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Case Study

The biggest pleasure trimaran in human history is

being built right now, at this particular moment, in

Latvia. Local shipyard Latitude Yachts is working

on its newest project – Galaxy. Designed by Coste

Design & Partners, it is a 53 meters long three-

deck luxury all-composite vessel.

Accomodating up to 6 guests and 6 crew members , the

layout of the trimaran is perfectly planned. It features three

different social areas: the saloon under the superstructure,

exposed deck and flybridge with a sundeck for real sun

enthusiasts. Amongst the other amenities offered by

this yacht are huge harmonious open spaces, large pool /

GALAXY 53 - WHERE TECHNOLOGY MEETS ART

jacuzzi on the sundeck, the presence of a big garage for a

5-m tender and additional aft garage for 2 wave runners,

satisfying the needs for any kind of water fun activities.

All in all this has been more of an art project than a usual

water craft, but art nowadays involves a lot of technology.

The founder and president of Coste Design & Partners

Jean-Jacques Coste comments: “From the very beginning

we have consistently followed our dream of creating

something really unique. We wanted Galaxy to be the only

one of its kind and in order to achieve this goal we needed

best people and technologies!”

www.gurit.com

Further to that, Gurit invited a group of Latitude Yacht workshop and project management personnel to their premises on the Isle of Wight to train them on the specific materials and technologies which would be used in the build. Further training took place at the yard in Riga to reach a wider group of 60+ shop floor employees. On top of that, Latitude built a 40-foot tender yacht using the same SPRINTTM/ Gurit® CorecellTM technology and materials prior to starting the Galaxy 53. This tender project was solely used for training purposes on the shop floor.

The Galaxy 53 has been designed to use a full Gurit® CorecellTM core sandwich construction on the outrigger hulls with a mix of E-Glass and Carbon SPRINTTM products. The main hull uses a monolithic composite design below the waterline and Gurit® CorecellTM sandwich construction above the waterline, for all bulkheads and all decks and superstructure. As a result, all components could be laid up and cooked in `one-shot`, saving time, weight and cost. When constructing in this way, all the materials are laid up together and cured as a single unit, eliminating the need of secondary bonding. These components were then vacuumed and cured at 85°C for 10 hours. This method of manufacturing

ensures a very low void content,

typically lower than 1%. Curing the

epoxy resin at a high temperature

allows it to develop exceptional

mechanical properties and gives a

laminate tensile strength against micro

cracking. It is this resistance to micro

cracking that gives SPRINTTM laminates

superior toughness, strength and

durability.

The SPRINTTM materials used in

the construction of the Galaxy 53

are the result of several years of

developmental research and on-site

testing by Gurit. The resins have

been specifically formulated for

the correct tack, handling and flow

characteristics, whilst maintaining

the key performance criteria of high

strength and toughness.

In a world where performance and

durability are dependent on quality

construction processes, the choice of

Composite material is paramount to

success. When designers and builders

undertake a project like the Galaxy

they need to be absolutely certain the

finished composite parts will be 100%.

There is no room for error or excess

weight in a design, so to out lay a fixed

sum for quality is the assured way to

meet all the engineering standards.

Latitude Yachts’ team has investigated

the market of composites and

corresponding materials and Gurit’s

products showed the best results in

terms of price to quality ratio, technical

characteristics and satisfaction of

project’s needs. Gurit’s SPRINT™

and structural core materials are used

for building both the hull and the

superstructure of the trimaran.

“We have been working together for

several years now and I have never

regretted it. Gurit keeps showing

its true dedication to Galaxy. We’ve

already managed to start a new shared

project and i’m sure there will be

more,” – says CEO of Latitude Yachts,

Valdis Irbe.

“Indeed this project evolved in the

best manner you can think of” says

technical sales manager Piet Heydorn

from Gurit. In the very early stages

of the project all participating parties

came together for several meetings

putting all demands, wishes and

hurdles of this amazing project on the

table. Dedicated teams from Coste

Design&Partners, Latitude Yachts,

Rivoyre Engineering and Gurit met

several times to share knowledge and

take on decisions.