The North American Sailing Center


PStar Story The PStar program started in the fall of 2002. German Olympic Star sailor and boat builder Marc Pickel approached the Yacht Research Unit (YRU) in Kiel, Germany and asked them to run Computer Fluid Dynamic (CFD) studies on different hull designs and underwater appendages. Eric Wolf, a CFD specialist with experience in recent America's Cup and Volvo Ocean designs led the design team. Eric and his team spent seven months testing different hull geometries. Although a one design class, Star tolerances at the different measurement stations are boxes between 19 x16 mm in the front and back to 25 x 19 mm in the middle, and allow for slight variations in hull shape. The research unit systematically changed hull shape variations within the tolerance boxes studying the forces of water flow and its effect on performance. Using RANSE principles to calculate flow forces, advantages in specific shapes were identified. The result is the most efficient hull shape advanced computer software can design. The PStar’s design principle is to establish the longest possible waterline utilizing the minimum amount of volume with a flat exit to the transom to reduce transom wake drag. Marc Pickel built the first five boats in his shop in Kiel, Germany leading up to the Olympic Games in Beijing, China 2008. In 2009 he partnered with Jon VanderMolen of the North American Sailing Center, in Richland Michigan to build the boats in the United States. The PStar is a specialized boat built to meet the demands of those athletes who compete at the highest level of International sailing, as well as the Club sailor searching for the best results. Each boat is painstakingly hand built using a carefully measured process requiring time and skill. Smarter. Easier. Faster. Seahorse Magazine — “Upping the Stakes”


How it’s built All boats are made from fiberglass molds that are built to the specific tolerances of the designer. The quality of the mold directly effects the consistency and quality of the end product. There are many ways to shape and construct molds but most are made from hand shaping wood or Styrofoam plugs. The PStar molds were created using CNC milled plugs. CNC milling is state of the art technology that ensures each component is formed to precise shapes and fits together seamlessly throughout the build process. CAD designs are entered into the milling machine and a hard carbide bit slowly forms the desired shape to exact tolerances. Star keels have been milled for many years, but the PStar molds are the first known molds to be formed by CNC milling. Every PStar is built using the CNC milled molds guaranteeing that every boat built is perfectly symmetrical. The parts of the PStar fit together perfectly allowing for a light stiff bond, and superior end product. return to top
Plugs The PStar plugs began by gluing large blocks of Styrofoam together on a solid platform. The platform was placed in the CNC milling machine and the foam then shaved into a perfectly symmetrical hull shape.

Foam blocks being prepared to be milled into the hull shape.	CNC milling machine shaping the hull.

PStar hull shape taking form.	Finished foam hull shape.
Next, a hard epoxy paste is applied to the Styrofoam hull covering it with a hard protective coating. The coated form goes back to the CNC milling machine to be shaved into the final plug that the molds are cast from.

Epoxy covered Styrofoam in CNC milling machine.	The final stages of the hull Plug being milled.

The Plug is waxed and finished with release agent to prepare for molding process.	Black tooling resin is applied over the top of the plug.

The deck plug being CNC milled for the final shape.	The finished PStar mold being removed from the plug.
return to top Molds There are three primary molds that make up the boat; the hull, the deck and the cockpit liner. Each piece is CNC milled to fit precisely with the other to ensure better quality and bonding. A better fit and bond means greater stiffness in the hull generating more consistent speed on the water.

The finished P light hull mold on its cradle.	The finished deck mold.

Cockpit mold.	CNC milled rudder mold.
The rudder and skeg are constructed from molds CNC milled out of aluminum blocks forming perfectly symmetrical foils. Sandwich construction allows us to control the strength and weight of the rudder and skeg.

