REPORTAGE Where the winders for your boat are made
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Without furlers and whippers, it is now unthinkable to cruise. We went to find out how they are born in the production workshop of Bamar, a historic Italian company and international excellence
S
hewould be a fool today who, on his cruising boat, would not mount the furling jib, the first real, historic step toward “easy sailing.”
A pioneering company in this field is Italy’s Bamar, which over the past 44 years has been able to best interpret the evolution of furlers (for all types of sail) thanks to two categorical imperatives: extreme product quality, machined by “digging from the solid,” and simplicity.
“See. With the same machines from which our winders and systems for furling mainsails come, components are produced that equip the world’s largest yachts as well as for the aerospace and wind power industries“, I am greeted with a hint of pride by Francesco Tamburini, Italy Sales Manager for Bamar and my “Cicerone” inside the Forlì-based company’s production workshops: 11,000 square meters of shed and sophisticated multi-million euro numerical control machines.
“Bamar, a contraction of ‘Bandini Mare,’ was born in 1977,” Tamburini says, “founded by Vittorio Bandini and Vladimiro Zattini. Engineer Zattini’s mechanical flair matched well with Bandini’s seafaring and practical experience.
One thought, the other built. it all started like this: with the first manual vertical mainsail furlers, which were a real invention at the time. Then it was the turn of the first manual furlers.“.
Which still work today, a testament to the quality of construction: “Justthink, we sometimes get requests to overhaul 40-year-old manual furler heads, perhaps mounted on old Comet 910s …
After all, our products are essential and durable because they are based on the principle on free balls rotating on seats, there is nothing that can oxidize except anodized aluminum!“.
The evolution of Bamar
Going back to history, after manual furlers Bamar goes through a series of corporate acquisitions, including going through the production of masts (“Bamar extruded on his own die complete with profile for inner mainsail furler“): back to the core business of furling systems, the Romagna-based company evolved with electric and hydraulic furlers, later expanding its range with everything deck management, with hydraulic panel control units, cylinders, vang systems.
Then, thanks to the acquisition by Soluzioni Meccaniche, “which manufactures components from solid metal for third parties, we were able to combine all our know-how with the technology and machinery around us,” Tamburini reveals.
“Today Bamar is on board with its furling systems on Mylius, Solaris, Swan, Grand Soleil, Vismara Marine, Amel, Baltic, Discovery Yacht, Perini Navi, MaxiDolphin, Sunreef Yachts, DVS Yachts, Southern Wind. From the smallest manual furlers to, quite literally, the world’s largest sailing yacht, via mass-produced supplies. We have no production limits“.
“One moment, Francis,” I stop him. “Are you aboard the biggest boat in the world, just that one?“. “Yes, ‘A’ by Andrey Melnichenko, 143 meters. We built the three largest vangs in the world, as well as the three bomi with furling… 20 meters of base each! But if, on the other hand, we talk about sloops, here too we have a record: for the Mirabella V, the longest sloop in the world, we made the largest furling in history, in 2002“. Quite a responsibility…
the materials from which Bamar products are made are verified with sophisticated instrumentation (named DEA) for “millesimal” tolerance control.
Only perfect products
Aboard huge boats, the loads are huge. Tamburini accompanies me to the test bench that was made specifically to test the cylinders and captive winches of the superyacht ‘A’: “On this nine-meter test bench, made of welded iron girders, we can ‘stress’ our machined products up to 250 tons of load. The bench of course is designed modular, so we can also test products that have to work at lower loads and series winders“.
“Do you do spot checks?“, I ask, naively.
“Any motorized winder is tested,” Francis explains. “Products must meet precise requirements for speed, energy absorption, maximum torque. If any of these values are out of range, the product is discarded and rechecked.
Each furler or mainsail system has its own serial code that testifies to its birth and test date, so you can keep track of its history and whether the test phase wentwell.” Rest assured, then. Your electric or hydraulic winder is the child of trials, tests, millimeter checks. I have verified it with my own eyes!
The flagship
Having finished the tour in the shed, I ask Tamburini to tell me which product in Bamar’s long history they are most proud of in the company: “A difficult question, but surely our Rollgen Evo has made us proud. We are talking about the patented gennaker furler, with the forestay to furl the sail with the leading edge free.
We designed and engineered the drum and head, and in addition to functionality, we also managed to give it a shape, a style, even aesthetically, that is somewhat reminiscent of the rim of a luxury car.
There is also design, know-how, and our signature in this object: when it comes to machining metals such as aluminum Ergal or 316 Stainless Steel, Bamar has no equal in the industry. Where it is convenient for others to use plastic or resort to injection, we dig from solid: this is partly due to our production system and the machines we have.
To reiterate: by also producing components for third parties, what would cost too much for others is sustainable for us, and we are able to offer very robust and durable products at an affordable cost.”
One of the secrets is certainly the engineering of Soluzioni Meccaniche today develops high-tech CAD projects and is engaged in experimenting with new materials and solutions that can obviate any unforeseen navigational problems.
The complex study of materials and strength of components makes it possible to decrease weights and provide the design with an additional guarantee of performance and safety.
The latest news
Since Bamar’s production ranges from the small low-friction ring produced in thousands of pieces to the aforementioned world’s largest hydraulic vangs and winders, via mass-produced products, before saying goodbye I ask Francis to tell me about the latest products launched in the market.
“One is the GFSE electric motorized winder, in its ‘entry level’ version. It has been on board 70- to 100-foot boats for years; today it is also available for 40- to 50-footers. Its secret lies in the fulcrum, which consists of a self-aligning ball made of polished 316 stainless steel and not the traditional (and rough) universal joint. A ‘flush deck’ system that truly makes the deck an integral part of the structure“. The GFSE’s gearbox body and underlying tensioning cylinder are made of thick anodized high-strength aluminum alloy pigmented black.
You can discover the best of Bamar’s production at its booth at Milan Yachting Week, our permanent digital boat show, and at www.bamar.it.
Eugene Ruocco
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