Team Malizia: Lighter, narrower, faster – Boris Herrmann’s new IMOCA rocket

Monday morning, 7.38 am in Lorient. The early bird catches the worm. Team Malizia’s new IMOCA rocket is experiencing its first encounter with its element. After two years of construction, the black-and-red hull touches the glistening waters of the Keroman harbour basin, right next to the CDK Technologies shipyard. It was here that the boat was built for the next major chapter in the history of the team founded by Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi. This is where the journey begins, one that is set to take the team to the pinnacle of the world’s most important offshore races.

"I’m proud of the team and the process they went through to build it. The boat is the result." Boris Herrmann

Even in terms of colour, the hull of the new “Malizia 4” differs enormously from its more colourful predecessor, although the sails will later add multicoloured accents once more. Just as much as in its aggressive-looking design, Team Malizia’s new build also stands out from its predecessor, the ‘Malizia – Seaexplorer’, in terms of its specifications: The latest vessel to be completed on the IMOCA circuit is lighter, narrower and faster – at least according to its builders’ calculations.

Team Malizia in the new building: redundancy through intelligence

At 66 feet in length, including the bowsprit (6 feet), the team’s new 18-metre speedster may not differ in length from its predecessor, but it is significantly narrower. Although the team has not provided an exact measurement, it is a fact that the new boat is around one metre narrower than ‘Malizia 3’, which, at 5.85 metres, was at the maximum limit when it was launched on 19 July 2022.

This is more than just a bit of a diet. It’s a commitment. It also reflects the new ethos of lightness that has guided the construction of ‘Malizia 4’ like a mantra. “We believe it’s currently the narrowest IMOCA. I still need to compare it with ‘Charal 2’,” says Technical Director Pierre-François “Pifou” Dargnies. Boris Herrmann explains the process of weight reduction with a question that has driven both the team and himself: “How can we achieve redundancy through intelligence?” And he adds with a smile: “To find simple solutions, you have to think much longer than simply bolting something extra on.”

The team has not disclosed the total weight of the new boat. However, Boris Herrmann does say this much: “It’s a bit lighter than ‘Malizia 3’, but not by much.” Some components are heavier. “The foils are heavier, the mast is heavier. That’s the V2 mast, the new one-design mast. The rudders are much heavier. The rudder shoes are heavier,” says Boris Herrmann. And he adds: “The hull ought to be a bit lighter, even though you can’t really reduce the weight that much, simply because of the whole structure. And we have more bulkheads than on the old boat.”

Spartan efficiency on “Malizia 4”

The cockpit of the “Malizia 4” is less than a third the size of the spacious work area on the “Malizia 3”. The comfortable headroom of the “Malizia – Seaexplorer” is a thing of the past. Now, efficiency dictates the design of this area too. At 1.90 metres tall, Boris Herrmann can only stand upright at the sides. He himself likes the compact new design.

“It’s not too flat for me either. If I stand with my legs nice and wide, lean forward just a little and brace myself against something, then it’s exactly the right height. On the contrary: it’s better that it’s flat. If you’re standing there with your hands braced and still have ten centimetres of space above your head, you can’t really see out properly. Now I can see out clearly,” says Boris Herrmann.

From the outside, the ‘Malizia 4’ deckhouse looks slightly less aerodynamic than the gently curved and arched design by DMG Mori, which would probably perform better in a wind tunnel. However, due to the more material-intensive manufacturing process involved, the DMG Mori curvature also adds more weight than the ‘Malizia 4’ design.

The formula for success: less weight, more power

Dargnies explains: “You may have wondered whether we had aerodynamics in mind when designing our boat. But when I saw their boat, I wondered whether they’d considered the weight? That was very important to us! We know that many legs of The Ocean Race end with a five-knot wind over the final few miles. That’s why Boris kept saying: ‘Be careful with the weight!’”

Boris Herrmann remains cautious when comparing the boat to Verdier’s surprisingly radical DMG Mori design: “We’ll see who’s right in the end.” However, the need to save weight has been a constant factor in the ‘Malizia 4’s’ equipment across the board. For example, DMG Mori is using more and larger Air 550 winches, whilst Team Malizia is using Air winches of the Type 300, which are a few kilograms lighter.

“There might only be a few kilos’ difference, but you have to save weight everywhere if you want to end up with a difference of hundreds of kilos,” explains Dargnies. He also refers to relevant experience gained by Boris Herrmann and his team, particularly in the Ocean Race round the world, where many legs featured a photo finish in light winds.

An “inspiring” collaboration with CDK Technologies

More than 150 people were involved in the two-year development process, from the initial idea through to completion. More than 85,000 working hours have gone into the IMOCA with the sail number MON 1297. The result is “Malizia 4”, built by CDK Technologies, with which Boris Herrmann “would like to win The Ocean Race and compete successfully in the 2028/2029 Vendée Globe”.

