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100-foot supermaxi Andoo Comanche returns to Australia

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51 seconds apart after 628 nautical miles: LawConnect edges Comanche in Sydney to Hobart race

Comanche heads down Sydney Harbour during the start of the Sydney Hobart yacht race in Sydney, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. The 630-nautical mile race has more than 100 yachts starting in the race to the island state of Tasmania. (Salty Dog/CYCA via AP)

Skallywag, left, and Comanche sail close during the start of the Sydney Hobart yacht race in Sydney, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. The 630-nautical mile race has more than 100 yachts starting in the race to the island state of Tasmania. (Salty Dog/CYCA via AP)

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HOBART, Australia (AP) — LawConnect won line honors in the 78th edition of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Thursday, holding off defending champion Andoo Comanche by less than a minute in an exciting finish between the super maxis.

The pair of 100-foot yachts had dueled for much of the race and were well ahead of the rest of the fleet of 103 yachts that started the race on Tuesday in Sydney harbor.

LawConnect, which was runner-up in the last three editions of the race, finished in 1 day, 19 hours, 3 minutes, 58 seconds. Comanche’s time was 1 day, 19 hours, 4 minutes, 49 seconds — a margin of just 51 seconds.

It was the second-closest finish in Sydney to Hobart history after Condor of Bermuda beat Apollo by seven seconds in 1982.

Both yachts performed several late jibes as they attempted to secure the lead.

“I can’t believe that result. Honestly, it is a dream come true,” LawConnect’s skipper and owner Christian Beck said. “They took the lead pretty close to the line and we thought there was no way we could get it back.

“A wind gust came around. It was a complete surprise. There were guys who couldn’t watch. It was very nerve wracking.”

Comanche holds the race record of 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes, 24 seconds, set when it won the race in 2017.

“It is pretty painful, we’ve got an amazing boat that should have won,” Comanche skipper and owner John Winning Jr. said of Thursday’s result. “The other guys sailed their guts out and left nothing on the table. They beat us with an underdog boat, those guys deserve all the praise they get.”

“It was one of the most epic finishes in probably any sailing race I know. In the last three minutes I think the lead changed three times.”

Comanche and LawConnect were clear front-runners from just out of Sydney harbor. The pair began the trip down the New South Wales south coast at a fast clip but fell off the race record pace. The finish was at Constitution Dock in Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania.

The highest-profile retirement of 11 race withdrawals was SHK Scallywag, one of four 100-foot super maxis which sustained a broken bow sprit and withdrew on the first evening of the race.

LawConnect was the first yacht out of the harbor.

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Comanche on the warpath for Transpac record

Article by Dobbs Davis, Photo by Hodgdon Yachts

Los Angeles, CA -- Jim Clark’s 100-foot Comanche has recently joined the fleet of 62 entries currently preparing for the 49 th edition of the Transpacific YC’s biennial LA-Honolulu race, with one goal: to set a new race record. This 100-foot carbon fiber ocean greyhound designed by VPLP/Verdier and built by Hodgdon Yachts in 2014 was created to be quite simply the fastest sailing yacht in the world, with a design brief s to not only capture offshore race line honors – as she did in the 2015 Sydney Hobart Race – but also set race records, as she did last year in the Newport-Bermuda Race.

And without the structured timing of a race start, Comanche has also set out and won new course records as well: such as last summer when she knocked off a full day from Mari Cha IV’s Transatlantic course record set in 2003 for the Sandy Hook to the Lizard sailing course. The new mark stands at 5 days 14 hours 21 minutes 25 seconds, and may be there for a while.

She also holds the current monohull 24 hour speed record of 618.01 miles – an amazing average of 25.75 knots of boat speed.

The 2225-mile Transpac is next in her sights, with the goal to get to Honolulu in less than 5 days 14 hours 36 minutes 20 seconds, a mark set in 2009 by Neville Crichton’s Reichel/Pugh 90-foot Alpha Romeo II . To achieve this level of success its no surprise both boats had on board one of the most successful ocean racing navigators in the history of the sport: Stan Honey.

Stan’s success as a navigator in transpacific races (Transpac, Pacific Cup, Victoria-Maui) is unparalleled: in 22 races he and his teams have won line or class honors 10 times – an impressive record in itself. And he may have made that 11 had he not sustained a head injury while on board Comanche shortly before he was due to compete on Wild Oats XI in the 2015 Transpac, and was ably replaced by Nick White who guided the mixed Pyewacket /Aussie crew to line honors - but no record due to the light weather in that year’s race.

