Carbon Fiber and Sailboats

Since 4000 BC, sailboats have been widely used for so many reasons. Then, it was the Egyptians and the Phoenicians who happened to use this form of transportation in waters because of their trading business. Later, the practice was passed around the globe, making sailboats one of the most convenient types of transportation used not only in business but also in leisure. In fact, in our modern world, owning a sailboat is synonymous to wealth and top-of-the-world status quo. Sailing has also become one of the favorite recreations of the rich and famous. Even "average" persons find their time and investment associated with sailboats. This is mainly the reason why there is a need to promote enhancements and developments of sailboat manufacture and production. The core challenge is to make the sailboats, simple or mono and multi-hull alike, more efficient in terms of safety without compromising the speed.

Carbon fiber was finally considered to deliver what was initially intended. A decade ago, a surprising development was observed in pricing, processing, productivity, as well as in supply and demand of the material, making carbon composites the best option to meet the target the growing challenges. The material has a dominating strength in mechanical and fatigue compared to other materials like polyester, glass, steel and aluminum. The greater the impact strength of the sailboat, the greater safety it offers.  Therefore, sailboats manufactured with carbon fiber technology result in having greater strength and lesser weight. This in turn, results in greater speeds of about 15-50%. Nevertheless, because of carbon fiber, the sailboat has been transformed from a simple and plain form of water transportation to a mighty stable boat. Using an efficient leak tight carbon composite mast, the sailboat can go about righting itself.

Sailboats are subject to different stresses. There is the so-called overall stress which mainly comes from its own weight and stress brought about by seawater impact. There are also localized stresses due to the waves, crew movements, rigging, and ballast and rudder loads. To withstand all these stress concerns, generally, sailboats have either a one-piece mold structure or a sandwich skin over structure. Carbon fiber is a significant part in construction of these boats since the boats rely greatly on the material's strength and stiffness. With CF technology applied, a one-piece molded panel weighs surprisingly only half as much as panels using glass fiber reinforced polyester.

Whether sailboats are used mainly for sailing as pastime or hobby, or for cruising, or even for regattas, with carbon fiber around, the future of sailboats will definitely add an insurmountable degree in yachting business.