“The collaboration with CDK was excellent and inspiring,” said Boris Herrmann, summing up the co-production, which involved up to 70 CDK employees and around 25 Malizian staff – including in-house designers – during the construction phase. Together, they brought to life the designs by structural engineer Antoine Koch, Finot-Conq and Gsea Design. And previously, in a different configuration, from the same mould, they had already the sister ship for Thomas Ruyant Racing (TRR) built.

“CDK’s work really consists of the bare carbon fibre hull, the deck, the cockpit floor and the frames. Everything from the hatch cover to the antenna mounts, the seat, the berth, all the systems – where the batteries are fitted, where the motor mount is – all of that is down to the team. And that’s where the differences lie between Thomas Ruyant and us,” says Boris Herrmann about his impressive new racing yacht.

“Malizia 4” is no more expensive than “Malizia 3”

Differences between the first new-build project the 'Three' campaign As for TRR, Team Malizia and Banque Populaire, the teams’ equipment varies accordingly. “We have different batteries, a different engine – they have a diesel engine, we have an electric motor. They use Maritec, we use Pixel.”

The team has not put an exact figure on the cost of the new “Malizia 4”. What Dargnies says, however, is interesting: “The cost of the boat is no higher than that of its predecessor.” There are several reasons for this: the partnership with TRR and Team Banque Populaire – who plan to launch Loïs Berrehar’s third Drilling in early 2027 – has saved all three teams money through the use of the same mould and other joint ventures.

Added to this was the overriding requirement to reduce weight, which led to a rather spartan fit-out compared to the “Malizia – Seaexplorer”. “Pifou” Dargnies explains the basis for the new build: “Our brief was to develop ‘Malizia 4’ so that it is as fast as ‘Malizia – Seaexplorer’ downwind and in stronger winds. And that she is as fast as ‘Macif’ (Ed.: winner of the 2024/2025 Vendée Globe) on calm water and in lighter winds.”

Chief designer Antoine Koch sums up the task even more simply: “The most important requirement for the design of the ‘Malizia 4’ was versatility.” This was the key aspect, particularly with a view to The Ocean Race next year. “If you dig a bit deeper, you realise that versatility is also about how the boat develops as it progresses,” says Antoine Koch.

Around the world on the slopes in a “motorboat hull”

It is also his way of pointing out that a) it will still take some time before the new car reaches its full potential, b) it is brimming with opportunities for optimisation, and c) it should get faster and faster as its crews – or Boris Herrmann driving solo – gain greater mastery of it. The design and build challenge was to create the ‘jack-of-all-trades’ amidst the constant give-and-take of an IMOCA design and build process. The team behind it believe they have succeeded in doing so with ‘Malizia 4’.

"This boat is expected to sail 10 per cent faster than the previous generation. At a speed of 20 knots, that’s two knots." "Pifou" Dargnies

Dargnies oversaw the entire construction process. “We now had a seasoned team led by ‘Pifou’, who was building his fifth IMOCA with CDK. I had a lot of confidence in that,” says Boris Herrmann. He describes “Malizia 4” as a “huge dinghy” that sails “lighter and more nimbly” than its predecessor. Also striking is the more aggressive-looking “motorboat hull” with a “blade” – as Dargnies describes the hull shape – which Team Malizia has opted for in contrast to the eye-catching bustle of Team DMG Mori’s new IMOCA.

The term ‘motorboat hull’ is not simply a figment of observers’ imaginations, but is listed in the designers’ software with precisely this description as a possible hull shape for IMOCA yachts. Team Malizia has also explored the ‘bustle’ concept from the America’s Cup, which architect Guillaume Verdier has designed for DMG Mori to be flanked by lateral water ballast tanks. However, it was the “Blade” that became part of the hull structure on “Malizia 4”, combined with water ballast tanks at the bow and stern.

“This boat is a real racing machine”

To this end, V-rudders were chosen – a design already familiar from Sam Manuard’s “Charal 2”. The idea for the rudders, however, came at the time from Nicholas Andrieux of the Charal Sailing Team. Manuard and the team then went on to refine them further with ‘foil guru’ Martin Fischer. The design remains relevant today. In this configuration, the rudders are highly versatile: they help with trim but can also influence foiling performance.

The “Malizia 4” mast from Lorima – the exclusive mast manufacturer for the IMOCA class – weighs 320 kilograms “bare” and is reinforced with more carbon fibre on the sides than the previous generation of masts for IMOCAs. The finished rig weighs 540 kilograms. The mast measures 27 metres from the deck to the top. From the waterline upwards, it measures 28.5 metres.

“This boat is a real racing machine,” says Will Harris, co-skipper and a key figure in Boris Herrmann’s project. Everyone knows that over the coming weeks and months they will have to navigate a steep learning curve to get to grips with the new queen of the Malizia racing team and then, bit by bit, draw out her full potential.