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16′ Skiff Australian National Championships

By All News, Marine News

The 2014 Australian 16’ Skiff National Championship was a regatta of contrasts! Not only was the weather wild in both extremes of sunny vs. cloudy and windy vs. calm, but the recent changes in the class rules allowing for composite spars is still in the process of being accepted fleet-wide.

However, following this regatta, the case for composite spars now appears adamant as the Brydens 16’ Skiff repeated history, cementing the advantages of carbon fibre firmly in the class. The trio of Peter Mackie, Lee Knapton and Ricky Bridge won the last nationals hands down using CST Composites masts for their #1 and #2 rigs, as well as a boom and spinnaker pole.

16' Skiff Australian National Championships

16′ Skiff Australian National Championships

Using the same masts in this year’s Nationals, the Brydens team won every single race, notching up their 3rd National Title. Our masts are made as a single section, which mean that there is no sleeving and as such, no additional weight and no compromise to the bend profile. Our masts are not the longest in the fleet, but as the saying goes, it does not matter how much horsepower you have, it is how much of the horsepower can be effectively used.

At CST Composites, much research has been undertaken in developing our 16’ skiff range of gear and we have managed to create a rig layout that is shorter but faster than any other in the fleet. The additional speed not only comes from our meticulous approach to design, but also, using a smaller yet more efficient rig reduces drag, windage and weight, all of which are key ingredients in a regatta-winning recipe.

Since finalising our 16’ skiff range of spars, we have opened up the market by selling the exact same rigs and spars as used on the 3 X National Champion boat, Brydens Compensation Lawyers. CST Composites masts have won 4 out of the last 5 National Championships, so turbo charge your boat and contact us today!

McNicol’s Nifty New Nacra Toys

By All News, Marine News

CST Composites has been supporting the Australian Sailing Team for roughly a decade. When the Nacra 17 catamaran came onto the Olympic scene, we started development! Renowned Olympic sailor and coach Euon McNicol contacted us with a special request for a new set of tiller extensions for his Nacra 17 Olympic campaign with Lucinda Whitty.

Nacra 17 Tiller Extension

Nacra 17 Tiller Extension

McNicol and Whitty used our products in the recent 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup in Melbourne to achieve the silver medal. They finished only 8 points behind fellow Australians Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis in a fleet that is studded with World Champions and Olympic Medal winners.

Latest Glue On Fittings

By All News, Marine News

Point-loading is a carbon spars worst enemy. To prevent it, CST Composites are at the forefront of innovation. We are constantly striving to design better products. The latest product to emerge from the skunk works of our design and engineering facility is a new range of boom hangers to suit our various dinghy and skiff booms.

New Boom Hangers

New Boom Hangers

These new fittings are the latest in our range of glue on fittings that eliminate the need to drill holes and fit bolts. When we make a product, we design it with very specific stiffness and strength characteristics. These numbers become less accurate as the carbon layup gets changed. An example of this change is drilling a hole. This severs strands of carbon which weakens the overall structure and alters the bend characteristics of the tube.

Point-loading is a major cause of breakages

Point-loading is a major cause of breakages

Point-loading is a major cause of breakages

Point-loading is a major cause of breakages

In order to combat this, we have been constantly upgrading our products, steadily altering fittings to eliminate the need for holes and improving our already established range of glue on fittings. These new design advancements are constantly producing better products, making them smaller, lighter, more robust, more versatile and stronger than ever before.

The latest glue on fittings are a set of boom hangers that are typically used for mainsheet blocks. This new fitting is incredibly strong, withstanding loads in excess of 1,200kg, but are also low profile, which is important when tacking a boat with a low boom height and also important to ensure block-to-block sheeting achieves the desired centreline boom position.

These hangers withstand in excess of 1,200kg

These hangers withstand in excess of 1,200kg

Glue on mainsheet hangers look slick

Glue on mainsheet hangers look slick

In addition, we have designed an incredibly simple product that makes it extremely easy to install yourself, and also incredibly easy to operate to replace blocks etc. This leads to another advantage of the glue on design which is the extremely high surface area contact. This spreads the load experienced by the fitting through a very wide area of the spar, vastly reducing the risk of failure. It also means that the fitting remains very securely attached as there is more surface to surface contact which improves cohesion.

