We’ve got it covered
Persico Marine is in the throes of delivering everything from a new Imoca for brilliant skipper Paul Meilhat to the first batch of Persico FLY40s which will mark the debut of the large foiling one design
Development classes have always and always will be a place for innovation in our sport. For far too many years it has felt like the top end of yacht engineering was an area limited to refinement of established practices. But there is a point where the level of refinement in itself is a revolution. The current development classes of main focus in our sport are Imoca and AC75. Persico Marine is currently working hard at balancing the calendar of these two classes, as well as some intriguing in-house developments, to ensure that the company is centre stage for all that the classes and their designers and teams can come up with.
The AC75 build is still some way into the future. But the planning is well established with Luna Rossa Challenge. Persico Marine was heavily involved with the first outing of these machines, with the contract to build all of the supplied foil arms to the strictest of tolerances, as well as the first two Luna Rossa designs to meet the new class rules. There is much talk about the new developments from the defender requiring challenging teams to compete in the AC40 in events and training prior to AC37. However, the management of Persico Marine has seen, through the now well- established Persico 69F fleet, that the interest for racing fully foiling machines goes way beyond the rare atmosphere of the America’s Cup, and has had the development of the Persico FLY40 ticking along for quite some time now.
It is important to now see the Persico FLY40 as the standalone development that it is. It is not intended as a rival to the AC class, but as a class very specifically aimed at the owners and teams who want to race these machines rather than watch them race. As you would expect from a company seated in the foothills of northern Italy, a lot of thought has gone into the styling, with Pininfarina being a partner in the project and developing the look of the fleet. This is further enhanced with the enthusiastic involvement of Peter Harrison, CEO of the Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille and the palpable excitement of Pierre Casiraghi, Yacht Club de Monaco’s vice-president, who are both eagerly awaiting getting their hands on the wheel. The focus here is very clearly on being a step up in size and speed from the Persico 69F.
Here is where the Persico Marine experience comes into its own. The idea is not just to create a strict one-design, but a management structure for the class, circuit and maintenance of these complex machines. Persico Marine knows full well that the learning curve is still steep for this style of sailing. If the maintenance and servicing of the fleet can be centrally managed, it allows owners to focus on getting out racing and helming their steeds, not watching them from a tender. This means that resources can be pooled and costs controlled as we saw in the VO65 fleet, which Persico Marine was also heavily involved with. But none of this takes away from the fact that the engineering of these yachts has to be precise.
Below: the same concept has now been scaled up for the FLY40 – a big step up in size, speed and technical complexity – with logistics, maintenance and events management included in the package
Traditionally, if you wanted to make sure that something was strong enough, you engineered it to what you expected to be the maximum loads, then added a bit. More weight, but necessary. This extra was there to compensate for not only the unexpected, but also any imperfections in build and calculation. Now yachts are flying, the extra weight is no longer an acceptable value in the equation. So, the alternative is precise engineering and perfection in manufacturing. Here Persico Marine has made huge strides in recent years, seeing the developments occurring elsewhere within the Persico Group. If you want consistency and tight tolerances, it can only be achieved through striving for perfection. If one part of the structure needs adjustment to fit, then the same has to be done for all of the builds. Much better to get it right and accurate first time, and stick to that.
Now, looking at the far more mature class that is the Imoca 60, this is a class that dipped its toes in the water with foils when the idea of a flying monohull was little more than science fiction. The initial development was an addition to the existing platforms, with little full understanding of the increased loads that the hull and structure would be asked to cope with, particularly as the foils got bigger and bigger. Whilst structural failure in the class 12 years ago was a pain, and often resolvable through a chat on the phone between the sailor and the engineer, finding a makeshift repair from what was on board, the refinement of the engineering over recent years has meant that often what may appear to be a small structural issue can actually be a fundamental show stopper for a campaign. As such, again, quality, consistency and a full knowledge of the accuracy of build becomes the focus. For Persico Marine, this was shown to a large extent with the last Imoca to come out of the Nembro yard doors, LinkedOut. The Verdier design that started life as the Volvo Super 60 was soon developed into the racing steed for Thomas Ruyant, who, along with Morgan Lagravière, stormed to victory in the 2021 Transat Jaques Vabre. In a class so closely fought and with such great names on the start line, this comprehensive victory was only possible because the team could press and press, knowing that they had full trust in the yacht.
