2023-08-07 04:54:35
To celebrate 20 years of KarverTip & Shaft traces the history of this 100% French fittings company, from its creation in 2003 to today, with its ups and downs, its successes and failures, its teams, its riders, its products, its takeovers, its key moments… This second episode tells how the brand managed to diversify from 2005, between new products and external growth.We are in 2005. Two years following its creation (see our article), the Karver brand, now established in Honfleur, is already renowned for its pulleys and furlers. It’s time to diversify and the development of new innovative products. “We were consulted by the Orma trimaran teams who had a problem hooking the sailssays Marin Clausin, the founder of Karver. At the time, the hook that held the sail was completely separate from the swivel. Even if it means making hooks, we wanted to integrate the swivel into it. We worked hard to finally end up with this famous range of hooks émerillonsfor which we have drastically reduced the length of the system and also its weight, with several kilos saved at the masthead, therefore a real gain in performance.”
Many racers are adopting this system which is quickly becoming a “must” on board offshore racing machines. In the followingmath, Karver makes a remarkable entry into the world of the America’s Cup, for the 2007 edition which is still disputed over the Class America. The brand develops very high-end pulleys (KBTi), 100% textile grip, for Never. “Our pulley weighed 300g, compared to 750 for an equivalent model from other manufacturers. There were regarding thirty pulleys on board Alinghi, which enabled a noticeable weight saving. We managed to hold gigantic loads on very small diameters. To date, these pulleys are still the lightest on the market”assures Marin Clausin.
And 2008-2009, Karver sort the KBO range, pulleys with plastic textile shackles (and not titanium like the KBTi) more dedicated to the general public, with more affordable prices and always a smaller footprint. Marin Clausin’s imagination seems infinite. “He really has a genius to create products. It is an inventor, passionate regarding innovationunderlines François de Sivry, at the time in charge of the financial aspect. He moves the lines a lot on the market, his innovations are often taken up.”
The financial crisis leaves its mark
Karver est ubiquitous in the Vendée Globe 2008-2009, by equipping more than 80% of the fleet with hooks and more than half with furlers. The year 2008 is also that of the financial crisis which puts a sharp brake on turnover. “The period was quite severerecalls François de Sivry. Fortunately, the company was strong on its foundations, which enabled it to get through this ordeal and hold on, thanks in particular to the strong confidence of our customers.”
The crisis nevertheless got the better of a project by Marin Clausin, the K 650, a small crewed regatta day boat, designed in collaboration with the architect Juan Kouyoumdjian. “We wanted a boat that was easy to set up and super powerful. We released the K 650 the year of the crisis and it was a flop. The series was born and died almost immediately, with only six units built. We were unlucky, it was not the right time”consider Marin Clausin.
The year 2011 is marked by the takeover of Grec Marine, a company that made mast rails and trolleys, especially for Imoca and Orma. Karver integrates products into its catalog, making them evolve over time. The brand is also releasing its second version of furlers, even smaller and lighter. That same year, Tanguy de Lamotte, who had held a technical sales position from the beginning, left the company to prepare for his first Vendée Globe. “Our goal was to challenge the big guys, like Harken, and we succeededhe recalls today, not without a certain nostalgia. Even today, when I see Karver on a boat, I can’t help but feel proud to have participated in the beginning of the adventure.”
Photo: Karver
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