Van Munster Boats has Introduced its First Boat - Whiskey Alpha with Hull Made up of Advanced Carbon Fibre Composite Materials
Van Munster Boats have come up with its first “Next Generation Tactical Witchcraft” boat WHISKEY ALPHA ay the recent Pacific 2019 Expo at Sydney’s Darling Harbour. The WHISKEY project won a legion of fans for its aggressive profile, versatility, and performance capabilities.
Whiskey Alpha eight-five is 8.5m long but is scalable from 6 to 12-meters. ATL Composites have offered the feature of a new technology hull that is made from advanced carbon fiber composite materials which provide greater strength to weight than traditional aluminum or FRP hulls.
The demand for composites in the marine industry has been surging with the growth in sales of boats and yachts. The marine industry currently accounts for less than 10% share of the overall global composite materials market. But the penetration of composites in this industry has been highest among all the industries where composite materials are used.
The composite materials market in the marine industry is heading towards consolidation as major players are taking a keen interest in acquiring other companies to quickly position themselves in the upper section of the market.
As per a report published by Stratview Research, the global marine composite materials market size is projected to grow at a healthy rate over the next five years to reach US$ 1,546.8 million in 2024. An increasing number of outdoor participation (recreational boats represent a good share), increasing the global HNWI population, increasing new boat sales, and increasing share of fiberglass boats over traditional boats, are some of the key factors, boosting the growth of composite materials in the marine industry. Another factor expanding the market is the growing interest for marine leisure activities, which is booming the market for ski/wake boats and personal watercraft. Such kind of boats are preferably made with composite materials and are thickening the demand for composite materials.
The revolutionary Sea Blade hull form is the product of a decade of research and development to design the ultimate foundation for mixed sea states and offshore applications providing greater stability and seakeeping whilst achieves a higher average speed than a comparable deep-V hull.
As Brett Van Munster explains “The co-founders of The Whiskey Project commissioned the design based on their 20 years’ Defence experience as tactical maritime operators, and they intimately understood what the capability gaps were in the existing craft being used globally.
“They knew the current boats were simply not fit for purpose. Whether they are from military or police or other state agencies or even support boats or tenders, operators need watercraft that offered a higher level of seakeeping and safety but also high-speed offshore capability in all sea states as well as low-speed maneuvering for the boarding, recovery or disembarking of ships.
These vessels needed to offer an unprecedented level of stability and high-end performance!”
Nicholas Cossich, Director at ATL Composites said the smooth process from brief to completion on the Whiskey Project was a testament to the strong relationship between ATL and Van Munster Boats.
“It’s an immense privilege for us to work with such a dynamic and supremely talented group of people operating at the highest echelons of the marine industry. Brett and his team really demonstrated true ingenuity and focus on delivering the WA85 and we are very proud that he chose to use our Australian technology to deliver such a ground-breaking vessel.”
For two decades, Van Munster Boats has worked with ATL Composites on numerous projects ranging from classic timber construction in the early days, through to the high performance, advanced composite boats they’re renowned for now.
For The Whiskey Project, ATL Composites supplied Divinycell foam core to deliver the high strength structure required in such extreme operating conditions, and fast speeds, and custom DuFLEX panels for deck, cockpit, and internal framing. ATL CNC machined components to the uniquely engineered requirements “and we just dropped them into the boat” added Brett.
Source: ATL Composites