Above and below: Paul Meilhat’s is one of two Imoca 60s in build at Persico’s Nembro yard. While some components are now built by robots to a higher specification than any human could achieve, skilled composite laminators still play a crucial role in Persico’s raceboat production
Persico Marine is now in the final stages of assembling Biotherm, a near sistership to LinkedOut, using the same, slightly modified tools and the same meticulous approach. Persico Marine are very proud to be working with Biotherm and reusing the tooling as far as possible, with the approach of refining even further what has been learned to date with this evolving design. As with the Persico FLY40, the Imoca builds today cannot afford to carry around extra weight as a backup. Engineering has to be precise, with a true knowledge of the limits and the build has to meet the engineering precisely. The Imoca class has even given specific permission for Persico Marine to manufacture components using a robot with lighter weight laminates than normally permitted within the class. With precision in mind, the robot is far better suited to laying down multiple layers of lower weight tapes than the normal hand-laying methods. Thus, and since it doesn’t take coffee breaks, it can efficiently and accurately lay the fibres exactly where needed and in less time than it would take a highly skilled team to do so with the normal heavier fibres that the class rules envisaged.
In theory there is no performance advantage as the same total weight is needed in any one direction to replicate a 300gsm unidirectional laminate. But as the robot completes this in two layers of 150gsm material, the precision is where the benefit is truly seen. And the robot really comes into its own when manufacturing the structures for the foils. Where hundreds of layers of unidirectional fibres are needed to all follow in exacting paths, what better way to ensure accuracy and no distraction than through a robot?
Interestingly, Persico Marine is also applying itself to what might be considered a more traditional Imoca. During the previous Vendée Globe, many were surprised to see Jean Le Cam maintaining his position and nearly getting onto the podium with a non-foil assisted, older design. The theory being that higher top speed will never beat higher average speed around the planet. Jean demonstrated this well. But many were left asking “what could he do with a current generation version of the same idea?” Persico Marine is currently completing the tooling for a boat to answer just this question.
With Jean Le Cam firmly behind the project and a hope to build multiple boats from the same tool, Persico Marine is at the heart of answering whether simplicity, when pushed to the same levels of accuracy and quality of build as the high fliers, can beat them at their own game. Maybe the latest weather models will help or hinder. But the one certainty is that the theory will be put to the test without the normal caveat of it being a second-tier campaign with an inferior boat. The engineering and production will be of the level now expected from Persico Marine, so we will be able to see a true comparison of approaches.
The years of gradual refinement in boatbuilding seem to now be behind us. There is now a revolution in quality that is allowing engineers the freedom to work in a realm that they used only to dream of.
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When time is money
Hexcel’s new range of G-Vent pre-pregs solves many of the biggest challenges for composite yacht and component manufacturers... including allowing a much-accelerated production process
Hexcel is one of the world’s leading carbon fibre suppliers with a multi- billion-dollar annual turnover. Their largest research and technology centre for resin systems and adhesives is at Duxford in Cambridgeshire, UK, with strong links to a number of the UK’s leading universities. The fibre they supply is used extensively within the latest generation America’s Cup and Imoca fleets as well as within the aviation, defence, energy and automotive industries, and naturally when a company with such a reputation says it has developed a game-changing technology, we listen carefully.
Hexcel announced the launch of G-Vent pre-preg in March this year, and instantly solved many of the biggest complicating factors of pre-preg manufacture. An unlimited number of layers of pre-preg can now be laid on top of one another without debulking, and then do not need to be cured in an autoclave. This drastically reduces the build time for thick section carbon fibre components such as foils and opens up the construction of cutting-edge composite parts to the vast majority of boatbuilders without access to a large autoclave. G-Vent also enables the building of huge ultra-high- quality carbon fibre structures that would not be commercially feasible to produce in an autoclave.
