Second Coming

Carbon rigging is not new - top IOR boats were racing with experimental carbon rods back in the late 1980s.

A decade and a half later, with carbon now common in everything from road cars to furniture, a return to centre stage in sailboat rigging was inevitable. Two leading proponents expand on recent developments

Southern Spars - Element C6 carbon-fibre standing rigging
The performance value of lighter rigs is undeniable. Just as mast tubes have evolved from wood to steel to aluminium and on to composites in the search for lighter solutions, the same holds true for standing rigging. Composite cables and rods incorporating a wide variety of fibres and construction methods are showing up on rigs throughout the sailing spectrum, replacing the steel bars and wire that were not long ago considered the state of the art. As yachts grow longer, lighter and narrower ever more creative ways for developing stability are utilised and saving weight in the rig is the most beneficial single area.

To read the remainder of this and many other topical technical articles, please purchase your copy of the July 2005 edition of Seahorse International Sailing, available at selected newsstands or by calling: + 44 (0) 1590 671899 or by email at: info@seahorse.co.uk

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