This large surface area for loading is crucial to consider where carbon fibre products are concerned. The number one enemy of a carbon spar is point loading. This can occur through use of attaching fittings with bolts through the carbon product, or using a thin line around the tube with blocks attached to that. This presents a very small area of high load which can cause catastrophic failure of the carbon tube. This is where our glue on products come in, as the high surface to surface contact greatly reduces the risk of failure through reduction in point loading.

Brydens Crowned as 16′ Skiff State Champions

By All News, Marine News

Another impressive victory to add to the CST accolades came from the Brydens 16’ Skiff Sailing Team as they took out the 2013/2014 State Championships earlier this year. Lee Knapton, Peter Mackie and Ricky Bridge sailed a brilliant series and are full of praise for their CST Composites spars.

Brydens 16' Skiff powered by CST Composites

Brydens 16′ Skiff powered by CST Composites

“The masts aesthetically looks superior, with the new spreaders, clear coat finish and glued on fittings. We are really happy with the way the masts set up in the boat with both #1 and #2 rigs demonstrating very similar bend profiles” – Ricky Bridge

The 16’ skiff class is a class draped in history and with a set of rules stricter than almost any other skiff class in the world, the 16’s have managed to preserve an incredibly high level of competition where other classes may have struggled.

With the 16’ skiff class making the move to carbon spars only recently, there has been a lot of scrutiny on the new developments and CST Composites is proud to be leading the fleet and setting the bar high for any other competitors (sailors or manufacturers!) who wish to compete within the fabled and historic class of 16’ skiffs!

Brydens Crowned as 16′ Skiff State Champions

By All News, Marine News

Another impressive victory to add to the CST accolades came from the Brydens 16’ Skiff Sailing Team as they took out the 2013/2014 State Championships earlier this year. Lee Knapton, Peter Mackie and Ricky Bridge sailed a brilliant series and are full of praise for their CST Composites spars.

Brydens 16' Skiff powered by CST Composites

Brydens 16′ Skiff powered by CST Composites

“The masts aesthetically looks superior, with the new spreaders, clear coat finish and glued on fittings. We are really happy with the way the masts set up in the boat with both #1 and #2 rigs demonstrating very similar bend profiles” – Ricky Bridge

The 16’ skiff class is a class draped in history and with a set of rules stricter than almost any other skiff class in the world, the 16’s have managed to preserve an incredibly high level of competition where other classes may have struggled.

With the 16’ skiff class making the move to carbon spars only recently, there has been a lot of scrutiny on the new developments and CST Composites is proud to be leading the fleet and setting the bar high for any other competitors (sailors or manufacturers!) who wish to compete within the fabled and historic class of 16’ skiffs!

CST International 14 Wins Fourth Straight World Championship

By All News, Marine News

Winning a World Championship is a feat that many people can only dream of. But for Archie Massey and Dan Wilsdon of GBR1519, it seems to be a recurring theme. These amazing sailors managed to win the recent 2013 International 14 World Championship held at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, notching up Archie’s 4th straight win and Dan’s 3rd straight win. Clearly these boys must have something that others don’t.

Archie Massey and Dan Wilsdon of GBR1519 in Canada

Archie Massey and Dan Wilsdon of GBR1519 in Canada

 

Their boat has been sporting a CST Composites rig and boom since they started winning World Championships and it has been paying consistent and clear dividends. The latest edition that they featured in this most recent Championship was our 125mm boom and HM 4 model mast. This is a one piece mast that offers many advantages over its two piece counterparts;

No sleeve in the middle of the mast means that the mast retains it’s even luff curve that presents the perfect glove to match the slick suit of sails from Dave Alexander Sails. The lack of a sleeve also reduces the weight of the mast, and other exclusive engineering advancements led to an overall weight reduction of 20% compared older models and competitors.

Not only has the mast slimmed down, it has been stiffened up. This provides a stiffer mast profile whilst still maintaining the automatic gust response tip which is so coveted by skiff sailors. This new design is perfectly suited to modern sails where the flat top mainsails are becoming bigger and more powerful in a class renowned for being at the forefront of speed increase technology.

