Posted by andre laviolette (andrelaviolette@…>)
The carbon mast on Scaramanga is now 22 years old and I have a lot less worry about it than I have on my normaly rigged sailboat that has over 60 standing rigging bits that should one go wrong the mast could come down. Also, riggers recommend that these bits and wire be replaced every 10 years. In case of lightning, the strike would come down the path of least resistance, i.e. the carbon spar. No difference here with alloy. A very heavy battery cable type of wire going from base of mast to a keel bolt would PERHAPS help. Some are not in favour of bonding anything. I insured my little Freedom for the maximum the company (ies) would allow and in case of complete mast failure ( mast could be hit by flying ??? in a hurricane ) the ins.amount covering the WHOLE boat would not cover anywhere near the replacement cost of the mast ! Boat would probably be
totalled. I was in the composite business in the past and I could repair it for less than the deductible. Scaramanga has survived many a Hurricane … at the dock ! Two, last year alone. I owned a full race one tonner at one time, ( 36 feet o.a. ) and it would point 10 degrees higher than most freestanding rigs. 59 degrees from tack to tack depending on wind strength. Andre. “Payne, Doug” <doug.payne@…> wrote: You have heard the normal responses from the freedom guys regarding the collective wisdom we have all gathered over the years indicating the carbon fiber masts are essentially bullet proof unless you drill holes in the wrong place or do something stupid. Another point of view is to know that entire airplanes are being built out of carbon fiber now. Adam Aircraft in Denver is building a business jet and turboprop that are virtually all carbon fiber. The wing skins, spars, fuselage, bulkheads, etc., are all carbon fiber. Like a mast, aircraft airframes are subjected to high frequency stress, referred to as cycles. Aluminum aircraft last way north of 25 years before stress catches up with them, and the same can be projected for carbon fiber or the FAA wouldn’t be
certifying these new aircraft designs. Again, the conclusion you should draw is carbon fiber is at least as long lasting as aluminum, probably far longer. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Douglas M. Payne Managing Partner Dallas Ft. WorthTatum, LLC 5956 Sherry LaneSuite 1000 PMB 101Dallas, Texas 75225office ••• 972.496.2700mobile ••• 972.953.8065doug.payne@tatumllc.comwww.tatumllc.com From: freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com [mailto:freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Witzgall (cwitzgal)Sent: Friday, September 22, 2006 9:33 AMTo: freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.comSubject: [freedomyachts2003] Life span of carbon masts? Hi all; My first post to the list, I am boat shopping, and wanted to learn a bit more about the Freedom Boats. I have a simple question. What is the life expectancy of carbon fiber masts? No specifically the Freedom masts, but in general? Chris
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