Carbon Fiber???

Has there ever been a carbon fiber mast for a Hobie?

Would a carbon fiber hull be feasible?

Curious...

Feasible?

Cost wise or structurally? Structurally, yes. Cost, no. There are a few H20s with carbon rigs.

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Sail Revolution
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Carbon rigs conduct electricity so US built boats will not have carbon rigs. The Euro boats of newer designs may is the box rule like the F-18 would allow. Currently, the F-18 rules do not allow it.

Carbon is nice because it is light and stiff, and really is not all that expensive if you have a 40' long autoclave. That is the sticking point and the cause for much of the cost. Most of these mast are hand laid as opposed to filiment wound and use prepreg epoxy or infusion. One off anything with lots of labor add to the cost.

I figured cost would be the big deal. Didn't think about conducting electricity.

How much easier would it be to rig boats if the mast weighed 1/2 as much!

while the strength to weight ratio of carbon fiber is impressive, the maintenance and care required can be a turn off. you cannot scratch, dent or gouge a carbon fiber mast as it will reduce its strength significantly. carbon fiber shrouds have to be treated like glass.

if your boat is a ultra high performance machine only used for races, carbon fiber may give you an edge. but for boats used all the time with average maintenance, it is not a good choice.

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

The other thing to consider is that carbon fiber masts have considerably different bend and reflex characteristics compared to aluminum. Taking a sail that was designed to work on an aluminum mast and sticking it on a carbon mast does not guarantee a performance increase. The rig components have to work together, so it's likely that a sail redesign would also be required in order to achieve a significant performance gain.

As far as making carbon fiber hulls, yes it would be totally feasible. The same process that's used to make fiberglass hulls could be used with carbon fiber. However the cost impact and the strict one-design class rules mean that it will never happen.

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