Gottifredi Maffioli – world leader in rope technology now Down Under

by Brendan Maxwell on 1 Mar 2011 Carl Watson, a veteran of 15 Sydney Hobart races and many other International and National regattas, is the CEO of a new company on the Australian waterfront ,Projects Marine and the former M.D. at Harken Australia, is one of the leading experts in Australia in hardware selection, winch specification, installation and servicing.

He has been involved with the specification and Installation of deck hardware on some of the World's leading yachts such as Alfa Romeo 1, 2 & 3, ICAP Leopard, Volvo 70's, Maximus,Money Penny,Zana,Genuine Risk,Yendys, Morning Glory, Singularity, many TP52's R.P.42's plus a host of other Top racing yachts.

It is therefore no surprise that Projects Marine has been chosen as the Australian Distributor for Gottifredi Maffioli, the Italian specialist rope manufacturer, considered by many to be the world leader in rope technology.

It’s a name not well known to many southern hemisphere sailors, but Watson explained the company has a proud heritage ‘The company founded in 1926 has been on the leading edge of technology since the early days.

‘For many years climbing ropes were a main focus. Its reputation on the world stage was sealed in 1954, when an Italian expedition conquered the second highest mountain of the Earth, the technically challenging K2.

‘The expedition used a revolutionary new Gottifredi Maffioli rope made of a material new to the rope word - Nylon, which allowed it to produce much stronger and lighter ropes than ever before, which could endure even the harshest working conditions, delivering absolute safety. ‘

It was a major step forward and the giant outline of K2 that appears in the Gottifredi Maffioli logo celebrates the success of that memorable expedition.

Then in 1983 Gottifredi Maffioli made the first step in the nautical world with the first Italian team in the America’ Cup (named Azzurra).

From that time on the sailing world become one of the most important market for Gottifredi Maffioli with Il moro di Venezia (1993) the first Italian finalist in America’s Cup, Luna Rossa, and in 2003 Alinghi winner of the last America’s Cup.

From mooring lines to the most technical sheets and halyards made of Dyneema®, Zylon® (PBO) Kevlar® or Vectran®, everything is produced with great care to give every sailor the guarantee of a reliable high performance product.

As Watson explains ‘they provide Custom rope solutions, from Dinghies thru to Maxi Yachts, Maxi Trimarans and Maxi Catamarans.’

Here is an impressive list of some of the top class racing boats that have been supplied with the Gottifredi Maffioli cordage:

Watson continues ‘I was at the factory most recently in November 2010 and had time to look at the testing procedures.

‘With their experience in ropes now closing on a century, it is not surprising that the Italian company has developed specialised equipment to simulate very accurately the life cycle of a rope, in order to improve the abrasion resistance and the structural performance.

‘The breaking load values in the Gottifredi Maffioli data sheets are measured on tensile testers equipped with special clamps, which are able to simulate real working conditions such as winding on small diameters, friction on metal parts during traction, tangling.

‘Although standard laboratory tests would certainly allow claims of higher breaking loads, the results of these long proven tests in realistic conditions are more representative of the actual resistance of the rope and deliver much more useful data for the end users.

Watson added ‘Gottifredi Maffioli is now leading the way , once again, with innovation in light-weight high performance rigging, with the development of a new range of composite cables based on the new Dyneema® SK90 fibre.

Thanks to their unparalleled strength-to-weight ratio, the extremely high modulus and a superior durability compared to full PBO slings, combined with the enhanced creep performance due to the patented hybrid construction developed by Gottifredi Maffioli, the XZ90 cables represent the state-of-the-art solution for fore and aft rigging and high performance furling cables.

Watson concluded ‘ But the product range is not just for big boats We are supplying all the lines for the Elliott 6’s at the Youth Sailing Academy at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, products include, Swift Cord, New Swift, Global Star, Global Tech and Compact Braid. It is a fantastic opportunity to work with the Team at the CYCA and to help support the great work they do.

We will be at the 2011 ISAF Championship in Perth. We have a stand there, so we will be providing kits to all the Olympic classes.

Website: http://www.projectsmarine.com.au



* Rope Specification:

* Project Management: - New Boats - Re Fits:

* Custom Deck layouts and Hardware Specification:

* Custom Winch Installations:

* Deck hardware Installations and Servicing:

* Winch Specification and Servicing:

* Rope Clutch Specification and Servicing:

* Steering Specification, Inspection and Servicing: