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Above: the deck being positioned for initial fit to the hull and primary structure below; after weeks of clean work using just pre-pregs, this major area of secondary bonding means the start of the messy work. The full-scale cockpit mock-up (left) is becoming an essential element to these large raceboat builds and is now also common in Imoca 60 builds. The jigsaw of multiple bulkheads with longitudinals (bottom left) and another of Comanche’s many bulkheads going into place using a laser tracker device for accuracy
were polar opposites when it came to deck layouts and hydraulics, so we had two great but very different platforms to work from and improve upon. We also had a sailing team design group including the likes of Ken Read (skipper), Tony Mutter (sail co- ordinator and design) and Ryan Godfrey (Puma pit and trimmer/sailmaker) so there was a lot of ocean experience to draw upon. ‘Our first Volvo boat for the 2008-2009
event, Il Mostro, had no hydraulic sailing controls. Due to the way the rule was written at the time, we went for rope controls. If something was dog-boned on and not permanently attached it could be removed for the weighing of the boat. This made for a very complicated boat to sail. For example, if we wanted to adjust the lower checkstay you would first need to jam off and remove whatever was on the pit winch, then load up the lower check- stay, open the jammer and now you’re ready for adjustment. Light, but not a very efficient way of sailing the boat fast. Usually by the time you were ready to ease it was too late. ‘Mar Mostro, the 2011-2012 VO70, in comparison, was completely hydraulically controlled sailing. For example, to adjust the lower checkstay, simply turn the knob labelled lower checkstay on the hydraulic panel. A very efficient way of sailing the boat fast and staying in optimal trim at all times. ‘We also sailed on the Rambler 100
(ex-Speedboat) when George David char- tered the boat from Alex Jackson. The first time we went sailing on the boat in New- port to check the sail inventory, it was very clear that the boat was over-complicated and difficult to manage. It needed different rig configurations and rake changes for each sail combination. We spent the whole day slowing the boat down and looking up at the rig, trying to figure out how we were
supposed to keep the thing pointing at the sky. Not ideal.
‘With all of this knowledge and the French design mantra of “keep it light, keep it light” being chanted to us daily, when it came time to do the deck layout and systems design for Comanche we had a very clear understanding of what we wanted to achieve. We needed to make the boat simple and easy to sail fast. ‘Cariboni hydraulic systems featured on both our Volvo boats, and with VPLP and Verdier having worked with them on many projects including Open 60s, they were a safe choice as we knew they could produce the system that was correct for us. Cariboni custom-designed and manufactured the entire hydraulic system from titanium and aluminium… Then there was the trick of being able to fit it all in the boat. ‘You would think that a boat the size of Comanche would make finding space for all of the systems simple, but this was definitely not the case as balancing the boat correctly had the majority of systems positioned in the same area. To help with this we constructed another full-scale interior mock-up to help with positioning the engine, fuel and water tanks, propul- sion and hydraulic systems, along with the bunk layouts, galley and head.
‘No matter how good 3D modelling is, it is still paramount to be able to stand inside an actual-sized mock-up with the engine and other items to fully visualise, touch, feel and place them in all configurations until coming up with the one that makes the most sense. We even went as far as to mock up the keel ram to make sure it fitted in its designed cutout. The last thing you need is a 350kg ram hanging over an undersized hole on installation day…’ Next month: budgets, fit-out and build philosophies
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