CDK Technologies construct the main elements of the SVR-Lazartigue Trimaran
by CDK Technologies 23 Jul 2021 07:57 BST
CDK Technologies to construct the main elements of the SVR-Lazartigue Trimaran © B-Philippe - CDK Technologies
Boasting over 35 years' experience and leading the way in the offshore racing domain, today CDK Technologies is equipped with the very latest state-of-the-art tooling, enabling the yard to produce high-performance composite parts.
As such, it was only natural that when François Gabart and MerConcept launched this new trimaran project, they decided to call upon the Breton yard's experience and expertise for the manufacture of the boat's main elements, namely the floats, the forward and aft beams and the foils. By taking on the build of the SVR Lazartigue trimaran, these elements are set to be manufactured at the yard's two sites, in Port-la-Forêt and Lorient, which are equipped with some of the largest autoclaves in Europe. Due to launch on Thursday 22 July, this exceptional boat breaks the codes in terms of current technologies and it is no exaggeration to say that she's a machine from a whole other era.
For a great many years, the CDK Technologies yard has been working closely with MerConcept, the offshore racing stable founded by François Gabart, specialising in the management of sports projects, engineering and the construction of race boats. Once again then, it seemed only natural for the two structures to work hand in hand in the design of the SVR-LAZARTIGUE trimaran. "This boat is pretty revolutionary. She's a very distinctive Ultim and it was necessary to adapt and come up with appropriate solutions for this very aggressive and highly innovative design", explains Yann Dollo, Deputy General Manager of CDK Technologies, a structure which has invested over three million euros in the past three years of developing its tools, notably acquiring new means of production such as a machine for cutting out pre-preg materials, a processing machine, as well as the only oven of its kind in Brittany (25x4m), to complement its three large-scale ovens. This extraordinary cooking tool really sets the yard apart from the rest. "Today, we have at our disposal a comprehensive and fairly unique range of tools compared with other European yards currently in existence", explains Yann Dollo, whose team is able to make the most of its assets to offer innovative solutions to François Gabart's team with regards to the trimaran's main elements, such as the floats, forward and aft beams and then the foils.
Extraordinary tooling and unique expertise
"We've manufactured these parts in an autoclave using true expertise, that of Stéphane Digard and Michel Olivier in particular, who are genuine experts in the manufacture of large-scale carbon parts in an autoclave, together with the construction of high-performance composite prototypes", says Yann Dollo. "With the arrival of foils and lifting surfaces on rudders, which are highly complex systems, the massive loads on the structures of the boats means it's important to adapt. This calls for a completely new way of proportioning the floats on the one hand, then the beams on the other. Benefiting from the superior cooking quality of an autoclave when making these large parts is unquestionably a real bonus, which makes this boat all the more special", adds the yard's Deputy Manager, who is convinced that this type of design will gradually become increasingly widespread. "Foils require the quality of the composite on all boats to be stepped up and it's a very similar scenario for the structures of the Ultim trimarans, whose beams must endure huge stresses. The goal is to feel confident about every piece of the jigsaw."
A comprehensive offer, from water to air
A genuine high-tech laboratory split across two sets of infrastructure, a base in Lorient and a base in Port-la-Forêt, the CDK Technologies yard is able to offer an all-round service as a builder, which means it can now considerably flesh out its global provision and, as an indirect result, switch up the scale. "Our investment strategy aims to offer our clients tooling and innovative solutions, which will enable them to satisfy their sporting objectives. Today, we are capable of positioning ourselves across all the high-performance technical parts that make up a race boat. The tooling we have at our disposal, our ability to implement this and our process control means that we are able to offer excellent solutions for industrial parts. We're proud to put our expertise at the service of innovative projects in the marine industry, which directly benefits projects like that of the SVR Lazartigue trimaran."
François Gabart: "It's a great source of pride for me to launch this new SVR-Lazartigue trimaran after several years spent working on her. It's always a great pleasure to rely on the expertise, the experience and all the great energy that colours the teams at CDK. I'd like to thank all those who have participated in this project, from both near and far."
Nicolas de Castro: "Thank you to all the CDK teams for their commitment and the quality of their work on this project. It's been several years that we've been working together and we've developed complete trust and a deep mutual respect in one another over time and from one project to the next."