We spoke with Stan about Comanche’s prospects for the Transpac record while he was cruising the coast of Mexico with his wife Sally on board their Cal 40 Illusion .

“I think this record time is achievable without having to have unusually windy conditions, but just stable breeze along the course,” he said. “The year we did this on Alfa the breeze was not particularly strong, it was just relatively steady throughout the trip.”

This is not just a hunch. Not only is Comanche capable of stunning speed – her 24 hour record of 618 miles dwarfs Alfa’s record on the Transpac course of 480 miles – but using weather data and routing software, Stan came to this conclusion after an exhaustive analysis of digitally sailing this race over the past 13 years.

“I’ve routed Comanche on the race course using historical GFS weather data for 143 starts. I ran routes starting every day 1 July through 11 July, from 2004 through 2016. Statistically we’ve got a reasonable shot at it starting on any given day, but obviously there could be rotten enough weather to make it pointless to start on the 6 th ”… meaning, there is a scenario where Comanche might do what the 104-foot trimaran Lending Club II did in the last race: sail the course on a different start day in order to optimize their chances of achieving a course record, thereby giving up the opportunity to win any race trophies.

“Given that Comanche is out of the hunt on handicap or for the Barn Door, if we had terrible weather for a start on July 6 th it would be fruitless to just sail the course for no reason,” he said. “If the weather forecast was much better for a nearby day, giving us a good shot at the passage record, I suspect that Ken and Jim would go for that.”

Comanche’s unusually wide hull form is different than both Oats and Alfa , since she is designed to be more stable to carry more sail area in a wider variety of windy conditions. Comanche also has an unusual multiple option sail plan that can carry a large and diverse array of headsails and even spinnakers on furling systems on the foredeck. The position of the mast very far aft in the boat allows for this powerful feature.

Her wide hull form, however, also makes her trim sensitive to weight and can be a limiting factor in her performance should the air go light. “We will be on a strict weight budget for this race, and have to make important sail and crew selection decisions in order to optimize performance for weight.”

One sail in the inventory that is particularly effective when in its range of reaching angles is her A3 sail, which is too narrow to be recognized as a spinnaker but also too wide to be a rated as a headsail in the ORR rating rule system used in Transpac. Comanche petitioned TPYC to allow them to use this sail nonetheless, and permission was granted with the application of a significant rating penalty. Not interested in corrected time honors, this was acceptable to the Comanche team since their only interest is in going as fast as possible to the finish at Diamond Head, regardless of rating.

TPYC Technical Committee Chairman Alan Andrews said “These ‘large width headsails’ are common in oceanic racing designs, but not used in general fleets like we have in Transpac. TPYC wants to keep a level playing field within the rest of the fleet and not ignite an expensive sail development war shortly before the race. However, we have been historically supportive of innovation and speed, so Transpac would rather allow the fleet to use these sails with the addition of a significant additional rating assessment than not allow them.”

This was good news for Commanche . “That A3 has proven to be an extremely versatile and fast sail for us,” says Honey, so its likely it will make the cut when deciding what to have on board when they start off Point Fermin on July 6 th .

Stan also said the array of foils and boards on Comanche will also get evaluated carefully to find trade-offs in their weight and addition to performance through the course of a “typical” Transpac, which includes a small amount of beating, a little more reaching, and a lot of running. The decisions the team makes on this and the sail selections will very much depend on Stan’s expertise in weather forecasting and route modeling to simulate what the team will encounter on the race.

Armed with the right sails and foils, a world-class crew, Stan’s experience, and the right weather, Comanche will have a very real shot at taking another scalp by putting a new time on the beautiful Transpac Honolulu Race Elapsed Time Record Trophy (aka, the “Clock Trophy”) donated by one of its winners and long term patron of the race, Roy E. Disney.

“Winning Transpac is not an easy achievement by any measure, and setting records is even more difficult,” says TPYC Race Chairman Bo Wheeler. “This is what makes this race have such enduring appeal for offshore sailors from around the world, and we’re pleased to have a superb team like Comanche come give this a try. We wish them and all our entries good luck in their preparations during these final few months remaining to the start.”

Published on July 28th, 2016 | by Editor

Comanche Crushes Transatlantic Record

Published on July 28th, 2016 by Editor -->

(July 28, 2016) – Comanche, the 100 foot racing yacht owned by Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark, has successfully set a new monohull transatlantic record of 5 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes 25 seconds.

