THE DESIGNERS OF "PROJECT Z"

In 1994, Steve Gladstone and Eric Goetz approached renowned marine architect Jim Taylor about helping them to further develop a revolutionary new racing shell and hull design. Taylor had been intimately involved in America’s Cup competition, designing five yachts, including two winners. He was immediately sold on the challenge. The three dubbed their top secret undertaking “Project Z,” and the Resolute brand was born.



Relying heavily on Gladstone and his collegiate rowers for feedback on the “human elements”—ergonomics, leverage angles, and rowability—Taylor achieved remarkable breakthroughs in the design of the interior and fittings. At the same time, Taylor and Goetz combined their knowledge of racing hulls, hydrodynamics, and pre-preg carbon to completely reshape the exterior of the hull, dramatically increasing stiffness and decreasing drag-inducing wetted surface without sacrificing the balance essential for reliable rowability.

Dirk Kramers, an ingenious marine engineer who had worked with Taylor on several America’s Cup yachts, was contracted to expertly engineer Taylor’s and Goetz’s breakthroughs into a monocoque hull that eliminated the need for secondary bonded parts. This modification further increased the hull’s durability and rigidity. The new “Z” hull instantly advanced to the sport’s cutting edge, where it began a complete revolution in shell technology and transformed the sport of rowing. It was and is the “One.”