JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #109 - November/December 2016 - 53

marine SOLUTIONS

Composite materials make
ultra-lightweight catamaran possible
Evonik Industries and TeamGaebler teamed up to build a high-tech foiling
catamaran using innovative composite solutions. The first prototype will be
built during summer 2016 and should be finished by October, ready to take
part in regattas and professional sailboat racing series.

T

he result of this partnership is the SpeedFoiler™ sailboat, and
one of the promises coming
out of it is that the catamaran will be able to "fly" over
the water. This will be made
possible thanks to the use of
hydrofoils (wing-like foils
mounted under the hull) and
extremely lightweight parts
made of composite materials.

A profitable partnership
TeamGaebler
is
partly
formed of Roland Gaebler, an
Olympic medallist and tentime world champion, and
Nahid Gaebler. Collaborating with a leading specialty
chemicals company like Evonik Industries seemed logical in light of the project's
goal: to design and build an
incredibly lightweight racing
catamaran. Roland Gaebler
expects great results:
"Evonik is an expert when it
comes to lightweight solutions
and thus an absolute dream
partner for us", as does head
of Business Development Dr.

Hans Görlitzer: "For us, the
SpeedFoiler™ is an excellent
project to illustrate our expertise as a solutions provider for
composites and it shows how
the results can be transferred
to other industries".

For professionals
and amateurs alike
TeamGaebler's main goal
was to design and build a
boat that not only would
be as light as possible in order to obtain the best performance, but would also
be stable enough to be used
both by professionals and
amateurs. Using the properties of composite materials was the next logical
step, and thanks to Evonik's broad choice of composites, raw materials and process know-how, the dream

The SpeedFoiler™ will take part in the FoilingWorldCup™, a race showcasing the
world's most innovative boats

is now becoming a reality.
The SpeedFoiler™ has the
dimensions of a C-class multihull (a high-performance
sailing catamaran using rigid wing sails): 7.62 m in
length and 4.26 m wide. The
mast height is 12 m and the
sail area ranges from 90 to
28 square metres depending

on the strength of the wind.
The extreme lightweight and
innovative designs of the
sails and hull make the
SpeedFoiler™ a very promising project that is already
gaining interest from worldclass sailors.
More information:
http://composites.evonik.com

Focus
Evonik Industries manufactures a range of products that can be found in almost all components of fibre-reinforced composites, supplying core materials for sandwich construction, thermoplastic and thermosetting
resin matrices, as well as essential components for matrices such as crosslinkers, catalysts, impact strength
modifiers or processing and process additives. The company's dedication to fibre-reinforced composites is
proven by the establishment of the Composites Project House, a highly specialized research centre. Inside
this think tank, scientists are working close to the market on the products and processes for tomorrow's
world where manufacturing fibre-reinforced composites will play a significant role.
Interdisciplinary cooperation between chemists, engineers and technicians from different sectors and industries fosters a creative climate where highly efficient, energy-saving manufacturing processes are being
developed to support the use of renewable raw materials.

No109 November-December 2016

/ jec composites magazine

53
http://composites.evonik.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #109 - November/December 2016