Comanche had left New York (USA) on July 22 at 20:58 UTC in hopes of breaking the monohull transatlantic record from West to East (Ambrose Light Tower to Lizard Point) of 6 days 17 hours 52 minutes and 39 seconds, set by Mari Cha IV in October 2003.

At 12:19:41 UTC today, Comanche passed Lizard Point (UK) to complete the 2,880 nautical miles route to beat the previous record by 1 day, 3 hours 31 minutes 14 seconds in a total elapsed time of 5 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes 25 seconds at an average speed of 21.44 knots.

Comanche’s owner Jim Clark said: “Comanche was built to break ocean records and the guys have once again powered our fantastic fat-bottomed girl to another title. I am so proud of the entire team and everyone involved in the entire program from top to bottom, the best in world, getting the best out of Comanche. Perfect harmony, and Kristy and I are over the moon.”

Comanche had been on standby for a number of weeks waiting for optimum conditions to slingshot across the Atlantic, managing a fluid rota of over 30 world class sailors on standby over a three month period, primed to be ready at a moment’s notice. On July 21, the team was moved to a ‘green’ as world class navigator Stan Honey alongside skipper Ken Read, agreed that this was the time to go.

With Comanche skipper Ken Read committed to TV commentating at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in England, the world class crew was led by team leaders Casey Smith, Tony Mutter, Richard Clarke and Navigator Stan Honey. Due to other commitments, Comanche was also missing regular crewmen such as Kelvin Harrap, Warwick Fluery, Jimmy Spithill and Ryan Godfrey (see full crew list below).

Ken Read concluded: “This latest record is testament to Jim and Kristy’s vision. This is the culmination of six years of hard work and a huge team of experts offshore and onshore all working as one. I never had any doubt this crew would deliver the goods – the boat was in perfect condition and the only thing that would scupper the record would be Mother Nature. Luckily she didn’t throw a spanner in the works and this team have once again proven why they are some of the best in the business.”

The weather window promised fast conditions with strong winds, great angles and flat seas all the way to Europe. And overall it delivered, enabling the team to tear across the Atlantic in record time, using only manual powered winches and hydraulics.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing, the crew encountered some cold, foggy and squally weather with some nail biting lighter patches that kept them all guessing and hoping that they could stay in the same weather system for the duration of the crossing. They also encountered the danger of ice ensuring the team remained on high alert making the trip, and the record, even more of an achievement.

Casey Smith: “What a boat! Now we have got the 24 hours record, the Sydney Hobart, and now the transatlantic. What a boat! Awesome!”

Stan Honey: “There are only about two weather windows a year where a monohull can make it all the way across the Atlantic in one system, and we found one of them. Beating this record by more than a day is above my expectations and I am delighted.”

Tony Mutter: “To achieve something like that, it is important to be fast and reliable. I am happy for all the people involved in this project from the very beginning up to now.”

Richard Clarke: “Delighted. Awesome trip, I have been loving every minute of it. Now I am proud of the accomplishment for the boat and for the team.”

Pablo Arrarte: “I think this is something big. I don’t think anyone will beat it in the near future.”

Shannon Falcone: “This was sort of the Everest of the whole Comanche program, and I am both proud and delighted to be part of it.”

The record continues to illustrate Comanche’s pedigree since the Supermaxi was launched in October 2013. Comanche has taken line honors in all races but one entered and currently holds four ocean records.

The new record must still to be ratified by the World Sailing Speed Council.

Casey Smith (AUS), Boat Captain Stan Honey (USA), Navigator Tony Mutter (NZL), Trimmer Dirk de Ridder (NED), Main Trim Chris Maxted (AUS), Boat Crew Jon von Schwarz (USA), Grinder Juggy Clougher (AUS), Bow Julien Cressant (FRA), Pit Nick Dana (USA), Bow Pablo Arrarte (ESP), Runners Pepe Ribes (ESP), Bow Peter van Niekerk (NED), Trimmer Phil Harmer (AUS), Grinder Richard Clarke (CAN), Runners Robert Greenhalgh (GBR), Main Trim Shannon Falcone (ATG), Grinder Yann Riou (FRA), Media

Source: Tim Kelly, Camilla Green

Tags: Comanche , records , World Sailing Speed Record Council

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Comanche – the 31.5m sailing superyacht built to win

Sailing superyacht Comanche is a boat that belongs at the front of the racing pack. Comanche _surprised everyone watching the Sydney Hobart race in December 2014 when the brand new 30.5 metre Hodgdon Yachts-built speed machine was pictured tearing along ahead of Sydney Hobart legend Wild Oats XI. It was an advantage that _Comanche was able to maintain all the way to the Bass Strait during the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart. But when 30-knot winds failed to materialise, the more slender Wild Oats XI slipped past Comanche and into the lead, a position she held all the way to Hobart for victory and her eighth line honours. Second place is never going to be good enough for Comanche ’s owner, software mogul Jim Clark, but it was a minor miracle his yacht was there at all. She was only launched in September 2014, so the famously brutal race represented a kind of masochistic shakedown for a yacht designed for just one thing – to win.

