At the IMOCA class assembly in 2012 it was voted that the mast and keel feature monotype for new boats since then, with the dual purpose of controlling costs and not entering a costly and complicated technical race for the team structure.
An exclusivity contract was signed with the French company Lorima, which became the exclusive supplier of masts for the IMOCA fleet. The production plan was to manufacture a mast every eight weeks, that is 6-7 a year. In addition, Lorima had to have a spare mast in stock for possible dismasting of the existing fleet.
In the 2016-2020 period, a total of 19 masts between the
eight new ships to be built and the purchase of replacement masts. All of them manufactured with the only existing mold without problems in terms of delivery. But since the beginning of 2021 things have been complicated due to the boom of the last Vendée Globe. Likewise, our Lorima shipyard clients have also increased the demand for products considerably.
On the one hand, thirteen are being built!! boats and three others felled in the recent Transat Jaques Vabre, in addition to teams wanting to replace their current one. The deadlines are being very long and the alarms sounded. In addition, Lorima no longer has the unit that it must have in stock by contract to replace broken masts. This advised the manufacturer to build a second mold to increase production, without problems hiring a workforce due to the lack of specialists in composites due to the recovery of the nautical sector.
To improve production, it has been decided that Lorima contracts the use of the second mold with another company specializing in carbon fibers and composites. The members of the IMOCA class, the sailors, welcome this possibility. Laminated in an identical mold, with detailed specifications of the construction and the severe medical controls as submitted for the class, it is considered that the possible differences are negligible, and there may also be masts from the same mold on the back.
Without saying it openly, the teams have reduced their training days. No one wants to see a break put them on a waiting list for many months. An example is that of Fabrice Amedo, who last December formalized an order with Lorima to have a replacement mast in case his current one breaks... but he will have to wait until June 2023!
It seems a paradox that the 200.000 euros that a mast costs, for a new boat for which around 6 million are paid, has sports campaigns in check with million-dollar sponsorship contracts. Fortunately, in a year and a half because that will be resolved.
