cost of carbon fiber sailboat mast

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Carbon Fiber Mast Upgrade

Thread starter rgranger
Start date Aug 4, 2022
Forums for All Owners
Ask All Sailors

How long ago did you make the change?
What did it cost?
From whom did you source your rig?
What were the considerations/tradeoffs you had to make?
Why did you make the choice you made?
How did you determine this number?
Pitch and roll?
If you added height, did you work with a sail loft to determine how to cut the new sails to maintain the location of the CE?
Have there been any unwanted performance issues with the new rig?
Would you do it again?

Are you interested in a CF mast for a particular size or kind of boat? Or just general information? I just read an article on this a few days ago, if I can remember where it was I'll post it.

Don S/V ILLusion

We made the switch about 6 years ago. Went from an aluminum furling mast which we didn’t like for numerous reasons to a boom furler and carbon mast. The performance difference is startling! i don’t recall &&& which entailed the mast, boom, new rigging and new sails but suspect those are dependent on boat size which probably can’t be extrapolated. the weight aloft savings was substantial. I can only subjectively compare before/after sailing characteristics other than to say it depends on how you use your boat. If we sailed only locally, I wouldn’t recommend the switch. The only thing I don’t like about the new mast is it makes it much more difficult without steps to ascend the mast. Otherwise, we are very happy.

dlochner said: Are you interested in a CF mast for a particular size or kind of boat? Or just general information? I just read an article on this a few days ago, if I can remember where it was I'll post it. Click to expand

Don S/V ILLusion said: The only thing I don’t like about the new mast is it makes it much more difficult without steps to ascend the mast. Otherwise, we are very happy. Click to expand

rgranger said: Thanks Don So would it be possible to add steps to a CF mast or is there something intrinsic about CF masts that make that impracticle? Click to expand

don, did you make the masts taller?

jon hansen said: don, did you make the masts taller? Click to expand

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

The Nor’Sea is a well designed small cruising boat. A Lyle Hess design. Originally he designed wood boats. I loved he’s philosophy. Lyle Hess "any boat that points her bow out to sea should be designed so that the crew need not worry about a safe return--no matter what tricks the weather may play” He had a hand in the design of the Montgomery boats. The 15 was my first pocket cruiser. Tough little boat. True to the Hess philosophy. A NorSea would serve you well. Bob Perry has been recently designing boats with CF masts and hulls. There is a builder/shop in Anacortes WA that has developed molds and produced some of his designs. They might be helpful. I’ll see if I can find a link for you.

The Perry Carbon Cutter Project - 48° North

James Betts Enterprises, Inc. (Betts Boats)

I should imagine it would seriously change the weight aloft to keel ratio considerably. If any of you have been moored in the water without a mast, I'm sure you understand. The few crew I've talked to on mega-sailing yachts with carbon fiber/line rigging have mentioned around 2k # difference aloft. Perhaps it makes little noticeable difference on big boats like those, but without a marine architect I can't see it as a favorable improvement on any boat.

capta said: I should imagine it would seriously change the weight aloft to keel ratio considerably. If any of you have been moored in the water without a mast, I'm sure you understand. The few crew I've talked to on mega-sailing yachts with carbon fiber/line rigging have mentioned around 2k # difference aloft. Perhaps it makes little noticeable difference on big boats like those, but without a marine architect I can't see it as a favorable improvement on any boat. Click to expand

My boating buddy built a 29' sloop with a carbon fiber mast and gaff rig. The mast is set in a tabernacle. The gaff rig allows for a shorter mast without having a smaller mainsail. He can raise and lower the mast by himself with the aid of a tripod.

heritage said: My boating buddy built a 29' sloop with a carbon fiber mast and gaff rig. The mast is set in a tabernacle. The gaff rig allows for a shorter mast without having a smaller mainsail. He can raise and lower the mast by himself with the aid of a tripod. Click to expand

JohnShannon

Your best bet might be to find a carbon mast already mounted on a boat then buy that boat.

Barnacle Bill

Had two J/32's sailing side by side. One with an aluminum mast - the other with a a carbon rig. The carbon rig was able to carry the larger headsails much further into higher wind ranges. The other had to shorten sail. I think I remember the carbon rig eliminated something like 100 lbs aloft. It was a hefty price. I believe Hall Spars made that one. Selden Mast makes carbon rigs as well.

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Carbon Fiber Masts an Affordable Option on a Tartan

Far from ordinary.