Comanche : built to win

Think Laser dinghy or 49er morphed with rocket ship and you’ll get some idea of the qualities of_ Comanche_. At the yard, the racer was partially hidden behind two larger yachts with immaculate pedigrees, _Meteor_ and Artemis , but Comanche ’s square bow and carbon sprit jutted out beyond them, drawing the eye away from the varnished teak of her neighbours to a lean sailing machine intended to go as fast as possible powered only by the wind.

Sailing legend Ken Read, who also happens to be the president of North Sails, managed the project from day one for Jim Clark. Built at Hodgdon Yachts in Maine, US, Comanche had a hand-picked design and engineering team of international experts. It also had a construction schedule that raised eyebrows from the first day Jim Clark talked to Boat International about the radical project during the America’s Cup Superyacht Regatta in San Francisco, September 2013.

Comanche launched one year later and after stepping the mast in Newport, Rhode Island, and just two weeks of sailing trials, including a 600-mile qualifying sail to Charleston, South Carolina, the boat was packed aboard a cargo ship and sent to Australia to compete in the Sydney Hobart, which starts each year on Boxing Day.

Jim Clark and his Australian wife, Kristy Hinze-Clark, met the boat in Sydney for its short re-commissioning, Hinze-Clark racing aboard Comanche in a harbour tune-up event on 9 December 2014, where the yacht placed second despite poor conditions. The tabloids had a field-day, captioning photos with, “The supermodel and the supermaxi” and “She’s got legs” in reference to Kristy Hinze-Clark’s modelling career. These days she is a businesswoman, director for the Australian Nature Conservancy and the mother of two girls.

Boat International speaks exclusively with Comanche ‘s owner, Jim Clark

In our exclusive interview with Jim Clark, shortly before the race begins, we ask simply: “Why?”

“It’s a hobby,” he says, “I like the supermaxis, they are like Volvo 60s on steroids.” Jim Clark appears to be done with the J Class and is not a huge fan of what he calls the “multihull phase” of the America’s Cup with its reduced crew numbers. “The old sailing community is in monohulls and it’s nice to keep the guys engaged – there are lots of good sailors in the supermaxis and the guys are a lot of fun.”

When Jim Clark decided on a supermaxi, his plan was to go for line honours rather than wins on corrected time, and speed/distance records that could be set for yachts with human powered winches. “I don’t want any of that record stuff with an asterisk that says push-button winches,” Jim Clark scoffs. With this target, Jim Clark and Ken Read embarked on a “design experiment” for a yacht that could sail 30 knots or more on a broad reach. The experiment pushed them to some extreme stats, which Jim Clark says were run through CFD tests and simulations time and again.

“The 25-foot (7.6 metre) beam saves weight,” Ken Read says. “By going wider, we can have less weight in the keel to keep the same righting moment, thus we will go faster.” This thinking is carried over into the keel itself, which is solid stainless steel and not welded. With a 6.7 metre draught, the keel can be two tonnes lighter than a comparable keel on a boat with half the draught. The governing factor was the depth of Rhode Island’s Newport harbour where the boat will be based when not chasing records. “With the keel canted to one side we can just get to our berth,” Read says.

The downside to beam is increased surface drag when sailing flat in light air. “Being considerably wider than other boats, we need to be heeling at 11 to 13 degrees to present the same beam,” says Jim Clark. “In light air, we are at a disadvantage. When the wind cooperates, there is no question the boat is explosive.”

Hodgdon, the oldest boatbuilding business in the US, might seem like an odd choice if you don’t know that part of the yard’s annual output is high-tech military vessels and another part is carbon fibre limo tenders. In fact, Hodgdon is quite skilled at innovative construction techniques and when Tim Hodgdon agreed to build an oven to cook Comanche ’s carbon fibre hull, the deal was struck. The yard’s location also made it a good gathering stop for its far-flung team.

Is_ Comanche_ too powerful to handle?

