Multiplast-Groupe Carboman produces the foils for Figaro 3, the first Bénéteau boat to be fitted with these appendages.

____________________________________________________________________

GROUPE BENETEAU, the world leader in the manufacture of cruising boats, has entrusted MULTIPLAST GROUPE CARBOMAN to build the foils for its new monotype in the Figaro Class.

Worldwide request for quotation

In the summer of 2016, Bénéteau Group launched a global  tender call to find a subcontractor able to produce the foils for its new cruising monotype designed by VPLP. The goal was ambitious, because the selected yard will have to produce two foils per week for one year, scrupulously respecting both the monotype design and in a strict economic framework.

Selected a few days before the 2016 Nautic, the knowledge of the company from Vannes, not least the technologies used in wind power by Plastinov (closed mould, resin infusion, etc.), enabled Multiplast to take up the challenge.

Samuel Napoléoni, engineer in charge of the project at Multiplast explains : "A first mould section of about 500 mm was quickly machined in order to carry out the process of validation tests. Each test took a week, we ran the process for a fortnight in order to work any "bugs" out of the construction procedure. At the beginning of the year, our objective was  to make the manufacturing process strong enough to start mass production. In parallel, we produced the moulds and worked on the ergonomics of the workstation. It provided great satisfaction when  at the end of June we took out the first four foils. At that time, we knew that we were on the right path."

Launch of the Maxi trimaran Edmond de Rothschild after 20 months of construction at Multiplast - Groupe Carboman

____________________________________________________________________

It was at 5AM Monday morning (17/07) that Multiplast's assembly hall doors finally opened to allow the launch of the Maxi trimaran Edmond de Rothschild. At 32 metres long and 23 metres wide, the boat, suspended by a crane 10 metres up, didn't go unnoticed...

Concentred innovation

Multiplast teams had the opportunity to build a boat that was highly refined in its design. The Gitana design team and Guillaume Verdier have, in particular, developed the flight capabilities, the optimisation of the composite structure, the control systems and the reduction of the aerodynamic drag of this multihull. This giant is the first ocean trimaran designed specifically to navigate completly on its foils, rudders and center board. Until now, these appendages served only to relieve the platform; today, a new threshold in boat design has been crossed.

In terms of innovation, for the first time, Multiplast had the opportunity to produce the maxi multihull arms in the giant autoclave at the Airbus plant in Nantes. Asked by Guillaume Verdier, the architect, Multiplast's links with the world of aeronautics made possible to propose to Gitana the processes and industrial methods usually reserved for the manufacture of the Airbus A350.

20 months to build

The Maxi trimaran Edmond de Rothschild was born thanks to the close cooperation between the client and the teams at the construction site in Vannes. In total some 170,000 hours of work were required to carry out the build for this 20-month project. For the 70 Multiplast employees, divided into eight teams, this project represented some 96 000 hours of work (excluding the toolings)

Multiplast boats on all fronts

____________________________________________________________________

After the recent records achieved by Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim) and Francis Joyon (Idec Sport) , Multiplast multihulls are once again under the spotlight.

Bermuda, Saint-Nazaire, and New-York : so many playing fields for our multihulls to race at the highest level and to the great joy of their teams. 

26th of May : America's Cup racing start for Groupama Team France

Flash Back : In January, Franck Cammas's AC50 , just out of the Groupe Carboman facility (Décision in Switzerland and Multiplast in France) was sent to Bermuda where the Groupama Team France technicians worked hard to integrate all of the hydraulic and electrical systems necessary to accommodate the control systems for the wing, foils, and rudders.

Yann Penfornis, Managing Director of Multiplast declared : "It is an immense task when confronted with teams whose budgets are from two to eight times size of the French team's budget, some of whom have been involved in the America's Cup for more than 20 years. Rather than being discouraged, this situation provides an additional source of motivation for the Groupe Carboman technicians! As much for Décision S.A. where elements were built, as for Multiplast where they were assembled, our teams have worked closely with Franck Cammas's team to launch an AC50 which our technicians can be proud of".

Up until the end of April, whilst the team trained on board, our technicians in Vannes built increasingly optimised and lightweight aerodynamic elements to contribute to increasing the lift of the plateform at speeds frequenty superior to 40 knots, using plans generated by Groupama Team France engineers over Bermuda.

Now it is time for racing, with a first head to head with Oracle Team USA, the title holder, on Friday th 26th of May.