help problem solve and make recommendations. Indicative of the project's nature, the REGENT build continues to be a collaboration among partners.

"At Ocean State Composites, we've been building a great crew over the last few years. Having some of the best guys in the game is what makes my company tick,” said Zack, who recently opened his own facility on Broadcommon Rd. "The opportunity to join Moore Brothers on this new and exciting endeavor is a true privilege and we don't take it lightly. Their team brings years of experience designing and executing at a high level. The meshing of the crews has been seamless, and we look forward to a positive future for the collaborative.”

Moore Brothers Company is currently hiring composite technicians. Email us directly at office@moorebro.co or view and apply to one of our open positions.