Supercruiser mould takes shape in NZ |
| Monday, 16 September 2002 |
| In the first of a series of articles spannng the complete fifteen month construction of this design, we'll be following the evolution of our client's dream from conception, through construction and onto the water.
In the first picture we see how the boatbuilders arrive at the shape of the yacht they are building. These 'custom wood' frames are computer cut from full size CAM (computer aided manufacture) files produced by Owen Clarke Design. They are then evenly and accurately spaced on the yard floor inside a large oven that can be heated to 90 Celsius as part of the construction process - more on that later.
Once all the frames are locked in position, 22m timber battens are placed lengthwise across the frames and screwed in place. The boat builder's eye and experience is used at this point to best define the shape, especially at the yacht's bow. With the battens attached it really is now possible to look along the mould and realise the final look of the hull and the curves that the designer's have produced. At this stage we have what is called a ribbon mould. Some yacht hulls are constructed right from this stage, as we did ourselves in 1987 when we built our 35' trimaran design, Fiery Cross.
However, A4 139 is to be built under vaccuum from pre-impregnated carbon fibre and Nomex. For this we need an air-tight mould. The first stage of achieving this is to plank the ribbon mould in a skin of thin plywood and that is what we can see happening in this final picture.
The whole process of mould construction will take the rest of September. If you want to follow the construction of this yacht then keep tuned to this site over the coming months and into next year.
For more information about Marten Yachts, go to:
http://www.martenyachts.co.nz
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