The HM 4 mast from CST Composites has been completely redesigned with speed in mind. Not only is this mast more suited to the constantly changing world of sail shape in the quest for speed, but it follows the recipe of “Lose weight to add speed”, including moulded spreaders to reduce drag, increase consistency and reliability whilst also keeping the kilograms to a minimum.

CST International 14 Wins Fourth Straight World Championship

By All News, Marine News

Winning a World Championship is a feat that many people can only dream of. But for Archie Massey and Dan Wilsdon of GBR1519, it seems to be a recurring theme. These amazing sailors managed to win the recent 2013 International 14 World Championship held at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, notching up Archie’s 4th straight win and Dan’s 3rd straight win. Clearly these boys must have something that others don’t.

Archie Massey and Dan Wilsdon of GBR1519 in Canada

Archie Massey and Dan Wilsdon of GBR1519 in Canada

 

Their boat has been sporting a CST Composites rig and boom since they started winning World Championships and it has been paying consistent and clear dividends. The latest edition that they featured in this most recent Championship was our 125mm boom and HM 4 model mast. This is a one piece mast that offers many advantages over its two piece counterparts;

No sleeve in the middle of the mast means that the mast retains it’s even luff curve that presents the perfect glove to match the slick suit of sails from Dave Alexander Sails. The lack of a sleeve also reduces the weight of the mast, and other exclusive engineering advancements led to an overall weight reduction of 20% compared older models and competitors.

Not only has the mast slimmed down, it has been stiffened up. This provides a stiffer mast profile whilst still maintaining the automatic gust response tip which is so coveted by skiff sailors. This new design is perfectly suited to modern sails where the flat top mainsails are becoming bigger and more powerful in a class renowned for being at the forefront of speed increase technology.

The HM 4 mast from CST Composites has been completely redesigned with speed in mind. Not only is this mast more suited to the constantly changing world of sail shape in the quest for speed, but it follows the recipe of “Lose weight to add speed”, including moulded spreaders to reduce drag, increase consistency and reliability whilst also keeping the kilograms to a minimum.

505 Class New Boom Design

By All News, Marine News

At CST, we aim to constantly improve the function of our products. This includes strength, lightness, stiffness but also ease of use and aesthetics. The latest 505 boom to leave our factory features improvements in every single category.

In order to gain extra stiffness of the boom without adding weight, we used High Modulus carbon fibre as opposed to Intermediate Modulus.

In addition, constant improvements in sail design require stiffer booms and more refined fittings. To complement the stiffer tube, CST has upgraded the various fittings to include a Ronstan snap shackle laminated directly onto the boom. Not only does this make for easy attachment of the vang cascade, but it eliminates the need for holes to be drilled in the boom as this compromises the structural integrity.

MG14 boom with lightweight twin poles and laminated vang snap shackle

505 boom with lightweight twin poles and laminated vang snap shackle

The vang is not the only fitting attached directly onto the boom, as the mainsheet hangers are also a standard carbon fitting that is glued in place. These sleek fittings have been methodically tested and have been proved to withstand up to 1200kg and in some cases, the 3/16 solid stainless steel pin sheared under the pressure before the carbon broke!

MG14 laminated glue-on mainsheet hanger. can be fitted to both mid-boom and end

505 glue-on mainsheet hanger. Can be fitted to both mid and end boom sheeting.

Finally, the gooseneck slot is a moulded fitting that is glued into place, bonding directly to the boom with 100% surface area contact, spreading the load evenly. These gooseneck fittings are a stock part and can be purchased separately from our CST stock.

MG14 glue-on stock gooseneck

505 glue-on stock gooseneck

High Modulus carbon, laminated vang snap shackle, glue-on mainsheet hangers and moulded carbon glue-on gooseneck fittings. No holes are drilled. No compromise in strength. Practical, functional and bulletproof fittings. Gorgeous looks from every angle.

The new 505 boom from CST Composites will make you the envy of the entire rigging park.

Boom Flex Analysis

By All News, Marine News

Sailing is a sport with many variables. This means that there is always something to improve on to make your boat point higher, go faster, or both. Since it is not possible to control them all, we strive to research and discover where the next improvement should be made in order to achieve the greatest gain.

