Launched on 3 June in La Trinité-sur-Mer, Armel Tripon’s Imoca Les P’tits Doudous was christened on Thursday In Nantes. This is the culmination of a long process for this VPLP design built by the Duqueine Atlantique yard, using decommissioned carbon from the aeronautical industry. Tip & Shaft tells you more about this unique project.
Ever since he finished the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe in 11th place, Armel Tripon has had just one thing on his mind: to take part in the solo round the world race again, but on the condition that he adopts an eco-responsible approach. “I wanted to come back, but not at any price. I wanted to do it with a project in line with my convictions”, the skipper tells Tip & Shaft.
The project will really get underway in April 2021, following a discussion with stakeholders at the technocentre Airbus in Nantes. “They were wondering about the carbon that was being thrown away,” recalls Armel Tripon. For them, it was no longer possible to continue throwing away raw materials that, while unusable for aircraft manufacture, were still in good condition for other uses. We quickly realised that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a boat using this decommissioned carbon.”
Armel Tripon made the project official in September 2021, at which point he hoped to launch construction quickly, with the ambition of lining up in the 2024 Vendée Globe. Always with a view to reducing the impact of his future Imoca, his choice of design is for a sistership to Malizia-Seaexplorer, Boris Herrmann’s VPLP design, while for the construction, Armel Tripon is breaking new ground by calling on the Duqueine Atlantique yard, which specialises in the aeronautical industry – Airbus is one of its clients – and which has never before built a boat, let alone a race boat.
A bold choice of site
“When we heard that Armel wanted to build an Imoca using raw materials from the aeronautical industry, it seemed like the perfect opportunity, given that we wanted to diversify into the nautical sector, and competitive sailing in particular,” explains Gilles Quevat, in charge of the project for the shipyard based in Malville (Loire-Atlantique). I got in touch with Armel and explained our ambitions, but at the start, we weren’t thinking at all of building a boat in its entirety; we were aiming more for parts such as bulkheads or foil wells.”
An event changed the game: in April 2022, Armel Tripon capsized and dismasted his Ocean Fifty Les P’tits Doudous. If he hoped to take part in the Route du Rhum six months later, he had to build a new mast as a matter of urgency, and decided to entrust the task to Duqueine Atlantique, who took on the challenge in just seven weeks. “We gave it our all and Armel appreciated the way we worked and our responsiveness,” says Gilles Quevat. “I was won over by their motivation and their great energy,” adds the sailor, who was looking for partners to launch the construction of his Imoca.
This financial quest took longer than expected: “The financing was not easy, it took time to find patrons ready to commit themselves under the banner of the Les P’tits Doudous association and to convince banking partners”, confirms the Nantes resident. The situation was resolved in April 2023, and construction could finally begin in September of the same year. Duqueine Atlantique, which, while waiting for the final go-ahead, had taken the lead by building a dedicated hangar on its Malville site, was finally entrusted with the entire black box (assembled and structured hull and deck), quite a challenge for the Loire-based company.
65% of carbon reused
“We knew we were embarking on a huge project, and we knew we were going to hurt ourselves because there were so many new things for us to do. But we also knew that there was a lot to learn, that it would be exciting and that we wouldn’t regret it”, Gilles Quevat points out. Among the new features, the use of downgraded carbon proved to be one of the major complexities, requiring the architects from VPLP and the engineers from Duqueine Atlantique to carry out a series of tests and calculations to reassure themselves about the strength of the materials.
The yard also had to handle a material that did not require the same processing as ‘fresh’ carbon. “We mustn’t forget that we were recovering Airbus’s ‘rubbish’, so it was a degraded material,” recalls Gilles Quevat. We expected to have a carbon that would be difficult to work with, but that proved to be the case. Some rolls were easy to drape, others much less so. We had to find solutions, and that took time.”
Armel Tripon’s Imoca is not built 100% in downgraded carbon. “In the absence of the necessary hindsight, we decided not to use these fibres for key, highly stressed parts, such as the mast and keel bulkheads, and instead used fresh carbon,” confirms Quentin Lucet, naval architect at VPLP Design. “We did the same for all the stringers, which represent a large surface area, because the recycled material was too dry and difficult to bend,” adds Armel Tripon. Finally, fresh carbon was also used for part of the deck, as well as reinforcements and joints. In the end, we ended up with 65% reused carbon, which is already quite substantial.”
A budget consolidated at 70% for 2025
These implementation difficulties explain why the refit, which was initially due to last until June 2024, was finally completed six months later, when the Imoca was able to move to Armel Tripon’s premises in Saint-Philibert (Morbihan), where the construction was finalised, right up to the launch on 3 June. “The boat is very well built, solid and structured, with zero compromise on performance,” says a delighted Armel Tripon. “The reused carbon has not added any weight compared to Malizia,” says Antoine Lauriot Prévost, who also worked on the project at VPLP.
Are there any differences between the two boats? “The lowering of the livet and the new geometry of the roof on Les P’tits Doudous,” answers Quentin Lucet. Boris wanted a wider roof because he also had a big crewed programme, whereas Armel’s programme is more focused on solo sailing.” The foils have also been optimised, he adds: “Since Malizia was launched in 2022, we have benefited from feedback from the transatlantic races and the Vendée Globe to develop them further. The foils have become more versatile, with the ability to take off earlier and to be used over a much wider range than before.”
We’ll have to wait until the end of July to get an idea of the potential of the new VPLP design, as Armel Tripon, who was due to line up in the Course des Caps (start on June 29 from Boulogne-sur-Mer), has finally pulled out – “The timing is too tight”, he explains. He will therefore debut Les P‘tits Doudous in the Fastnet, before racing the Défi Azimut and the Transat Café L’Or, with sailor and coach Tanguy Leglatin.
In terms of financing, the skipper has so far raised 70% of an operating budget of around €2.5 million for 2025, with sponsorship partners such as CIC, Écouter Voir and Bouyer Leroux. “I’m still looking for partners, and that’s a big part of my current job,” he says. But the fact that the boat is in the water and that we’re sure of going all the way is a good argument for convincing new companies.” Will these partners follow him all the way to the Vendée Globe? “At the moment, we have very few firm commitments until 2028, as it’s complicated for companies to project themselves over four years. Now, if they come on board this year, it’s a priori to go all the way to the Vendée Globe, so I’m serene. I haven’t had any defections since the launch of the project, all we’ve done is increase the number of partners.”
Photo : Jean-Louis Carli
