Details in place for 38th America’s Cup

(September 11, 2025) – The AC75 Class Rules and Technical Regulations have been confirmed for the 38th America’s Cup to be held in the spring and summer of 2027 in Naples, Italy. With a focus on cost containment, these documents follow the release of the Protocol on August 12. 2025.

Aside from the New Zealand Defender and British Challenger of Record, no additional challenges have been announced.

A prominent decision was to race with hulls from the 37th America’s Cup (or modified from the 2021, AC36 versions). What was recognized in detailed analysis was that the hulls themselves represented only minimal advantages, barely recognizable in practice.

“All of the gains were in foils and systems; therefore it made absolute sense to concentrate design time into those areas of development and re-use the hulls,” reports the Defender and Challenger of Record. “Another big change will come in the electronic management systems, now that cyclors have been outlawed, but the result will be even closer racing and a sustainable event overall.”

A strict criteria has been implemented with regards to componentry whilst radically changing the internal structure of the yachts by eliminating cyclors in favor of stored energy.

Key points of the new Class Rules and Technical Regulations:

AC75 CLASS RULES
• Each AC75 will have five dedicated crew members with at least one female sailor required to be onboard as part of the crew.
• A ‘Guest Racer’ cockpit will be implemented, allowing for a non-team member to sail onboard an AC75 during racing – truly the most coveted seat in sailing and a first since the ‘18th person’ guest place used last in the 2007 America’s Cup on the IACC Version 5 boats in Valencia.
• Joint Recon is back with self-declared Observation Days for each competitor. One Design AC40 training is not expected to be covered, but once the AC75s can return to the water from January 15th 2026, the recon program will be in full swing.
• eChase boats powered by batteries, hydrogen or biofuels to be used by all teams, with a minimum length overall of 10m, a minimum top speed of 35 knots and a range capability of 75 nautical miles.
• The specification of a one‐design battery unit that will, when combined, form the primary battery bank that will control all moveable parts on the AC75 will be published in due course.

To read AC75 Class Rules, click here.

TECHNICAL REGULATIONS
• Legacy hulls can be derived from either AC37 or AC36 with more tolerance for the adaptation of AC36 hulls from 2021.
• Three legacy foil wings from AC37 can be adapted by up to 20% within tight parameters, and teams are allowed to build a total of three new foil wings, again within set parameters.
• Three legacy foil flaps again can be adapted by 20% and the teams can build a total of five new foil flaps for AC38.
• The one-design foil arm stocks that have remained unchanged since the genesis of the AC75 Class will be re-used in AC38.
• No new masts allowed for the teams that built two masts in AC37. Only one team, Orient Express Racing, built just one mast, so they would be allowed to build another within tight parameters and to a similar design for Naples 2027.
• A total of four legacy mainsails and six new mainsails are permitted; each of these can be re-cut an unlimited number of times as long as 85% of the original remains.
• 13 new jib skins are permitted, plus 10 legacy jibs, making a total of 23 overall for the teams – with the same re-cut permissions as the mainsail.
• Only 1 new rudder permitted.
• Minor modifications allowed to hull form – with just 4 square metres of change allowed to the hull structure (not shape) – to allow for changes to internal systems.
• Changes to control systems, hydraulics and electronics are unrestricted, providing they can be fitted into the existing hull forms.

To read Technical Regulations, click here.

With the event details now confirmed, vital decisions will have to be taken in the coming days and weeks that will decide the overall success of individual campaigns.

For the designers, a variety of program avenues will need to be decided in order to modify and enhance the existing yachts. Additionally, the division of the roles amongst the five-person crew could well see a wide variety of interpretation by the teams.

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Details: https://www.americascup.com/

Defender New Zealand and Challenger of Record from Great Britain confirmed the Protocol for the 38th America’s Cup on August 12, 2025. No additional challenge entries have yet been revealed. After the 2024 event, Barcelona, Spain declined hosting another edition, with the venue moved to Naples, Italy . Racing will be in the spring and summer of 2027.

Source: AC38