Searibs, Ullman and Movilmotors cooperate to deliver RIB fleet to Orient Express Racing Team

Finding the right RIBs to support the high-speed AC75s is a  massive challenge for all the Louis Vuitton 37^th America's Cup Barcelona contenders —Searibs, Ullman Dynamics  and Movilmotors have joined forces to take on that challenge and supply high speed chase boats to the Orient Express Racing Team. 

As a requirement under America's Cup regulations, the French challenger needed fast and reliable custom-built support craft allowing coaches and technical teams to react quickly to rapidly changing circumstances. Performance, safety and environmental factors were all considered.

"We studied all the parameters and set about finding the best allies to meet our equation," said Louis Viat, Director of Operations for the Orient Express Racing Team. 

"Our specifications were as follows: to have fast boats capable of withstanding high speeds and catching up with our AC75; we also needed seats capable of withstanding shocks so that the people on board could be safe and work on their tablets in suitable conditions."

"SEARIBS built our RIBs like craftsmen, ULLMAN fitted them with ultra-impact-resistant seats and MOVILMOTORS supplied us with Suzuki engines. Thanks to the rapid understanding of our needs and the responsiveness of these three companies, we now have a fleet of six RIBs that perfectly meet our performance and safety requirements.

"We are very happy with this unique three-way collaboration between Searibs, Ullman and Movilmotors, each of whom are great experts in their field."

The RIB fleet consists of a 15m RIB with cabin for engineers, sailors, the performance department and coaches; a 13m for technicians and spare sails; a 13.5m for guests; a 9.60m to assist the AC40 Youth and Women's America's Cup teams; and two 9.6m RIBs for our partner Alpine and their guests.

Additional quotes:

Jorge Lorenzo Santiago, Sales Director at Searibs: "For years, Searibs has been working with all the maritime players who use RIBs, not only for pleasure boating but also for rescue institutions, the military and surveillance organisations. Our team, made up of naval engineers, technicians, salvage experts, submarine hunters, divers and motorboat pilots, has sought to understand the requirements. We try to anticipate all the operational limits that our users may encounter, so that our boats can withstand all kinds of factors (abrasion, ultra-violet rays, mechanical stress, etc.) and thus be safer in all kinds of situations, even the most challenging. It was with this convergence of knowledge that we introduced ourselves to the Orient Express Racing Team, for whom we built 6 custom-built RIBs to meet their requirements. Searibs is very proud of the cooperation with this sports team, along with Ullman and Suzuki. We are also proud to contribute in our own small way to this fabulous challenge that is the America's Cup.”

Mathias Terner, Head of Business Development at Ullman Dynamics: "The mission at Ullman, the Swedish company I represent, is to provide the best suspension seats for high-speed boats. It goes without saying that we will be working alongside Searibs and Suzuki Marine to meet the demands of the Orient Express Racing Team. It's part of our DNA. Dr Johan Ullman, founder of Ullman Dynamics, has  developed measuring methods, pioneering the field of whole-body impact and vibration at sea and also analysed the human physiological and motoric response to shock and impact. The result of decades of scientific research is a technology that allows  excellent suspension and damping, protecting the operators in all sea conditions. This type of suspension seat has become the norm in most high-speed boats  used for search and rescue, coastguards and special forces. So, what could be better than an Ullman seat to protect the technicians and coaches of the Orient Express Racing Team, who need to be able to follow their boat at high speed while still being able to write on their tablets! I'm delighted to be part of this collective adventure.”

Carlos Echevarria, Managing Director of Movilmotors: "Movilmotors has been the official importer of Suzuki Marine engines in Spain since 1985. The engines that we supply for the RIBs manufactured by Searibs have a power output of 350 hp, which is less than those of the competition, but they provide greater propulsion thanks to their twin-screw system and greater torque at low speeds, which means lower fuel consumption, while still being capable of ensuring speed and safety. In this way, we have met the team’s requirements. The Movilmotors team is delighted to support the three French teams and to be working with Searibs, Ullman and Orient Express Racing Team.”