Some critics have said Comanche is too extreme and too powerful to handle, but Jim Clark just laughs at this and suggests we “ask Kenny”.

“Yeah, it’s still an unknown but I’m not overly concerned,” he adds. “The hull is well baked and it’s been ultrasounded and X-rayed. There is a fuse in some of the loads so that nothing super bad can happen. But you can’t have a fuse in the rigging… Some of those termination points on the rig are kind of scary,” Jim Clark says.

That rig, which rises 47 metres above the waterline, is more than 50 per cent of the length aft from the bow, a surprising configuration but based on model testing for best all-around performance with the foil and appendages.

Innovation through design

Also innovative on _Comanche _are the daggerboards outboard of the mast and slightly forward of it. By canting the keel and putting the lee side daggerboard fully down, the boat generates enough lift to keep the angle of leeway to a minimum or crab up to a mark.

Comanche ‘s wide cockpit, full of grinder pedestals, hydraulic sail controls and sophisticated LED panels, gives the impression of a workhouse with modern instruments of torture. In a way, that is what they are. Grinders will work these six pedestals to turn the Harken winches. The only push-button winch on board is used to raise the mainsail. Once that sail is up the halyard is locked off and the winch isn’t used.

The winch pedestals are set slightly inboard and Read explains that when sailing on other 30 metre yachts he found that waves coming inboard at 30 knots or so would sweep the helmsman or winch grinders off their feet. “I have fetched up in the corner of the cockpit with pieces of steering wheel in my hands,” he says. Thus, by having 10 feet more beam than other 30 metre boats, there is space to put people and gear in a safer location with the added benefit of space for sails to be temporarily stored outboard of the pedestals on the high side.

Another interesting option is set right into the deck. Small black plugs cover screw holes that allow a dodger to cover both hatches. “On long distance races, we wanted the option to erect a dodger to keep the crew safe when on deck,” Read says. A slot in the cockpit sole just aft of the dodger allows the steering wheel to be moved forward, allowing the helmsman to stand behind the dodger for more protection.

Step below and you can see how much weight has been saved on Comanche . The single-skin carbon fibre hull and foam cored framing is fully exposed. It is mostly black with white non-skid patches. The forward end of the vessel is totally open, to store sails. Directly under the cockpit on either side are the crew berths, which keep the crew centre of gravity aft, close to the position they would be in when on deck; thus the trim of the yacht is not affected by off-watch crew moving around.

Directly under the cockpit sole is the navigator’s area with barely space to sit up. “The only requirement that navigator Stan Honey had was that we made the navigator’s seat 1.8 metres long so that he didn’t have to fight the crew for a berth,” Read says.

Talking to Read one gets a sense he is completely at ease with a project of this magnitude and the commitment it will take to sail Comanche to her potential. He has sailed around the world with several of his present crew and all had input into the new yacht’s design. That counts for a lot of experience, in addition to the French design team of Guillaume Verdier and VPLP (Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost). “Without the designers we would probably have built a far more conservative boat,” Read says, “but with their help we have taken a leap forward.”

On deck, Comanche is also radically different. All halyards go to the masthead, where they are locked off in the same style that was pioneered in the 12 Metre Class. But on Comanche , tension is applied on the sail luff by hydraulic rams mounted on the foredeck and by pulling on the sail at the tack. “It reduces weight aloft,” Read explains, “and allows complete sail adjustment from the [safety of the] cockpit.”

Another advanced feature not often seen on smaller craft is that the jib tracks run transversely instead of fore and aft. “The clews for each headsail are in the same place and we might use the same sail for going hard to windward and when easing off onto a reach. With this arrangement all we need do is ease the track car to leeward when coming onto a reach. This enables us to keep power on without altering the shape of the sail when changing course relative to the wind,” Read notes.

The deck-stepped carbon fibre mast has swept spreaders to eliminate the need for adjustable running backstays. In some ways this is a disadvantage in that the masthead cannot be moved fore and aft when sailing up and downwind, but it eliminates the need for checkstays and runners. The masthead position is controlled with backstays to each corner of the transom and lines that are led into the mast from the backstays to control the rig bend.

“I started this boat thinking I could race it,” says Jim Clark wistfully. A degenerative condition in his ankles that makes standing uncomfortable has recently cropped up in his wrists as well. “They made a seat for me where I can drive it,” he says, but he opted out of the Sydney Hobart to make room for America’s Cup-winning skipper Jimmy Spithill to assist Read on the helm.

