Leopard Catamarans advances 'single shot' hull infusion and further industry standards
by Leopard Catamarans 15 Jul 2025 04:38 PDT
Leopard Catamarans advances 'single shot' hull infusion and further industry standards © Leopard Catamarans
Leopard Catamarans, the industry-leading catamaran brand from South African builder Robertson and Caine (R&C), is pleased to announce that it is advancing hull construction with the introduction of the 'single shot infusion' technique.
Building on the traditional 3-step hull construction standard, this method uses one shot of resin infusion to infuse the entire hull at once, bonding all core components in a straightforward, single process. Providing an even, clean distribution of resin, this technique leads to a more durable, stronger, and lighter hull while removing the need for secondary bonding. It also eliminates the need for structural repairs along the hull's join lines, further enhancing its overall integrity.
R&C's hulls have always met the highest structural standards, and the results are due to progressive improvements to the original hull infusion methodology from the builder and Leopard Catamarans.
The announcement comes as R&C and Leopard Catamarans continue to invest in improving the building process, reaffirming the builders' dedication to constructing yachts of exceptional quality and reliability. In addition to implementing the 'single shot infusion' technique to address potential hull delamination issues in newer models like the L46, R&C has also adopted advanced acoustic leak detection. This technology verifies the vacuum system's integrity before each infusion, further improving success rates.
Other key hull process changes that R&C has recently made include carrying out a second phenolic hull sounding inspection on all vessels under construction, carried out 30 days after the initial post-demoulding check, to identify any delayed anomalies and the testing of a thicker 600 CSM print blocker across all models to improve hull aesthetics and reduce the visibility of future rework.
Since early 2025, R&C has updated all mouldshop quality documentation, reinforcing key hold points and adding new focus areas to strengthen the hull process control. Improvements include a redesigned infusion resin feed pipe layout to reduce dry spots and voids, providing a more consistent and robust construction.
"With the increasing impact of global warming and the focus on sustainability, the Research & Development team at R&C is currently developing and testing a new resin recipe with their supplier to slow down the infusion process and improve consistency during the Southern Hemisphere summer, with implementation planned for the end of 2025," said a spokesperson from Leopard Catamarans.
"R&C is also working on a project to implement hull temperature control versus entire factory temperature control to limit the environmental impact, as resin and temperature are influential factors in successful infusion. We support these improvements and believe they will enhance our already robust yacht's durability, quality, and overall craftsmanship."