CNC milled aluminum rudder mold.	CNC milled aluminum skeg mold with rudder post.
The keel is CNC milled using the finest grade of steel available. The higher the grade of steel the less flex there is under the loads of healing. Each component is built using the finest materials and cores, baked and painted in state of the art controlled finishing environments.

return to top Process PStars are built from the outside in, using vacuum bagging sandwich construction. The three primary molds, hull, deck and cockpit are all finished with an outside laminate and an inside laminate sandwiching the foam core. The laminates are unidirectional S-Glass and E-Glass and are applied wet and vacuum bagged, then baked up to 150 degrees. Unidirectional cloths are cloths that have fibers running all the way through the boat in one line. S-glass is the latest development in laminate cloth with greater stiffness and impact resistance than other laminates. Vacuum bagging is a process used to compress the fiber and suck any air out of the laminate to ensure optimal mechanical properties. Together the extreme heat and vacuum pressure enures the ideal strength to weight ratios.

Awlgrip 545 Epoxy primer being applied to the mold	545 Epoxy primer helps release the hull from the mold when the process is complete.

Outside laminate being laid in mold.	The outside laminate with the vacuum bag being pushed into the oven for curing.

Outside laminate of the cockpit being vacuum bagged and baked.
The core is special foam manufactured by Gurit called Corecell™. The core is precisely fitted into the hull mold in between the inside and outside laminates forming a sandwich. Cores in sandwich construction are specified by designers and architects to increase stiffness and reduce the weight of a composite structure. Corecell™ is the leading structural foam core material, which has become widely accepted for the construction of large, high performance structures. It is the latest in foam core technology and although originally developed for the marine industry, it is now used in other applications such as wind turbines and subsea vessels. Corecell™ uses SAN polymer base, resulting in unique high toughness and impact resistance characteristics. The foam acts as a 'shock absorber' between the two skins - absorbing the impact without failing, distributing the stresses evenly within the core and, in the case of a boat, ensures it remains watertight even after high point impacts. Corecell™ foams provide low weight, excellent stiffness, and structural integrity under dynamic loads. They have high shear elongation and retain their mechanical properties even in the higher ambient temperature range. The insulation values are constant over time due to controlled, CFC-free foaming process.

Corecell foam panels prepared to be attached to the hull.	Corecell foam core panels being fitted into hull.

Foam core is hand shaped to insure a perfect fit.	Core is vacuum bagged and baked in oven to cure.
The lamination process is time consuming as every step is measured and weighed. When complete a PStar with all her parts has been vacuum bagged and oven baked nearly one dozen times. After each layer is applied the boat is weighed to keep accurate track of the hull weight. Hundreds of man hours are invested into the construction of each PStar.

The final laminate is being applied to the hull mold.	Digital scale used to weigh the hull and mold after each application.
return to top Assembly The bulkheads, cockpit, and deck are all attached to the hull, while the hull sits in the mold. Each piece fits precisley together and is bonded with Spabond bonding agent. The flanges molded into hull molds ensures maximum bond and stiffness. First the cocpit mold is fitted into the hull. The bulkheads, drainage tubes, bow hardware and whisker pole hold are all added next. The deck is the last component added to the hull while it sits in the mold. The complete hull is then lifted out of the mold and fitted with the keel, skeg and rudder.

The cockpit mold is carefully put into place and glued to the hull.	The bulkheads, rigging tubing, and whisker pole tube are installed.

The whisker pole tube in the back of the cockpit.	The deck installed and bonded to the hull.

The hull is lifted out of the mold.	The hull is placed on a cradle for inspection.

The hull is flipped upside down and the keel is fitted into place.	The skeg and rudder are also fitted and faired while the boat rests upside down.

Boat is prepared to be outfitted with hardware.	Harken hardware being fitted to deck.
return to top Measurement The final step in the build process is the measurement. Each boat is lifted onto a specially made keel cradle, leveled, squared and placed into the measurement grid to be measured. The grid only further proves the perfect symmetry in each boat we build.

return to top The Facility In August of 2009, PStar production moved to the North American Sailing Center in Richland, Michigan. World renowned boat builder Andrew Lowe was brought in to help construct and lay out the workshop. Everything in the shop is new and installed exclusively for the production of the PStar. The shop was built to be a virtually dust-free, temperature-controlled environment. The spray booth and autoclave heater are the jewel of the workshop.

North American Sailing Center — Richland, MI .	Office at the World Headquarters.

Production shop tool storage area.	Lamination room with spray booth and autoclave heater.