“I feel confident we’ll start getting line honours and next summer we’ll do the transatlantic race and see how that goes,” promises Jim Clark. “I’m optimistic.”

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Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

Andoo Comanche

Arguably the fastest monohull on the planet, Andoo Comanche returns to defend her Line Honours title in the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.  Skipper John “Herman” Winning Jr and his exceptional team including tactician Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton, Iain Murray and Richard Allanson have captured every major Australian offshore line honours title since they chartered the yacht in 2022.  With a new inventory of sails by North Sails, Andoo Comanche will be hard to beat in 2023, with John Winning Jr looking to cap off his impressive run with the maxi yacht.

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Full Standings available approximately three hours after the start.

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From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!

Ranger Boats Z521L Comanche Review

Terry brown.

• Oct 25, 2018

Terry Brown walks through his experiences this year with the Ranger Z521L bass boat.

My experiences

I have fished out of the new Ranger Z521L Comanche bass boat since the early part of May. Ranger workmanship is nothing new to me, since I have owned several and have been part of that boat family for a long time. Since the sale to Johnny Morris’s White River Marine Group, it has been intriguing to me to see what, if anything, had changed. Were corners cut, did they ride differently, was the fit and finish better or worse? 

Although these boats are expensive, around $70,000, you do get what you pay for in ride, options, finish, quality and resale in the Z521L. The Ranger Z521L is not for everyone, but if you have the budget, it’s a great choice!

It has been a couple of years since I sat at the helm of a new Ranger fiberglass boat. For the last few years, I have been kicking tires on the high-powered aluminum boats with pad designs, and I wasn’t sure I could again get used to fiberglass again. The new aluminum boats are quick, lighter and nimble, and I wasn’t sure it would feel the same in a much heavier fiberglass boat. 

Never an issue in deeper water for either material, but aluminum has a huge advantage in shallow water. I was not sure if new fiberglass designs, in particular at the 21-foot length would have the same ability. The Z521L definitely does.

I have owned 20 or so fiberglass boats including Rangers, a couple of Skeeter’s and a Triton or two, but I had no idea how far they have come. All of my prior boats were the top of the line, but man have these boats changed. From fit and finish, to amenities, to performance including lift and hole shot, the Z521L has set the bar for big water bass boats.

Spec’ing it out

Paired with a 250 HP Mercury ProXS, the hole shot is amazing, and in a very short distance, the Z521L is up on pad and ready to rock. Ranger has never had the reputation of having the fastest boat on the water, but this hull impresses me with both ride and top end speed. Fully loaded, this boat with two anglers runs a respectable 65 mph on the GPS. That isn’t bad for this large of a boat at 21 feet, 7 inches. The Ranger Z521L weighs approximately 1,925 pounds and has a 93-inch beam. The fuel capacity is 53 gallons. 

Rod box lengths are 8-foot, 6-inch top to bottom in the center and 8 feet on the port side. The starboard storage is 7 feet in length. Inside depth is 21 inches. 

Seats include Soft Ride suspensions and are built in house. The driver’s seat is adjustable for vertically challenged anglers or enough leg room for ex-basketball stars too. The seats wrap around design protects your lower lumbar, and riding at top speeds is a secure too. The front deck is padded and spacious. 

Not only does it look great from the side and inside the boat, but it’s what you don’t see below the deck that separates Ranger from other manufacturers. The keyless Ignition, longstanding on Ranger models makes for easy starting and shutdown but also fully customizable for security. 

Under the finish

Heavy duty 6-gauge wiring and a 50-amp breaker plus custom in-house wiring harnesses and schematics, makes it easy to troubleshoot. All switches are weather protected, and a solid state breaker system includes easy reset breakers. The gauges are custom, and this Z521L includes fuel, oil, trim, tach and speedometer. 

Custom LEDs, compartment lighting and recirculation fans called Power Ventilation top it off. You don’t see much of this, but the peace of mind knowing how they are built does give the buyer confidence this large investment will last. Resale values on Rangers have been holding well, and that is a good thing for buyers too. 

Best accessories available

This boat came equipped with the top-of-the-line Lowrance Carbon 16 at the console and the Carbon 12 in the front. It also has the Minn Kota Ultrex 36-volt trolling motor in the bow. It also has a 4-bank changer in the back compartment with gauges outside the boat to determine charge levels. 

I am totally impressed with the innovations in the storage and cooler areas of the Z521L. They are dry, and the seals are unmatched. Combined with pressured latch systems, I have not had even dampness in any of the boxes. Even if I did, the patented ventilation system would dry them out quickly. The coolers are surrounded by foam and keep ice for days. I especially like the shelves for sandwiches, crackers and other snacks that keep them from floating after a bump or two. 

