ASSA ABLOY Uses Unique Female Mould to Build V.O.60
by Simon Keijzer 15 Feb 2001 12:23 GMT
The ASSA ABLOY Racing Team is the only syndicate building its two brand-new Volvo Ocean 60 s using a 'female mould'. This method is believed to give significant performance gains during the Volvo Ocean Race. The two Bruce Farr designed boats are currently being built at Green Marine in
Southampton, South England.
Never before has a one-piece female mould been used in building a custom made VO 60 ocean racer (formerly W60). For the first time ever there will be an existing mould of this kind in the V.O.60 class, as ASSA ABLOY is building its two hulls applying a female mould. This is a standard method
when building large numbers of cruising boats, but using this method for building custom made boats is very unusual.
The traditional method on building these types of boats is using a 'male' plug. A plug is built from wood slightly smaller than the original size of the hull, the boat is then built on top of the plug. In that case the hull is built from the inside to the outside. A disadvantage is to get the
outside layer in the preferred smoothness. It is necessary to fair it very thoroughly and the plug can only be used once.
With the female mould method, a carbon mould is built on top of the male plug. That carbon mould has the exact shape of the boat. The mould is then released and turned. The eventual hull will then be laminated on the inside of this carbon mould. The hull will be built from the outside to the inside. A big advantage is for example that the hull will have its exact shape and smoothness without having to fair it. It is more exact and saves weight in plaster. It is also possible to use the mould again. An other advantage when building two boats with a female mould is that the two hulls will be almost identical.
ASSA ABLOY is dedicated to work hard on every detail to make the boat lighter and faster to win the Volvo Ocean Race. In order to have the best possible preparation the team is building two boats, and due to that, the female mould method becomes more efficient.
"I think most builders of new Volvo Ocean 60s would agree that female moulding should produce a lighter, stiffer, and faster boat. The reason other builders have kept away from use a female mould is because of the inherent problems encountered with pre-preg materials and thermal expansion of the mould. In Green Marine we chose a yard with a record second to none for producing large flawless pre-preg yachts. It is fair to say that we would not have dared to attempt to go this route with any other builder", said Jason Carrington, construction manager and crewmember on ASSA ABLOY for the Volvo Ocean Race. Jason was part of the crew onboard Silk Cut in Whitbread 1997/1998 and on Fortuna in 1993/1994. He was also part of building the Whitbread 60 Intrum Justitia at Green Marine for the Whitbread 1993-1994.
"The method is more complex than the traditional male plug method, but it is more precise. If it is executed properly the female mould method can significantly reduce the weight on the hull shell. The female mould has also provided many advantages we didn't even consider, making it a very desirable method of construction," said Magnus Olsson, technical director of ASSA ABLOY Racing Team. The Swede is one of the most experienced round the world ocean racers, having completed four Whitbread Round the World Races. In the latest race Olsson was crew onboard the winning EF Language. He also has extensive experience in boat building. Olsson and Carrington were already
working together building Intrum Justitia for the 1993-1994 Whitbread.
The hulls are being built at Green Marine's yard in Lymington and the decks have been built with a male mould in Southampton. Both decks are finished and the first hull has just recently been transported to Southampton, where it will be bonded with the deck. Green Marine is well known for the large number of high profile yachts it has build, including the Whitbread 60 'Intrum Justitia', Gianni Agnelli's Frers' 90 'Stealth', and the two 'Prada' boats for the America's Cup 2000.
ASSA ABLOY's official technical partner Semcon brings technological expertise to the project and is working with analytical, calculative and logistic issues during the construction. There are 30 to 40 people involved in the construction of the boats at Green Marine and it will take approximately 18 000 hours to build them. Both boats will be ready to launch in beginning of May.
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