From AC 45 Turbo to AC 50
Constrained by his budget, the French America's Cup challenge had to reuse elements from his AC 45 Turbo, on which he was sailing for the preparatory series, to build the catamaran that will defend the tricolour chances on the America's Cup in Bermuda in May 2017. The preparation of Groupama Team France's new foil yacht took place at the Multiplast yard in Vannes at the end of December 2016 and the beginning of 2017.
The yard crews removed the 45-foot floats. They then fitted the longer hulls of the AC 50 instead. Assembly and painting represented 2500 hours of work for Multiplast.
Franco-Swiss synergy
The Carboman group brings together the Multiplast site in Vannes and the Décision workshops in Switzerland. It is in these workshops of the Swiss confederation that the hulls of the new 50-foot boat were built between May and November 2016. They then reached Brittany by road.
Concerted work with Team France
Obviously very involved, the technical team of the French challenge also worked more than 2000 hours to integrate the electronic and hydraulic systems. "New ideas collected during the 5 months of sailing on the AC45 Turbo test boat have also been integrated" adds Ben Wright, head of Frank Cammas' technical team.
Technical recognition
With the importance of weight and respect for the gauge in the America's Cup, the choice of Multiplast is a mark of confidence on the part of Groupama Team France, and a recognition of its know-how. Bruno Dubois, team manager of Groupama Team France confirms this." Thanks to the synergy of the Carboman Group companies, we have benefited from the expertise and know-how of both Multiplast in France and Décision in Switzerland." Let's hope that the collaboration will be as positive in sporting terms as for Franck Cammas' previous Multiplast boats...