The livewell is huge, and this boat has TH Marine Oxygenators plus Venturi Air and a livewell pump-out system that makes it easy to fill weigh-in bags from outside the boat. 

To most die-hards, the ride of this boat is everything. Quality components are backed with pultruded fiberglass where something is mounted or attached to create a stronger base with better screw retention. It also comes down to strength too and the advanced design of the hull superstructure isolates vibration and bumps of rough water. The lift of the Z521L felt different but once the throttle was hammered, I again remembered how comfortable the Ranger ride could be. 

Ranger talks about a one piece feel, and I get it after riding in the 521L. Every part of the boat is an integration not an afterthought. That creates the ride and a durability that lasts. 

Solid, well thought out and smooth is the best way to describe the ride. Even in rough water, the Z521L is a luxury liner. Full-out throttle in a 2- or 3-foot chop and it still rides like it is slick with no wind. That one characteristic is a big seller to me on just how well these boats are still built. Because of the seating and how the driver and passenger sit down in the boat, you feel safe at all speeds. Knowing the standards for level floatation were designed by Ranger gives me comfort to know that they are tough as nails and will take a pounding if the going gets rough.

Foot rests and grab handles are located well so the passenger doesn’t feel like they are riding a bull. The same is true for the driver, and the adjustable seats allow even a short guy like me to feel secure and comfortable. I also love the tilt wheel and the no slop feel of the steering. 

Hydraulic steering has changed the game from a torque perspective, there isn’t any, and you don’t have to ever fight the wheel at either high or low speed operation. The remote drain plug is another welcome addition so no more crawling under the boat to see if it is in. 

The trailer

From the beginning Ranger Boats built Ranger Trail trailers specifically for their boats. Custom trailers fit your boat best, and Ranger Trail has a longstanding reputation of the best in innovations too. The Z521L has a tandem axle model trailer that utilizes the patented Road Armor coating the protects the trailer from rock chips, road debris and even rust.

One of the beauties of this trailer is all wiring, custom too, is both accessible and protected in conduit on the inside of the C-channel frame. The 4-wheel independent suspension with torsion axles provide for better durability and ride. The fiberglass fenders are color matched to the boat and have integrated steps too. 

The boat I have been testing has a swing away tongue and Raptor II custom Ranger wheels and custom lighting. The winch, jack and step for loading are tough as nails too. 

Best of the best

The Ranger Z521L is a top of the line boat in the Ranger Boat family, and if you are really serious about the best of the best, you would want to own it. The Five Star Advantage of Performance, Innovation, Quality, Resale Value and Safety has stood the test of time, and I can tell you it sure was neat to ride in one again.  

To learn more about this boat, visit RangerBoats.com or visit your local Ranger Boats dealer.

With a BS in Radio/Television from Illinois State University, Terry Brown had the vision for Wired2fish. He currently serves as the President of Sales for Wired2fish. Prior to that he was director of sales at Bassfan. Brown is not only the best connector in the fishing industry, but he’s also the handiest man around a boat. He can fix just about anything on a boat from electronics to motors and everything in between, and the other team members always rely on him for answers on boat issues. He’s also an accomplished angler, radio host and writer. Another jack of all trades on this avid angling team.

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• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Take a tour of supermaxi Comanche, a yacht so beamy she’s called ‘the aircraft carrier’

• December 26, 2015

Crosbie Lorimer takes a looks at Comanche, the 100ft super-maxi yacht that created such a stir at the last Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

Comanche races in the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

“The design office were told specifically by me that if this boat wasn’t the worst rated boat in history they have failed,” Dr Jim Clark said about his new raceboat. Not exactly the sort of remark you might expect, perhaps, but Clark, founder of software company Netscape, is well known for his singular approach to his many sailing ventures.

For Clark, owner of the 295ft three-masted schooner Athena and the replica J Class Hanuman , the goal for his brand new 100ft super-maxi Comanche is first and foremost to break records.

At her first major outing in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race 2014, she caused something of a stir, although she was pipped for line honours in the 650-mile offshore classic by the well-sorted and immaculately sailed Wild Oats XI .

