New project : Gwalaz or the launching of the first eco-designed trimaran ( France )

Announced at the last Paris Boat Show ( Nautic 2012 )  last December, the building was completed Gwalaz. At the initiative of Kairos, with the financial support of the Brittany Region, the first trimaran biocomposites, barely out of the shipyard Tricat, chose Concarneau for its launch this Wednesday, May 29 A winning bet on the future by Roland Jourdain and his team.

This trimaran ( 7,11 m ) was designed from flax fiber, cork and balsa, and partially bio-based resin. A real technological breakthrough in terms of eco-design, thanks to the materials derived directly from biomass to be fossil resources and thinking about recycling at product design. Gwalaz is a big step towards the circular economy in the assets of the nautical world. Laboratory tests carried out in collaboration with IFREMER Brest and support from the University of South Brittany had validated the replacement of conventional composite (fiberglass, PVC soul) by bio-based materials: flax, cork and resin which 30% comes from molecules derived from rapeseed. Remained to face a technological challenge: to achieve high strength, never tested on this scale, sea team Tricat shipyard where construction took place under the leadership of Antoine Houdet, s' is adapted to these new materials for the construction of the trimaran.

The impressions of Roland Jourdain

"I felt during this construction to find myself at the time of the first uses of carbon fiber: testing, search, improve, test again ... A great difference: with eco-building Gwalaz we are taking a step closer to environmental challenges while keeping the performance objective. It's exciting. This successful experiment on a complex product opens the door to develop this new process to other applications "

A test of the water and time

The aim of this trimaran with Kairos is to advance research on biocomposites. After this the water successful, the next step is to assess actual situation of stress and monitor aging. Gwalaz program in the coming months will allow Kaïros easily and regularly monitor the behavior of materials in his first year at sea After this launch, Gwalaz be entrusted to the Breton team Barravel and The Island usions, Ronan Gladu, Aurélien Jacob Ewen Le Goff, surfers emeritus, under their new project: Lost in the swell. A round Britain sailing in an environmental approach to meet the coast and the people who inhabit it. This summer Gwalaz return to dock safely at Concarneau on the occasion of "Brittany Experiences", days of discoveries initiated by the Region of Brittany around the local actors. Fans can register on the Internet to spend a day immersed in the world of Kairos, the time to produce parts in biocomposites and browse Gwalaz. Then, in the winter of 2014 Gwalaz put to sea with three surfers on board. They will head to the Solomon Islands to discover virgin waves and not listed.


Websites :
- Kairos Composites
- Tricat Boats

French source Nautisme-infos.com