carbon sub-structure. Beach ply and/or MDF can be used for non-critical components, both materials being comparatively cheap and easily available.
As already mentioned, the benefits of high-quality tooling are widespread. Direct milling ensures that the boat the designer has drawn is exactly the boat that the client will receive. Weight is drastically reduced as fairing is eliminated. The painter’s job now becomes a case of providing a finish that the client is happy with for the minimum possible weight. The days of filling and longboarding are fortunately long gone. This leads onto another major advantage, which is that labour costs are in turn significantly reduced. Another fundamental advancement that we work hard on at Persico is what we call the ‘co-design phase’, which occurs at the conception of the project. In order to take full advantage of Persico Marine we believe all yachts should be looked at from both a design ‘and’ build perspective. This process ensures that we make the most of the automation available – be it milling machines, plotter-cutters, presses or our in- house autoclave, this approach gives the project the best possible chance of success.
For the two new TP52s we worked closely in conjunction with Tobias Kohl of Judel-Vrolijk, Steve Koopman of SDK Structures, plus project co-ordinator Jason Carrington who worked directly with Mark Somerville, project engineer Edoardo Bianchi and the Persico Marine team, during the initial set-up of the project and throughout the build in the case of Gladiator. We also enjoy a good working relationship with Richard Clampett who once again produced all the drawings directly associated with the teams. While Rán and Gladiator are very similar boats there are certainly differences. The primary hull and deck tool were shared, although there were some subtle changes to the deck geometry which were achieved with ‘plug-ins’ to the main tool. The biggest differences were without doubt associated with the onboard systems – it quickly became clear that these boats are very individual with teams having different thoughts on how to set up the myriad purchase and control systems. Both boat captains, Jan Klingmueller of Rán and Andy Clark of Gladiator, owned these areas, bringing real attention to detail.
As with all previous Persico Marine boats, we also manufactured both keel fins and bulbs on site. The facility to do this is literally bang next door to the composites department. Producing the keels on site means we maintain control of one of the most critical parts, making managing the quality, schedule and weight that much more achievable. Manufacturing on site also offers the advantage of fitting the keel to the boat in the shed prior to being trucked to the commissioning venue.
We are fortunate at Persico Marine to have a dedicated and talented team, which has gained experience and gone
from strength to strength in a relatively short time. Typically we run with several teams on the shopfloor: a hull shell team, a deck shell team and a components team. Once the deck is fitted a further team take care of all the vital secondary bonding and fit-out phase. This approach ensures extremely high quality while respecting the always challenging schedule.
As well as taking care of all the primary composites Persico Marine produced all the smaller secondary items, In the case of Gladiator we also produced the pulpits/pushpits/ stanchions and even the bunks. The guys on the shopfloor are supported by a dedicated and enthusiastic team of in- house project engineers and draftsmen who produce all of the drawings and 3D files associated with producing the tooling, construction drawings and computer files for cutting the materials. Each project is provided with a dedicated project manger who manages the construction from the hull lines arriving through to the boat being shrink-wrapped and loaded on the truck. Persico Marine certainly offers a very modern and efficient facility but our trump card is without doubt our dedicated and talented team.
While the TP52 build programmes were undoubtedly compressed, the quality could not be compromised in any way; both Rán and Gladiator left our yard well under the weight calc, on schedule and beautifully finished. All of us at Persico Marine are immensely proud of both boats and are looking forward to watching some exciting racing during the coming season.
www.persicomarine.com q
The two sistership TP52s – Rán and Gladiator – designed by Judel-Vrolijk to the 2015 rule underway at Persico. The latest Rán (below left) was first out of the shop, closely followed by Tony Langley’s new Gladiator (opposite/below). The standard of cleanliness and neatness in the Persico Marine facility reflect the company’s background in high-precision machine tooling
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graeme@seahorse.co.uk SEAHORSE 49
Technical Brief
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