How does a Tartan sailboat outperform the competition? One important aspect is their carbon fiber mast. Every Tartan sailboat is available with a very affordably priced carbon fiber mast. Read on to see how this high tech mast translates into improved speed and handling and adds value to your Tartan.

Light and Fast

This lower center of gravity results in a smoother ride, especially through rough seas or choppy waves, and allows the yacht to carry more sail area. In other words, the lower center of gravity lowers the amount of heel for the same amount of sail area, effectively making a Tartan yacht able to benefit from more sail area. A lightweight carbon fiber mast also has the added advantages of being easier to step and/or remove for storage, shipping, or inspections.

Factors of Safety

A carbon fiber mast enhances safety on several fronts. An additional benefit of the reduced weight includes an increase in your Tartan’s range of positive stability. This is an important consideration when venturing offshore. Further, the mast itself is engineered to exceed physical requirements.

Sometimes the idea of a carbon mast brings to mind the image of a failed racing experiment that was built with little to no factor of safety. Our masts are built with laminates engineered to reduce weight while increasing the factor of safety and ability to handle loading above anticipated conditions.

Lower Maintenance

It isn’t every day that you find something that increases performance while lowering maintenance, but that’s just what a carbon fiber mast does for your Tartan yacht. Carbon fiber does not corrode or weather. This is especially helpful with regards to the severity of the sun and salt, making carbon an obvious choice for the marine environment. In particular, painted carbon fiber requires minimal maintenance.

This is why all Tartan carbon fiber masts are painted. It would be nice to show off that carbon fiber appearance, but clear coated carbon doesn’t offer the same low-maintenance resilience with regard to its appearance. Paint flaking from carbon fiber is extremely rare, making a painted carbon fiber mast sleek and shiny for a long time to come.

Increased Longevity

Part of the appeal of a Tartan yacht is its ability to last through numerous owners and generations (if anyone is willing to give theirs up that is!). This philosophy extends to the carbon fiber mast as well. Building out of carbon, which is stiffer than aluminum, is an effective way to stretch the life of the mast, offering increased longevity. Why? Carbon fiber masts are stiffer than aluminum masts.

While you may not immediately associate this with increased longevity, the result is that carbon masts do not repeatedly bend and twist as an aluminum mast would. All of that bending and twisting of an aluminum mast adds up to a lot of fatigue over the years. The added stiffness of a carbon mast, exactly where it is needed, results in a substantially lower fatigue rate. Carbon fiber masts are estimated to last, and retain their strength, twice as long as an aluminum mast.

Carbon Fiber Mast Cost

At this point, you may be wondering why every yacht doesn’t have a carbon fiber mast. In most cases it boils down to cost. A carbon fiber mast typically costs 3-4 times more than an aluminum mast. If a carbon mast is offered as an upsell, it is at a premium expense.

On a 40-foot boat, a carbon fiber mast could be more than a $40,000 upgrade. However, at Tartan Yachts, we offer a carbon mast at a small upgrade charge over aluminum. In addition to being able to enjoy the benefits of a carbon fiber mast, Tartan owners are able to hold their yacht’s resale value due to their increased longevity and added value built into the carbon mast.

The Bottom Line

So, how does this all add up to increased performance and speed? First, there is the weight savings. Second, there is the lower center of gravity advantage that allows for a smoother, more comfortable ride and for more sail area to be carried. Third, the added stiffness of carbon fiber masts ensures the mast does not bend, twist or vibrate as much. Think of the power available from the wind as a finite amount.

All of that extra motion in an aluminum mast is using up the available power. A carbon mast more efficiently transfers the force of the wind directly into boat speed. We design our carbon fiber masts to have this additional stiffness, but still retain enough bend to allow for easy rig tuning. This gives the yacht controllable power. Each of these advantages alone would result in an obvious difference in speed and feel, but we take it one step further. Carbon fiber masts can be engineered, through different fabric weaves, orientations and thicknesses, to behave differently at different sections of the mast.

Instead of a uniform cross-section, each mast is custom engineered for optimum performance for that model’s sail plan. With the correct techniques, competitive sailors can adjust their rigging, sails, and sail trims to utilize this engineering in conditions from light breezes to heavy gusts. A fully engineered, optimized, carbon fiber mast can truly outperform the competition—and that is why Tartan does.

If you have questions about the construction of our carbon fiber sailboat masts, please contact a Tartan specialist today.