JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #52 - October 2009 - 55

quality boats. Since the boat was the only one being built and we had a given budget, we chose to invest more in the boat construction and the mast than in the moulds. Due to the boat’s shape with a reverse bow, we had to create two male mould halves with a vertical symmetrical axis. So we ended up with a half-hull with a half-deck, like we do for large multihulls. The mould halves are made of Teflon®coated laminated plywood. This is a cheap solution that has been used widely to make America Class boats in AngloSaxon countries. For the hull, we used carbon tapes and 120°C-curing prepreg fabrics. All structures are sandwich construction, mostly with Nomex core, except for the bow under the water line, where PVC foam was used for its resistance to the impact of waves. This made construction more complicated, because we are used to curing several times to enhance our control over the quality of the honeycomb bonding. We always cure under vacuum at 120°C in ovens that are designed specifically for curing extralarge parts up to 50 metres long. Once the different elements have been created, we go on to the assembly stage. For this, we use ±45° fabrics and vacuum. This is a lengthy stage, because working inside the boat is not easy. The last stage consists in fitting out the boat and painting it. Jacky Setton chose a satinfinish lacquer that is a bit unusual on boats, but which gives a beautiful effect in the water. Quality control tests are conducted at all stages of construction, of course. JCM: There were two sets of trials, one at Vannes and the other at SaintTropez. What were the results? G. O.: Sailing trials are an excellent way to test the performance of our boats, so first we launched Ciao Gianni in front of our yard at Vannes and sailed in the Bay of Quiberon for several days in different wind conditions to test all the boat’s functions. After these trials, we took the keel and mast apart so that we could transport the boat down to the Mediterranean on two trucks. At Cogolin, we reassembled the boat parts (keel, mast, rigging, sail) to do a new set of tests in the Bay of St.Tropez. In principle, it’s fairly simple. In practice, however, since we’re talking about a big boat (60’), it’s not all that easy to put parts that large and that heavy together. Handling all that requires time and experienced people. Everything went very well, and the boat is a success. Its windward ability is incredible – nearly 10 knots close-hauled, with a 22° windward angle. Only America Class craft do better. activities do have in common is the processing of extra-large, mostly carbon/epoxy composite parts. But we aren’t neglecting our initial business. Following the June launching of the 60’ monohull Ciao Gianni, we will be launching another 60 footer, Ourson Rapide. Ciao Gianni is a "day sailor", but Ourson Rapide is designed for fast longdistance cruising. It is actually an allcarbon adaptation of a Vendée Globe 60 footer, with fairly luxurious onboard comfort. Fig. 6: Receiver cabin (ALMA project). Fig. 5: Length 18.28 m, width 3.65 m, displacement 9 metric tons, sail area 180 m², draught 3.80 m. Fig. 4: Assembled hull. JCM: Can you tell us about Multiplast’s future projects in the marine and industrial sectors? G. O.: Multiplast started diversifying its activities about ten years ago, and now industrial parts account for about half our business. Multiplast builds radio telescope control rooms for the ALMA project, which is one of the largest scientific programmes today. We also make carbon spheres 8 metres in diameter for a helicopter flight simulation programme, and we work with Airbus on prototype parts. This business gets much less media attention than boat construction. What the two The two activities are complementary, and that is always very interesting! We have a number of boating and industrial projects in mind, but in general we only communicate on deeds! We can tell you more when the projects are underway in our shops. All we can say is that we are very interested in offshore wind energy, which in fact combines our two fields, industrial and marine. Contact: multiplast@wanadoo.fr More information: www.multiplast.eu No52 October 2009 / jec composites magazine

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #52 - October 2009

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