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X-332 Glidex's new Cuben Carbon No.2 Genoa approaches completion |
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Cuben Fiber Sails Development
Since we produced our first Cuben Fiber sails back in 2000 the material
has gained a relatively small but dedicated following. As well as
racing boats Cuben Fiber is seen on an increasing number of cruising
boats who appreciate its excellent shape holding, light weight and
high resistance to UV and flex fatigue.
The fabric is a development of the cloth used to win America's Cup
in 1992 and features unidirectional prepreg tapes of inline plasma-treated
Spectra 2000. The CF process involves neither twists nor weaves and
utilises tiny filaments of Spectra to form a continuous sheet of fiber
which is then laminated in an autoclave under high temperature and
pressure. As the filaments are so tiny the resultant fabric is exceptionally
thin and has a very high fibre-to-adhesive ratio.
CF sails are very light and unlike most laminates retain nearly 100%
strength after being folded 250 times. New for 2003 we are now able
to offer Cuben Fiber featuring Carbon. This increases the fabric's
performance to unprecedented levels.
We are currently producing Cuben with Carbon sails for Ian Dawson's
new X-332 GlideX. As an example the CNZ30K fabric, which we are using
to produce the boat's No.2, weighs 3.45oz and has a 1% of 720 lbs.
The 1% of a comparable weight Kevlar fabric is about 280 lbs. (The
1% figure is the load needed to elongate a 2" wide strip of the
fabric by 1%).
To find out how Cuben sails with Carbon can give you a performance
advantage contact Roger now.
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