G-Vent itself is a microscopically thin layer of material integrated within the pre-preg carbon fibre that acts as a network of pathways to let the material “vent”. As the resin cures, any air trapped inside automatically leaves the composite component via these pathways, leaving a compacted composite component without the use of a high-pressure autoclave or debulking steps. The G-Vent layer weighs between two and six grams per square metre of pre-preg, but it is so efficient at removing air from composite material that the finished product has mechanical properties matching the cutting-edge results produced using traditional carbon fibre pre-pregs with debulking and an autoclave.
Stefano Beltrando is widely recognised as an industry leader in the quality control of composite parts. He is the founder and CEO of QI Composites, leaders in non- destructive-testing (NDT) within the marine industry, and currently quality control manager for the Luna Rossa America’s Cup team. QI Composites carried out independent testing of thick composite components produced using G-Vent, and the results were conclusive.
‘We evaluated the quality of thick laminates produced with G-Vent and found that they are comparable with laminates made in an autoclave as per best practice in the market. Even more impressive, they were achieved with no debulking. We noticed that the void content, compaction and uniformity of samples made with G-vent are comparable with laminates of the same thickness made in an autoclave.’
If the quality of composites produced is impressive for someone working in America’s Cup quality control, then they should be good enough for anyone.
Above: G-Vent is a microscopic- ally thin layer that acts as a network of pathways in the pre-preg material to let it “vent”
Below: G-Vent was developed primarily for commercial shipping wing sails, but racing sailors will see great benefits.
Bottom: G-Vent is equally suitable for thick section parts
The construction of composite parts by wet lay-up, where a resin is rolled onto some fibre in the same way you might paint a wall, is simple enough to be done in the garden shed but will lead to high void content and also a low fibre volume fraction (meaning there is less structurally important fibre and more resin per unit of composite produced).
Building composite parts via infusion requires a vacuum pump to suck resin through the fibre and a little more expertise, but is common practice in small boatyards around the world and requires relatively low capital investment. Infusion typically leads to lower void content and higher fibre volume fractions than wet lay-up.
When cutting edge performance is needed, pre-preg fibres are used, delivering remarkably low void content and high fibre volume fractions due to the uniform distribution of resin throughout the fibre. As a result components built with pre-preg can be lighter and stiffer and more reliable than those built by any other method.
Unfortunately, when it comes to practicality and ease of manufacture pre-preg starts to get more complicated. First of all the fibre is pre-impregnated with a precise amount of resin in the factory, but it must then be kept refrigerated until it is used, to stop it curing. Secondly, debulking (a process in which air is sucked out of the composite part via a vacuum) is typically needed after every two layers of fibre are laid. Thirdly, composite laminates which are more than a few millimetres in thickness are best cured in an autoclave at high temperature and high pressure.
The debulking process is laborious, leading to both extra cost and very long lead times for thick composite parts that may be hundreds of layers thick. Autoclaves large enough to fit boats or superyacht masts inside are extremely expensive bits of kit that even some of the performance sailing industry’s biggest players struggle to justify financially. The closest available autoclave might be a very long way from where you want your large composite object to end up, leading to substantial delivery costs. As a result, constructing a boat in pre-preg can be prohibitively expensive for most of us and even in the America’s Cup world when budgets may be less constrained, the lead time needed to produce a new foil design has a direct impact on the entire development programme. G-Vent pre-preg technology can be used to produce complete components or combined with standard pre-pregs and used in thicker parts of a component, and it appears to resolve many of these constraints, providing an optimised processing solution for the highest quality thick section composite parts.
Tom James, marine business development manager at Hexcel, highlights that Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) systems are predicted by many to have a huge impact on the shipping industry, and significant research and development funding is available from within the industry and at government level. Many WASP systems, including some being developed by naval architects with America’s Cup wing-sail design experience, use a composite wing- sail which is automatically and autonomously trimmed to provide the amount of power required at any given moment. G-Vent technology has been designed to deliver for this potentially lucrative market, in which the sheer size and potential number of wing-sails needed mean that out- of-autoclave production will very likely become an absolute necessity.
