America’s Cup, “Building the AC75 was a catalyst for skills”.

This article is an excerpt from the Multiplast Groupe Carboman newsletter, which you can find every quarter by subscribing here. In addition to this article, you will find the following contents in this edition:

Construction of the AC75 for the French challenge Orient Express Racing Team was completed at Multiplast at the end of March, after ten months of intense work. How did the yard manage this major project? What were the major challenges? Answers from Samuel Napoleoni, Cup project manager at Multiplast.

Was the hull of the French AC75 delivered on time?

Yes, we even delivered the boat a week ahead of schedule! In detail, we received the hull form drawings with the work order on May 11, 2023, and the composite work was completed on March 22, 2023. The schedule was very ambitious: we had to fit 46,000 hours of work into ten months. By way of comparison, for an Imoca, we’re talking about 36,000 hours spread over 14 months (including molds in both cases). So we had to plan for more hours in less time. We believed in it, but we knew we couldn’t give up. In the end, the challenge was met, thanks to the strong commitment of the teams, who were very much in demand. Everyone understood what was at stake, and a great sense of competition was created. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. There were inevitably minor construction hitches, but everyone played their part to perfection.

How many people were involved at the peak of construction?

Up to 55 people worked in parallel in the workshop. In the design office, up to ten people were involved at the same time, which is unheard of! The peak construction of an Imoca requires a maximum of five people in the design office.

How was the collaboration with the Orient Express Racing Team, who were based on site?

Very well. The teams from the French challenge, led by Antoine Carraz, were there every day, and followed every stage of the build. Everything was fluid and transparent. We worked with an open book, literally and figuratively, and shared all decisions. The Multiplast and Orient Express Racing Team teams were really fused. This close working relationship made things much easier, and enabled us to meet our deadlines.

What were the main challenges during construction?

The main challenge was planning. At first, when you see on the roadmap 50 people working in parallel in the workshop and 10 in the design office, it can seem daunting. We had to coordinate and communicate to get everyone working as efficiently as possible, without wasting time. But having so many people working together on the same project means that everyone can make progress, from the most experienced to the youngest. This construction was a catalyst for skills development. The other major challenge was technical, involving the use of very high-tech materials, such as aluminum honeycomb, which is inevitably more complicated to work with than the Nomex used on our other racing boats. Fortunately, our experience with aeronautical parts using this material made things much easier.