A new step forward
The concept of a rigid wing, like aircraft, to propel boats is not entirely new. It began to grow in the 1960s on the Class C catamarans of the small America's Cup. The speeds achieved by the current America's Cup catamarans have definitively validated it for coastal racing applications between three buoys.
Adapting a wing on a sailboat to go offshore involves new constraints. You have to be able to cope with changes in speed and weather. The system must be robust and reliable, to operate maintenance-free during ocean navigation and not just during an afternoon in the nautical stage. The Lalou Multi team has decided to clear this ground by launching the Arkema 3 Mini 6.50.
A pioneering choice
Already equipped with foils, an innovative bowsprit made of a special thermoplastic resin, did Arkema 3 also need a rigid wing? For Lalou Roucayrol, owner of the Lalou Multi team, the answer is obviously yes." With Arkema 3, we wanted to make a laboratory boat. So we put everything in. Quentin Vlamynck, the skipper, was not necessarily hot to add the wing because he obviously wants to ensure a performance, as a rider. I imposed it on him a little bit, because I think it's the future. With this boat, we want to achieve technical milestones for the coming years, not just offshore racing."
The wing
The wing is composed of two flaps fixed on a circular carbon mast. A dacron fabric is stretched on carbon profiles, distributed over the height. They maintain the shape of each flap. A rigid headrest ensures that the masthead is sent to the masthead. The boom is in two parts. The listening is resumed on the rear element, and an arthur on the front one. They make it possible to adjust the impact of each of the components.
Articulated boom and intermediate profiles of the Arkema 3 wing
Arkema 3 mast
Rear element of the Arkema 3 boom
Reduce the surface area
Unlike an America's Cup catamaran, an ocean racing yacht does not return in the event of a storm. It must therefore be possible to reduce the propelling surface. By releasing the halyard and taking the hoists back on the intermediate profiles, you can reduce the size of the wing, just like a sail you are raising.
Finding the right fabric
For the development of the wing with the Incidences sailmaker, Team Lalou Multi used dacron. This was a good cost compromise for a prototype. The challenge now is to find the optimal material to ensure better shape retention at the wing.
Future developments
With Arkema 3, the Lalou Multi Team is preparing for the future. And Lalou Roucayrol doesn't only consider it in Mini. "We know that the Mini 6.50 is probably not the ideal for developing the wing, but the gauge allows innovation. I've already thought about how to adapt it to my Multi 50. The gauge doesn't allow it today, but I believe in the future of the wing on supports like this."
