Projects: Castagnola Launch Heritage 9.9
Castagnola Shipyard has launched the elegant, custom-made Heritage 9.9. Able to reach a cruising speed of 34 knots, the 10.91m custom-built luxury yacht is a fine example of what happens when you mix modern CNC with traditional Italian wooden boat building heritage.
We were thrilled to speak to Master Shipwright, Gabriele Maestri, to talk about his journey at The Castagnola Shipyard and how this incredible boat came about.
The Castagnola Shipyard was established in Lavagna in 1974 by Giovanni Castagnola, Gabriele’s grandfather. “I’ve been attending the shipyard since I was 13 years old and at 16 I signed up as a Master Shipwright pupil,” explains Gabriele. A few years later, Gabriele left the University of Nautical Engineering, succeeded his grandfather and took the helm at the shipyard.”
Before commencing the Heritage 9.9, Gabriele learned the art of boat building with two previous constructions – the Schooner Yacht Andromeda and the triple water-jet motor yacht Angra TOO.
Building the Heritage 9.9
Designed by Nauta Design, in collaboration with naval architecture studio Names of Francesco Rogantin, Heritage 9.9 has been developed to be used as a unique tender for large superyachts or as a luxury day-cruiser for short trips.
The wood hull is coated and sheathed with epoxy and carbon fibre fabric; a unique combination of traditional, quality craftsmanship and technological innovation.
The use of WEST SYSTEM® epoxy as an adhesive for bonding all the frames together, the wooden skins of the hull and the use of carbon fibre and epoxy for sheathing is testament to Gabriele’s use of contemporary materials and practices while respecting traditional methods. The complimentary characteristics of wood, carbon-fibre and glass have produced a hull with exceptional handling and very low maintenance, while preserving the charm and qualities of the wood.
“The epoxy is the centre of modern wooden boat building,” explains Gabriele. “It allows us to decrease the weight of the hull and superstructure and is essential to seal and stabilise the wood, this enhances the durability of the final top coating of paint or varnish.”
When it comes to the epoxy choice, it’s important to the staff to be able to use a single product for different jobs. “WEST SYSTEM epoxy is our world reference point for coating, laminating, filling and bonding.”
So, what’s next at Castagnola Shipyard?
“The shipyard is constructing a new wooden 24m Eco-Hybrid Yacht. It will be supplied with two electrical motors which provide a power of 2x 135kw directly at the propeller shaft. The main power on board is produced by two variable speed generators and the lightly loaded hull and superstructure seems to fly! We’re hoping to launch the boat in the Spring of 2022.”
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