I got your attention now ehh guys !

"Carbon is for lazy engineers"

as in what a pocket calculator was for a student today who checked my claim that 35 times 37 wasn't 1645 (the answer he wrote down in his paper).

Lets, see if you guys are smart enough to figure that one out under 1 sec ?


Also I haven't seen too many carbon fibre dolphinstriker straps, surely this doesn't have anything do with the "superior" stiffness or tensile strength of carbon laminate would it ? That is if it has such superior qualities.

Ordinary stainless steel will kick carbon's butt in these area's, my friends. Just ask Goran Marstom who is now replacing all the carbon stays and trap lines on the M20 for plain stainless steel.

Also simple oak wood will kick carbon's butt in the low density department, being twice as low. There is a 600 years old oak beam holding up the ceiling at the old Hijink family farm. I want to see the glue in the carbon-epoxy matrix see do that.

Now lets combine these two materials in a composite boom. Composite in this phrase used in it original meaning = "made up of different materials" and not in its current slang meaning = "GRP" or "CRP"


It is just like I said boys :

Carbon is ONLY attractive when a designer is seriously limited in the volume AND weight he can accept for a given element. If either one of these is NOT limited then their is no reason to spend more money on carbon as a simple adjustment of the design will result in exactly the same performance.

When a given modern engineer doesn't know what to do, he then appeals to the devine status that carbon seems to enjoy in todays society to get himself of the hook.

Anybody else noticed some people exhibit a Pawlov reaction when some poster discusses the issues he has with a given setup or component ?



You've bend an alu boom ? Buy a 350 dollar carbon boom.

Your boom flexes under load ? Well just order a 600 bucks custom job at your local carbon shrine.

Can't right your Nacra 5.5 singlehandedly ? Well, the solution to your problem is a 4000 US$ Hall spars carbon mast.

Want a good singlehander ? Buy the latest 20.000 US$ A-cat and then learn to bitch about its PN handicap and the fact that everybody is buying 14.000 US$ spi equipped FAD boats.

I remember last time, when "my boom flexes" Dave Farmer broke his mast, that the first advice was again that he should not attempt repairing it but just order a new carbon mast.


Lets face it guys, for some of you carbon has become a religion.

As in the answer to all things, being beyond question and scientific analysis.


Me personally, I've developped an allergy to carbo, I've seen it abused too often. The only density reduction the use of carbon achieved effectively in my situation was that of my wallet. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Wouter