Should I put a carbon rig on my new sportsboat?

Ben Hall answers...

Ben Hall joined Hall Spars & Rigging in 1984. The resident speed freak, Ben races the A-Class catamaran, and is a three-time North American champion. His envelope-pushing masts have led to tooling innovations for a wide range of craft. He is also Hall's leader in many development classes, including the maxZ86 and America's Cup rigs. Hall Spars & Rigging manufactures high-performance, autoclave-cured carbon fibre masts, booms, spinnaker poles, and reaching struts for boats from 40 feet LOA to Super Yachts. Hall Spars & Rigging introduced autoclave curing to spar making in 1992, and lead the industry in tonnage of autoclave-cured laminates. Hall’s knowledge, experience, and processes are unrivalled. Hall’s 100% autoclave curing has no equal when it comes to ensuring strength by eliminating voids and optimising fibre straightness. With factories in the U.S. (20-meter autoclave) and Holland (40-meter autoclave), Hall creates spars for clients around the world. Hall is the provider of spars to Alinghi, Swiss Challenger for America¹s Cup 2003.

Iain Hall asks:
I'm close to placing an order for a 40 foot sportsboat (SA/D about 29 and 4 tonnes displ). I'm contemplating whether it would be better to order the boat with a carbon/pbo rig, in order to further optimise performance. Is it likely that the cost benefit ratio will make sense, bearing in mind a likely rating hit?


Dear Iain,

In the ideal world, there's no question that a sportboat deserves a light rig. In the real world, you'll have to consider your budget and rating rule before making a decision.

The budget decision is straightforward: If you're on a tight budget, aluminum may be your only choice. The rating issue is a bit more complicated, you need to look at how the rule treats carbon. With some rules, such as IMS, carbon is rated fairly. The mast is weighed, its center of gravity determined, and your rating is adjusted accordingly. If the rule is "harsh" (or more "arbitrary") in its treatment of carbon (such as the PHRF rule), the addition of a carbon rig may render you uncompetitive.

Keep in mind that some rules also outlaw the use of composite rigging.

So, study your budget and study the rule. If both allow it, I say: Go for the carbon, go for the PBO, go for performance. With the lighter rig and rigging, the performance difference will be dramatic. Weight savings with a carbon mast is 40% over an aluminum mast; savings with composite rigging over standard rigging is in the neighborhood of 80%! Your sport boat deserves it.

Ben Hall
VP Hall Spars & Rigging

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