We will all benefit in some way if the shipping industries’ impact on global warming can be limited and we wish them success in this endeavour. If high-quality carbon fibre components become quicker and cheaper to build then it is a relatively unimportant side product of such development, but one which many Seahorse readers will very much be looking forward to!
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Tailored solution
Improved hiking is perhaps the biggest single key to improving Laser/ ILCA sailor performance. Musto have tackled the task head-on with specific and focussed innovations
It is a fact that a large part of the global popularity of the ILCA, (formerly known as the Laser), comes down to a design that pits sailor against sailor in identical boats. But among those that compete in this class at the highest level, it is also common knowledge that modern technology can and does make a significant difference. For Musto it is the combination of these two key factors that is at the heart of what could be one of the biggest potential advances for ILCA sailors.
For all the close scrutiny of minute details that is required to get to and stay at the top, there is one unavoidable hard and fast rule to improving performance in this class – hiking harder and for longer makes you go faster.
This is of course true in any boat where hiking is allowed, but in the ILCA hiking hurts more than most thanks to side decks that have the ergonomics of a domestic ironing board, which, given its padding, is probably more comfortable. When the breeze gets up, some even refer to the ILCA as an instrument of torture. Yet love it or loathe it, the fact remains that ILCA-induced pain is the same for everyone.
But Musto and the British Sailing Team believed that this didn’t have to be the case and that even in a class that is so strictly controlled, there was room and opportunity to create a legal advantage through helping sailors to generate more righting moment by hiking harder.
‘When I joined Musto it became clear, very quickly that hiking pants are not something you can design and prototype within a few weeks before going into production,’ said Hugh Brayshaw, Musto’s marketing product manager.
‘The partnership with the British team, who played an essential part in the development of these pants, started in 2018 although the original development began even earlier than that. So, it’s been a long road to this point but one that has delivered a product that is now proving itself on the race course.’
The recent Princesa Sofia Trophy in Mallorca, Spain provided strong evidence following Micky Beckett’s impressive victory in the ILCA 7 fleet in what was a consistently breezy regatta. Beckett is one of a select group of sailors that have been working with Musto on the hiking pants and for him, the starting point is clear.
‘Success in the ILCA comes down to getting the fundamentals right,’ he said. ‘This is a class that is not evolving on the technical front like, say, the Moth, so what matters is precision in the small amount of kit that you can change and the precision in your own technique that will get you to the top. And that all takes time.’
In the women’s ILCA6 fleet Hannah Snellgrove came away from Palma with a silver medal and was equally sure about the route to success in this fleet.
‘Today there are different builders of the ILCA and people are talking about investing in trying different boats to see what they're like and what the measurements are. But at the end of the day, yes, there's a bit of a tolerance, but it is a one-design class and if you start in front of people and hike hard, especially if it's breezy, you will win races. So, as Micky says, it is the fundamentals and the basics that make the biggest difference and as soon as it gets over 10 knots, hiking effectively is one of those fundamentals.’
To create hiking pants that could deliver this kind of advantage to the sailors turned out to be a complex affair.
‘We have used six different types of neoprene in the pants which makes it tough when you come to match up the hiking battens because each piece of neoprene stretches in a different way, but you also need to make sure that the battens stay in precisely the same place,’ says Brayshaw. ‘To achieve this the battens are laminated between the neoprene layers and then that panel becomes the seat of the product. On the back of that panel we've got a hard-wearing Kevlar material. Then, on the inside there is a comfortable lining material.
‘Making sure all of this is integrated correctly is especially important for ILCA sailors to ensure that they aren’t catching any bumps or any seams that could restrict movement or rip the pad off the seat.
And there’s more.
