CompPair’s healable composite materials make a splash on Gunboat catamaran

An application using CompPair Technologies’ (Renens, Switzerland) healable composite materials, HealTech, has been developed in collaboration with Gunboat (Newport, R.I., U.S. and La Grande-Motte, France), a company designing and selling high-performance cruising catamarans. The materials are now being tested on a Gunboat 68 that is scheduled to launch later in Feb. 2022.

For boatbuilders, the benefits of HealTech panels are twofold, CompPair notes: Saving weight by using lighter panels and reducing repair time by 99%. CompPair’s solution reportedly enables Gunboat to efficiently repair an internal panel, should it get dented during construction or throughout its lifetime. Preliminary tests performed at Gunboat’s factory in La Grande-Motte, France, show that dents on HealTech panels can be repaired in two minutes without impacting the paintwork — this is in comparison to previous repair times of up to two days, in addition to other required resources and the inconvenience of immobilizing a yacht. The CompPair panel on Gunboat 6805 will continue to be monitored and tested over time through regular use of the yacht. 

 “I met the CompPair team at the Dusseldorf boat show in 2020 and the concept was really intriguing. I was blown away by the possibilities, so we worked with them to adapt the composition of the material for our application,” says William Jelbert, COO of Gunboat. “As a boatbuilder, we rely on what’s available in the catalog, all of which impacts sustainability from the supply chain, to boatbuilding, to how the product plays out during the life of the boat. A role we can help fulfill is to support the innovators working on new technologies and help push new-age, sustainable solutions for the future.” 

CompPair’s lakeside location and local environment have made the marine industry one of several strong opportunities for the company’s first implementations. Lake Leman has been at the root of various cutting-edge innovations in the sailing industry, and now the potential of CompPair’s HealTechTM solution is said to be vast. Befittingly, the test panel is fitted on a high-tech Gunboat that will complete sea trials in the coming months in the south of France and commence sailing adventures around the world.  

“Our vision at CompPair is to be a remarkably durable option that also cuts back on CO₂ emissions. We are proud to develop high-performance materials which are significantly more sustainable for two boatbuilders, also appealing directly to boat owners,” says Amaël Cohades, CEO and co-founder of CompPair.