Not surprising that Clark should look to his regular skipper Ken Read and the French design team collaboration of Verdier Design/VPLP to create his new master-blaster. Despite a punishing one-year timeline for the build team, project managers Tim Hacket and Brandon Linton worked with boat captain Casey Smith – all three were involved in Read’s previous Volvo campaign – to see the new boat launched on time from the Hodgdon Yard in Maine in late 2014, given an impressive first run in heavy airs and then put on a ship to Sydney.

Under sail, first impressions of Comanche  inevitably draw comparisons with IMOCA 60s and the globe-circling multihulls in which the design team excels. With massive beam at the stern, long reverse sheer, the mast well aft of 50 per cent of the boat length, towering narrow mainsail and a long boom overhanging the stern, everything is built for speed when the wind is abaft the beam.

In anything above eight knots of true wind Comanche starts to move out of displacement mode and at 25° of heel she has the same wetted surface as the 100ft supermaxi  Wild Oats XI – the more remarkable when you consider that you could fit two of Wild Oats ’s sterns into Comanche ’s.

Helming Comanche requires a different mindset, according to Read: “You sail the boat a bit like a multihull in a way, it’s so wide you rock it up on its ‘leeward hull’.”

So beamy is Comanche that she was given the nickname the Aircraft Carrier

The photos below show exactly what this remarkable yacht looks like on deck and below.

Specifications

LOA 30.50m/100ft 0in

Beam 7.80m/25ft 6in

Draught 6.50m/21ft 4in

Mast height 46.00m/150ft 0in

Displacement 31,000kg/68,343lb

Mainsail 410m 2 /4,413ft 2

Downwind sail area 1,022m 2 /11,000ft 2

Upwind sail area 350m 2 /3,767ft 2

Largest spinnaker 1,100m 2 /11,840ft 2

IRC Rating 1.958

Designed by Verdier Design/VPLP       

Built by Hodgdon Yachts, Maine, USA and Owner’s build team

Mast/boom Southern Spars

Sails North Sails

Hydraulics Cariboni       

Foils Re Fraschini

Winch System Harken with Jon Williams

Rigging   ECsix

STERN Comanche ’s beamy stern swiftly earned her the tag The Aircraft Carrier. Her optimum heel angle is anything over 20°, while at 25° she has the same wetted surface as Wild Oats XI . The fitting of an escape hatch and the liferaft stowage in her stern are a direct result of lessons learned from the capsize of Rambler in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet

MAST As with the IMOCA 60s, the mast is positioned well back in the boat; sited directly above the canting keel, the mast is deck-stepped on a triangulated mast post integrated into the same frame as the keelbox. Static loads on the mast base are in the order of 75 tonnes, increasing to 150 tonnes under sail

DEFLECTORS The 150ft (46m) four- spreader rig features two running backstays and three deflectors, precluding the need for checkstays for mast bend control, and also reducing windage and weight aloft. Mast height was limited to be able to pass under Sydney Harbour Bridge

COCKPIT AND WINCHES Sail handling is by grinder-powered Harken winches with customised drive shafts, grinder pedestals and gearboxes to cater for the substantial torque. The winch pedestals are placed inboard to permit stacking of up to four sails in the cockpit

WHEEL POSITION The steering pedestals can be moved to a position at the forward end of the cockpit (ringed), just behind a detachable hard dodger over the companionways, affording the helmsmen and crew maximum protection if required for long passages

DEFLECTOR RAMS The three deflectors controlling mast bend are trimmed by three hydraulic rams that work interactively. Although cheat sheets have been developed for basic settings, the crew is still exploring setting refinements for these

CANTING KEEL The canting keel is controlled by a 350kg titanium ram built by Cariboni. The keel can be swung 35° either side of centre and moved through the full arc in about 25 seconds. A secondary slave cylinder can be used to swing the keel if the primary ram fails

WATER BALLAST Manifolds, pipes and valves controlling water ballast are located behind the navstation bulkhead. Water ballast comprises 6.5 tonnes per side in three tanks on each flank. All pipework is built in carbon fibre

COMPASS The cheapest fitting on the boat is a card compass that would look more at home on a Laser. Though the helmsmen and trimmers use the digital read-outs, the rules require a card compass to be fitted, so the team went looking for the simplest and lightest

NAVIGATION STATION is located immediately behind the companionway bulkhead, also being the point from which all the boat’s electrics are controlled. The carbon fibre chart table can be tacked and the bench seat is long enough to allow the navigator to sleep or rest here if required

TACKING HEADS There are two concessions to ‘luxury’ aboard Comanche , one being a carbon fibre tray for six coffee cups and the other a carbon heads that can be tacked! No privacy for the latter, of course