Lamination and assembly room.	Paint booth with Autoclave heater.

Resin mixing room.	Mixing room with resin dispensers and scale.
return to top Results In three years’ existence, a PStar has finished in the top 10 in every major regatta she has sailed in.
• 2007 Bacardi Cup — 5th • 2007 Europeans Springs — 2nd • 2007 Kiel Week — 4th • 2007 Worlds — 7th	• 2008 Worlds Miami — 5th • 2009 MOCR — 4th • 2009 Bacardi Cup — 6th & 9th • 2009 North American Championships — 2nd
return to top Magazine Articles Starting Line Seahorse Magazine — “Upping the Stakes” Testimonials I am finally back from Lauderdale and couldn't have been more pleased with how the sail testing session went with the two "slow Folli stars" and how impressed I was with the PStar’s superior performance. I can't thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to experience and appreciate the performance of the PStar firsthand. I knew it was good, but didn't know it also had another gear upwind. The helm is light and balanced, the boat accelerates better, and has a better top speed. This boat can certainly up everyone's game that races it. The added benefits to the downwind speed I had heard about, was the upwind speed edge as well in all conditions and sea states. I also liked the extra room for the helmsman with the console further forward. I could actually tack without my back hitting the tiller (huge upgrade). Jud Smith, Doyle Sails Salem, Massachusetts, USA Jon VanderMolen is very fast, especially downwind. He is using a new boat called a "PStar" built by Mark Pickel of Germany. This boat seems to be real fast. Jon must be sailing well too but he did go by us downwind like we were in a Snipe. Paul Cayard USA Bacardi Cup Report; Wednesday, March 11, 2009 Tyler Bjorn and I chartered a PStar for the 2009 North American Championships where we finished 2nd. As a relative novice in the Star with little to compare it to I found the boat extremely easy to sail, the controls were smartly laid out and the boat was stunningly fast downwind. Truly turnkey sailing!! Richard Clarke Canada I have sailed Stars for 25 years. I am one who always wants to have the next best thing to sail, and have tried every brand of Stars. Every time I would get a new boat I would expect my results to improve. 14 new boats later I began to realize that it’s the guy driving the boat that makes the biggest difference, until I got a PStar. The first time I sailed a PStar my results improved. I now enjoy success at a very high level for a Club level sailor. The PStar is the first boat that has directly impacted my results. The downwind speed is breakthrough, we sail by others like they are towing a bucket. I recommend the PStar to anyone who wants to improve their results. Jon VanderMolen USA The PStar is a dream to sail. The feel in the tiller is north of expected. It is clearly an advantage to whomever sails this yacht. The construction is clearly at a higher level. Downwind, it is scary good! The control layout is new age. The best. Larry Whipple USA I have been lucky enough to sail the PStar as both a skipper and a crew and I can say that without a doubt the boat just works. In my first ever time driving the boat in a race Skip Dieball and I led the fleet to the top mark in race one of the Miami OCR. In multiple other races in Miami OCR we would regularly pass 5-10 boats on a run. Crewing for Jon Vandermolen in the Bacardi Cup and leading midway through the week was a high point of my sailing last season, finishing 6th overall was way beyond our expectations. Having spent the better part of 10 years sailing Finns my weakness was always my off the wind speed. Now I know that what I really needed to do was switch classes and get a PStar. It took me a long time to make it into a medal race at a grade one Olympic class event. It just happened to be the first one I sailed in a Star. I have found my new favorite boat! Geoff Ewenson USA Bacardi Cup 2009 was my first opportunity to hang over the side of a P-Star. After 4 yrs in a Folli I immediately sensed a difference with the way the P-Star went through the water...smooth. I sailed with a quality sailor, albeit beginner to the Star class, and we managed some top 10 races during that event. When preparing for the 2009 North Americans with Richard Clarke I knew I wanted to use a P-Star. We experienced all types of conditions and I can say without a doubt we had GREAT speed downwind. I am convinced the P-Star is superior and look forward to competing in one for the 2010 season. Tyler Bjorn Canada 2nd 2009 North Americans return to top