The Moth class has come along way in recent years. Now that the boats are up and foiling, a speed differential as drammatic as was gained by the hydrofoil is no longer on the horizon. As a result, smaller improvements over many areas are the name of the game.

Fast-forward to today and through our constant analysis of the class, we have found that the next big speed gain will come from taming and controlling the aerodynamics of the sail. And from that, boom stiffness is the next critical step. Australian Olympic Coach Emmett Lazich says the following on the topic:

“Stiff booms are important in most classes, and they are critical for the Moth class. With mid boom sheeting and a narrow angle for the vang direction of pull, the Moth boom gets a serious work out.

“There is no debate that boom flex hurts performance. When the boom flex’s in any direction in a gust, the unsupported mainsail foot deepens just when we’d prefer it to flatten. But the problem with boom flex is far worse than just controlling the foot depth. In a gust we want automatic flattening and twisting of the mainsail (progressive fanning) from the head down, and mast bend is a primary tool for achieving this. There is always a time lag before the mast will bend in response to a gust. The mainsail air pressure changes increase loads on the mast and boom, and if the boom bends to easily, that means the mast will bend later. Delayed mast response will require excess trimming, steering and control line adjustments, and since there is no such thing as a steady wind for a Moth, top speed will be less.”

Emmett’s words become critical when the conditions are marginal for foiling. The speed differential between being up on the foils or wallowing in the water are crystal clear. When in low wind-speed, often a small body pump is needed to encourage the boat to foil. That pump is when the leech and foot need to remain bar taut, and any boom flex reduces the efficiency of this pump by huge amounts. This moment is that all too critical point to overcome in order to launch your boat onto the foils.

Following Emmett’s intuition, we conducted our own empirical research on the various types of booms currently in use in the Moth fleet. We found that our newest booms are by far the stiffest in both horizontal and vertical planes, as can be seen below.

Vertical Deflection

Vertical Deflection

Sideways Deflection

Sideways Deflection

At CST Composites we are constantly researching and developing in order to continue being market leaders in bringing the fastest technology and gear to you at the best price. Stay tuned for more exciting developments to our product range.

Testing booms on our high-tech Instron machine

Testing booms on our high-tech Instron machine

Andrew Cuddihy, 18′ Skiff Legend has one of our new booms and these are his thoughts here.

Level Playing Field for International Moth Sailors

By All News, Marine News

If you have been interested in the Moth class recently, or have had any contact with it, you will surely notice how many boats are using a mast and/or boom from CST Composites. Not only that, but the sail numbers attached to these masts and booms come from countries all over the world such as Spain, America, New Zealand, Estonia, France, United Kingdom and many others!

Since all our products are made proudly in Australia, shipping costs to these overseas customers is a constant concern. In order to ensure that the costs remain a low as possible, we have been supplying our masts in either one or two pieces. Conducive to keeping our overseas customers competitive, we have just finalised some upgrades to our Elite 4 and Elite 11 two piece masts!

Upgrades to Elite 4 and Elite 11 masts

Upgrades to Elite 4 and Elite 11 masts

These masts feature new patching on the tip, the join and the base in order to save weight, bringing the overall mass down to 2.16kg. The light weight does not have a negative impact on performance as the bend characteristics remain constant; making these masts the perfect fit for MSL16, North and Hyde sails.

Additionally, we are aware that different wind conditions require different sails and therefore, different bend properties. This means that those who are keen to get the best out of their boat in all conditions have more than one mast. This has presented a problem in the past with multiple mast tips and bases being mistaken and mixed up, often producing negative effects. With regard to this, all our two part masts will now have barcodes printed on both the tip and the base, making it easier to identify which tip belongs to which base.

Two part moth mast with barcode identifiers

Two part moth mast with barcode identifiers

Another advantage of this is if you wish to experiment with different bend properties and sail shapes in various wind conditions, you can make accurate decisions as to which tip to mix with which base, and it is now possible to record the results of how each tip performed with each base.

In the interests of the customer, CST Composites are always looking to reduce shipping costs whilst not hampering performance. This means that all our customers, regardless of what flag you sail under, can have the same opportunities and the same gear as past champions! Equality, efficiency economy. CST Composites are looking after you.