Carbon
Tapes
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In an effort
to supply our racing customers with the best sails possible, we feel
our governing bodies should adopt carbon fiber sailcloth. Development
of these fabrics has taken place in many top fleets. When compared
to PBO Zylon, carbon stands out as an economical, high performance
alternative.
 Carbon has always been seen as an
expensive option. While this may be true in applications such as mast,
hulls and components, it does not hold true in sails. We can and do
produce carbon Tape-Drive® sails for the same cost as aramids.
With the advent of 7000 denier tapes, we can pick and chose base fabrics
to produce a sail that is equal in strength to a PBO but has the same
price and longevity of an aramid.
Carbon fiber has always been thought
of as a brittle fiber. This may be true in a laminated structure. In
a sailcloth or Tape-Drive® application we have found the opposite.
John McWilliams, of UK Ireland, has performed
extensive flex testing on carbon tapes. He has concluded that
the tapes were the equals of aramids and often times exceeded them.
A 180-degree flex test showed little or no degradation of strength
after 350 cycles. UK-Halsey Sails has constructed many carbon sails
that are still performing after four years. This includes Olson 30's,
Maxi sleds and a Beneteau 50 to name just a few.
Sean McCarthy
UK Rhode Island
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