SAFEKEEPING WITH LLOYD'S
At Contest Yachts we have worked with Lloyd's Register - the world's leading classification and compliance authority - for more than 45 years. Through this close and longstanding relationship with Lloyd's Register, all design and engineering technologies in our composite construction and finishing and fitting, from keel-toe upwards, is simply and absolutely best world class.
“INFUSION MOULDING GIVES FAR BETTER CONTROL THAN HAND LAYUP, AND BETTER QUALITY BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE BREAKS IN THE PROCESS ... AND THIS IS ALL AT A MOLECULAR LEVEL.”
It also means that every sailing yacht leaving our shipyard has been individually examined from first drawings and on through every stage of build in order to be fully, structurally certified by Lloyd's Register. And in the Contest 85Cs, at a full 26 metres in length, the reearch, dvelopment and analysis has resulted in an exceptional all oceans classification. We go the extra mile so you can too, and it is done to take better advantage of emerging, proven technologies that add to onboard efficiencies and enjoyment.
It has been this way in all our 60+ years. We pioneered boat building in fibre reinforced plastics (FRP or GRP), then continued to innovate with the introduction of resin vacuum infusion moulding, in which we still lead. To this process we have now also introduced the 'black' carbon fibre to strengthen yet lighten aspects of structure, for example in bulkheads, stiffeners, frames, and reinforcement points.
Being a Contest yacht, all this introspection and innovation is as ever only in deep collaboration with Lloyd's Register, consulting, checking, assuring suitability and safety as declared in each yacht's full Lloyd's certification. This involves extensive sequential examination from finite elemental analysis, right through construction to final finish, inspecting and testing every aspect of hull, deck, foils, engine and hardware mounting, and more.
No other constructor in this sector works with Lloyd's Register to this level. Simply put, the relationship with Contest Yachts is unique. They say it themselves. It's all about checks and balances. It's not just about the calculations, or plan approvals, or how the lamination skins build up. It's about all things: computer analysis, the real-life, real-time testing on product samples taken out of the boat during build for Lloyd's structural analysis. It is total.
Lloyd’s Register surveyor Ranko Petkovic, who oversees the surveying and certifying of each individual Contest yacht, is particularly impressed with the yard’s resin vacuum infusion process.
“Infusion gives better control than hand layup, and better quality because you don’t have breaks in the process. When you hand-laminate you have to stop, to go home, as you have many layers and you cannot do it all in one day. This is pure chemistry. The day’s layer cures and then tomorrow another is laid on top. Bonding this way can never be as good as infusing in one go. This is all at a molecular level.”
Of our single-shot infusion, Ranko goes further. “Contest is the first yard infusing both inner and outer skin with the sandwich core all together in one go. I’d seen this in other industries but not in yachting. The first hulls were done with a transparent gelcoat, it was flawless. I still haven’t seen anyone else do this. The rest I’ve worked with infuse the outer skin, then bond the core to that, and only after that do the inside skin.”
Such straight talking as this explains our unique Lloyd's Register certification.
Lloyd's Register close scrutiny is continual, inspecting every aspect of each individual build.
