From funcat-sailing.de website:
Tornado Carbon Mast Tests by Ullman Sails Loft Zuccoli-Italy
Thanks to Mitch, Jojo, Florian, Romain, Francois B., Mathieu, Gaël, Francois M., Nico and Tino!
We had four great sailing days in Torbole, with excellent freezy weather conditions!
Two boats with carbon masts and two with aluminium ones were rigged.
While studying the reactions of the major factors that will give the basics for the new main, we can proudly say that the necessary information on how to modify the existing sails, to perfectly fit the carbon mast, were finally achieved. For/aft and side bending, spreader length/angle, rod diamonds, diamonds attachment, rake and loads on the sail, were our basics to improve the necessary feed back for a sail which should suppply enough power and leech control in very light conditions and which should allow to gradually depower it while the wind increases, up to a total control of it in extreme conditions.
Mast controls (Diamond tension, Spreader rake, Spreader length, mast rake,shroud tension) were carefully tested through a very large range of variables. We can confirm that with the carbon mast there are less difficulties to find the basic set up for the proper matching with the sail.
As the complete and definitive mast rules are not yet known, we prefer to wait for them before suggesting any tuning data.
We clearly confirmed what was already known: on carbon mast the sail has to support much higher loads. Because so we have to face the quite small sailcloth choice through the currently approved sailcloth list.
- Ulmann Sails Italy- Info:
Lately we have seen on Tornado and Formula18 new Class Rules, where relevant matters were: approved Sailcloth list and carbon mast (new luff round).
On sailcloth list, weight and stiffness are the keys. This were the main aspects we had in mind when designing the lightest possible sail, studied to grant the needed mechanical stiffness through 15days of sailing (Olympics). This brought us to what is known as Cuben, a cloth specifically produced with non-aramidics fiber and which was not in the market the first times we used it.
Any other existing sailcloth, even if suiting the required caracteristics (weight and stiffness), was not showing to be as strong as the Cuben. We can say that Cuben was a good toy, but unfortunately out of F18/Tornado Class rules!
Neverless our A-Cat Cuben sails have proved their value after a full season, still showing better “health” than their Aramidic “step brothers”.
On Tornado and F18 mainsails we can hardly recommend three different cloth:
Dacron : 205SQ for Tornado ; 180SQ or 205SQ for F18 ;
Mylar Pentex : PE15-1,5mil for Tornado and Apen06-3mil for F18 ;
MAXX09 Pentex for both Tornado and F18
These, all together with the carbon mast developed curves (see picture), allow us to proudly introduce in the market our Tornado mainsail models: LPODC, LPOPX and LPOMAXX.
On what is jibs, the choice is still between Dacron (205SQ for Tornado and 180SQ/205SQ for F18) and Pentex (Pe15-1.5mil Tornado ; Apen06-3mil F18), where the Dacron will grant a longer durability while the Pentex easily allow a lighter sail.
We noticed that F18 is moving towards Pentex. It is still no question that Dacron remains the best solution when furling the ji (and furling is a “must” until 2007).
Spinnakers. Again thanks to the Olympic researchm, we started our second session of Wind Tunnel Tests(see picture). The data we obtain, together with the hours of testing in the water, bring us once more to the LP12 shape which proves his excellent performing on Tornado and on all different F18 boat .