Above and below: after four years of intensive development with some of the UK’s top ILCA sailors, Musto’s new hiking pants incorporate six types of neoprene with different stretch characteristics, battens laminated precisely in place, and removable high-density foam padding
‘One aspect of feedback from the sailors was that they wanted to be a little bit higher off the deck so there is the option to fit removable, high density foam internal pads.’ Yet, like many of the top sailors who are focussing on every possible detail that may relate to their performance, Snellgrove also admits to being cautious about change.
‘I’m often nervous about doing anything differently because the margins are that small,’ she says. ‘So, feeling good straight away when you’re trying something different is very encouraging. I’m 6ft 1in so I have always struggled to find hiking pants that fitted properly, but with these I felt I could move more freely straight away.
‘Warmth is also an issue and again these were really good from the off. And if there is one clear visible sign that they are working, it’s that I’m getting a lot fewer bruises than normal. Basically, I tried them for the first time and knew that they would be good without having to engage in any kind of debate.’
British sailor Sam Whaley was also at the event in the ILCA7 fleet and echoes Snellgrove’s views.
‘I have been very impressed with the stretchy material and the ease with which you can put them on,’ he says. ‘Getting hiking pants on can be quite a struggle sometimes and even then, it doesn’t mean that the battens are going to be or stay in the right place.
‘Another detail that I like is that they are actually bit longer than normal. Other hiking pants often stop quite high above your ankle, which means that there's a gap where you can get cuts and bruises. If you're not careful you can get infections here too from the little cuts, so it’s nice to have that protection.’
Allowing for this range of leg lengths and customisation without compromising the durability of the pant required more detail. ‘Some of the ILCA sailors like to wear a high boot and they don't want the wet suit bottom to be overlapping or tucked in,’ says Brayshaw. ‘Our answer was to include stitching bar tacks up the ankle so you can trim the leg down just below the bar tack which will stop the seam from unravelling.’
When it comes to quantifying performance against of a new piece of clothing, in many areas of the sport the judgement will be rather subjective focussing on perhaps on being warmer, drier or able to move more freely. Rarely is it possible to make the direct link between certain wet suit material and a win. Yet, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the ILCA world, where every detail counts, Beckett found no trouble in recounting a recent example as he reflected on this year’s Princesa Sofia Trophy.
‘I was in a qualifying race and I was really focused. I'll admit that during the race I wasn't thinking about hiking development, this only occurred to me in hindsight. But the race was with Matt Wearn, who won the last Olympics. We both got quite a good start, we were first and second and taking lumps out of each other for about 40 minutes the whole way around the course and we had a bit of a gap behind us. It was a proper good dogfight, a proper good race, which I won by about a quarter of a metre in the end. It was a stressful race but I really enjoyed it and I was thinking, it's quite cool to start a development on a piece of race kit five years ago and have been so involved in it and be wearing it in a race that culminated in a win. I’m sure Matt will forget the race fairly quickly, partly because he came second and partly because it was just a qualifying race, but I was happy with that and it’s such a good reminder of how small the margins are, what you need to do to succeed and the need to focus on the fundamentals.’
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Master craftsman
Giuliano Luzzatto talks to Federico Nardi, co-owner of the Cantiere Navale dell’Argentario in Tuscany, arguably the world’s most famous restorers of fine classic yachts and also the shipyard that in the early 1990s started the classics movement itself
In Italy there is a very special shipyard for the restoration of classic yachts, one where Olin Stephens and Doug Peterson felt completely at home and where important owners, such as the patron of Luna Rossa, Patrizio Bertelli, keep and maintain the many vintage boats they collect and aboard which they participate in all the world’s premier classic yacht regattas.
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Neanderthal in a carbon cave
In the end Jean-Pierre Dick did not quite win the Vendée Globe – though he did successfully finish one of his attempts at the race without a keel on his Imoca 60. However, he did win almost everything else before switching to his diverse new career promoting a fabulous inshore foiling class while enjoying a very different kind of world cruiser… Øyvind Bordal sat down with the eclectic and often startlingly open French ocean racer
For some time in France ‘Vendée Globe’ have been the third most searched for words on Google. The sailors of the world’s toughest race are national heroes. Jean-Pierre Dick is a race legend, having competed four times. Meet him here.
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