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Monthly Archives

May 2011

Carbon Booms and Poles for 16ft Skiffs

By All News, Marine News

After working in conjunction with 16 sailors for many years, CST developed a range of standard modulus carbon fibre sections, the latest iteration being the 16 boom.

16' Skiff BoomTo take full advantage of the increased stiffness offered by a larger profile, the production mandrels have been optimised within the 16′s regulations, with a top-bottom dimension of 130mm.

The new rectangular sections are incredibly stiff and light as we predict will be required for future mast developments. The 18ft skiff and I14 classes have gone down this path of stiffer masts and in all likelihood the 16s will as well – so the CST boom is ahead of the times and more than capable of coping with changes to the mast, meaning part longevity and no need for continuous upgrades.

Standard poles are available in 44 OD, with an adaptor kit available for boats with 50mm ID receiving tubes.

Both the booms and poles are currently in stock and available for immediate shipment.

16ft Skiffs and Carbon – How did we get here?

By All News, Marine News

The first ever full carbon mast made for the 16’s was produced by CST Composites and trialled by the Bob Jane T-Mart crew. CST has been working with the 16s since our early days of carbon tube production. The 16 carbon mast prototype was made as a technology demonstrator.

Bob Jane T-Marts Mast

The prototype 1 was based on the world champion I14 mast, adapted to suit the 16ft skiff geometry. It was made using high modulus carbon fibre and rigged with two sets of adjustable carbon spreaders.

The mast proved to be competitive out of the box with no requirement for luff round recut, placing well its first race. After numerous test sails the mast continued to perform consistently, even surviving a broken vang in 20 knots.16ft Sk

Welcome

By All News, Marine News

Welcome to CST Composites 16ft Skiff Carbon Mast Development Blog.

This website has been created in order to give the 16ft skiff sailors an up to date news and information on latest CST developments of carbon fibre masts for the class.

If you wish to obtain any further information, please contact the CST team on 02 9668-8488 or email [email protected]. Alternatively follow this link for information on CST 16ft skiff products: /16ft_skiff.htm

 

New Range Of 2011 CST 18ft Skiff Spars Is Here

By All News, Marine News

A busy lead up into the 2011 J.J Giltinan Championship saw a range of new products being released for the 18ft skiff class. The most significant probably the release of new mast sections for both no.1 and no.2 rigs as well as new rectangular booms. The development included 3D Solidworks design and in house manufacturing of new mandrels. All this was achieved in a very short time frame to allow enough on water testing in time for the championship.

The development was driven by CST’s 18ft skiff guru Chris Dixon and trailed on CST Composites 18ft Skiff skippered by Howie Hamlin. Howie finished the regatta in respectable 5th place showing the potential of the new products with minimal testing. The new masts are an evolution of last year’s design and have been developed to suit the latest sail trends and ever increasing working sail area. The result is substantial increase in stiffness over the 2010 rigs while keeping weight down to a minimum.

The new high modulus 130x55mm rectangular carbon fibre booms are also significantly stiffer than last year’s product. “Increase in mast stiffness called for stiffer booms as well, so going to a rectangular section seemed like the obvious choice. We have now done this for most of our dinghy classes as it has allowed us to maximise the stiffness in the Y axis without the added weight that would have been experienced with the oval section. Rectangular booms have been used in high performance yachts for years, so I guess it was only a matter of time before this development made its impact on the dinghy and skiff arena,” said CST’s GM, Chris Dixon.

In order to bring the weight of some of the skiffs down to minimum, CST also produced a set of intermediate modulus carbon fibre wings for the J.J.Giltinan winning boat Gotta Love It 7. 2kg weight reduction over the conventional standard modulus carbon wings was achieved, while maintaining the same stiffness characteristics.

With the next major regatta being the European Championships, we are confident that with more time on the water CST Composites 18ft skiff will be one of the hot contenders.