How much trouble is it to make carbon fibre components and is it worthwhile?
Regarding
Carbon etc - we will be banning all exotic materials from our Oz club
racing version of the PDR - we will put the complete rules up shortly -
just need Peter to read through.
There are downsides to carbon (and other exotics)
1/
Using second hand carbon bits is also a bit problematic - OK if you
have a carbon windsurfer mast hanging round - but it will cost about
4600 plus when and if it gets broken.
2/ Also it does have a
significant performance advantage (if set up properly) which means that
if put on a fast hull and no major sailing mistakes made it will
outclass every wooden sparred PDR on the water. So if
anyone else wants an even chance of winning a regatta or a club race
they will need one too. If they have the ability to make one -
they can probably do it for about $300, but everyone else will have to
cough up $600 to $800. _____________________________________
Just
as an example - the Sabot class dinghy was designed as a cheap first
boat for one child under 16 or a couple of little ones sailing together.
Similar
in size to the PDR - 8ft long but with the right amount of sail for a
child - 40 square feet. Something Dad could knock together over
the off-season
That was 40 or so years ago.
Since then
the standard boats have become fibreglass - and they have many features
that can't be replicated in wood without significant difficulty - like
a self draining cockpit. (the difficulty is keeping the lightness
- it's an extra sheet of ply.
Here is what it has become below
... the technology has become so great that only the very knowledgeable
can build themselves a competitive wooden boat. If there are
significant amounts of carbon it would put the price up an extra couple
of thousand.
We know that this is where people from the
established sailing world are coming from - so will have restrictions
on the Oz clubracing version to prevent the below happening.
Best Regards Michael.
Sabot - 8ft long dinghy single mast 40 square feet of sail Crew - 1 child under 16years.
TOTAL
SAIL
AWAY
$5,977.00 basic boat not including options __________________________________________
Cost Breakdown
New Hull, Deck and Interior moulds Hull and Deck bonded + Interior Flowcote Your Choice of colours Finished and ready for fittings - $2,860.00
Fitout Stage 1 - Leaning strap anchor points, mainsheet take off, chainplates, hatches, slot gasket and bailer fitted.- $400.00
Foils - Centreboard & rudder - $627.00
Fixed Rudder - $160.00
Sails - Single Mainsail - $520.00
Spars - Goldspar spun tapered alloy bare mast ($550), boom ($110 TOTAL approximate cost rigged - $960.00
Hull Fit Out - Weigh hull - fix lead corrector (approximately 1 Kg) For complete boat includes all ropes, leaning straps, ratchet block, mast step, cleats (2), blocks (2), mainsheet block and towing ring - 450.00