A few months ago its latest vessel, MS
Sognekongen,
was delivered to Fjord 1
Fylkesbaatane
where it will be operating in
the fjords of Western Norway, taking
tourists
on eco-friendly sightseeing trips.
At 37.5 meters (123 ft.), this catamaran is the
largest carbon sandwich composite vessel
ever built by the company.
Brødrene Aa is very much at the forefront of marine
composite technology. It has pioneered
the use of carbon/vinylester skins and Diab sandwich cores using an infusion process that
allows the hulls, up to 40 meters (131 ft.), to be produced in ‘one shot’ in around an hour.
This combination of carbon fiber and vacuum
infusion results in a structural weight
reduction of more than 40% when compared
with ‘ordinary grp/hand lay-up’. At the same
time the overall strength of the vessel is
markedly improved due to the optimization
of the Diab core and the carbon fiber skins
by using resin infusion technology.
The substantial reduction in weight results
in boats that offer excellent acceleration and
high cruising speeds. At the same time, operating
costs are much lower as Brødrene Aa vessels require
less engine power and use less fuel than
their heavier rivals. Brødrene Aa also maintains
that using advanced materials adds less than
10% to the final cost of the vessel; a cost that
can be quickly recovered in less than a year due
to lower operating costs. The number of
CFRP vessels built by Brødrene Aa now numbers 25.
Brødrene Aa vessels also have a proven reputation
for offering rugged reliability throughout
their long service life. Many of the
vessels produced by the company for ferry
work are in continuous operation for up to
22 hours a day and can make as many as 200
stops during this period.
This legendary reliability is clearly shown
by a ferry that was built by Brødrene Aa using
Diab cores in 1976. When it was sold to new
owners some 30 years later for the same price
as her original cost, she
had travelled the
equivalent of 76 times around the world,
her original engines had seen over 83,000
hours running time and she had made over 500,000 landings!
www.braa.no