(Almost) a free lunch

Lessons learned at the America's Cup and elsewhere together with a better understanding of the fundamentals of PBO have finally allowed composite standing rigging to gain a foothold in the superyacht market. Tom Hutchinson reports.

With the recent launches of the 93ft maxi Bols Sport and the latest 94ft Wally creation, Magic Carpet 2, we believe that we have finally pushed through a frontier in performance yacht rigging that was first tackled in the grand prix racing market just over six years ago. Both these large yachts have been fitted with complete Future Fibres PBO standing rigging systems, which allow a weight saving of more than a quarter of a ton compared to the Nitronic equivalent - and without the windage penalty or concerns over life expectancy that many would have expected.

To read the remainder of this article please go to the July 2003 edition of Seahorse, available at selected newsstands or by calling: + 44 (0) 1590 671899 or by email at: info@seahorse.co.uk

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