SCOPE OF WORK

To partner in the development of a single-hand racing boat concept through to serial production.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Through collaboration with the client, suppliers, and designers, Tiderock successfully delivered a cost-effective, globally successful product to help establish RS Sailing in a new market sector.

Our historical relationship with RS Sailing began with the production of the RS Venture. Following this success, our team was selected as the manufacturing partner to develop a brand-new concept for a single-hander, ultra-lightweight racing boat. Designed by Alex Newton-Southon and Jo Richardson, this fast, manoeuvrable alternative to the established ‘Laser One’ design had to do things differently. The ambitious design demanded class-leading performance, and our engineers were tasked with developing the prototype, then called the ‘RS Zero’, into a commercially viable product for global markets.

The project aimed to make sailing more accessible and user-friendly while providing the exhilaration of speed and agility. Featuring a technologically advanced hull designed to stack for improved international shipping efficiency and an unrigged weight of less than 35kg, the clever design allowed sailors of all abilities to develop alongside one another using three different rigging sizes.

We developed a vacuumed epoxy sandwich laminate featuring intricate glass and carbon fibre reinforcements. This approach kept weight to an absolute minimum whilst maximising strength, providing excellent durability, an extended user lifecycle, and class-leading performance. Each boat was manufactured to a precise specification to ensure strict equality in performance across the fleet. Fully traceable materials contributed to the 2019 World Sailing Equipment Trials’ assessment that the boat was a “high quality end product,” with our operators ensuring each vessel was immaculate before leaving the factory.

Using in-house manufactured silicone bags to consolidate the lamination process, our team successfully produced over 2,000 identical boats during the production run. As part of our extended on-site services in Lincolnshire, all vessels were fully fitted out, liveried with graphics, and packaged with their tiller and centreboard prior to final delivery. This value-added integration de-risked the supply chain for the customer and helped deliver an extremely affordable product for sailing clubs and individuals alike.