Source for carbon fiber rudder post

[justonemoreproject]

Does anyone know where to buy a carbon fiber rudder post? There was a place in Massachusetts called Composite World, but they have closed. Any ideas?

Thanks

[xort]

Are you sure you really want a carbon fiber rudder post? They don't show stress very well, just break without warning. Hunter experimented with them and a lot of owners have switched out for SS.

[sailingdog]

I would second what Xort said. Carbon fiber has a nasty tendency to fail without warning. It also has a problem if you scratch the laminate, since that can cause a potential failure point. When Carbon Fiber bicycles first came out, there were some really nasty failures due the the frames being scratched in collisions and then failing without warning a while later.

[Giulietta]

Just,

Contact Selden Spars and Charlston Spar

[justonemoreproject]

Thanks for all your replies.

I heard CF was the best for rudder posts because it does not suffer from corrosion and it is stronger then steel. For added strength, foam can be used to fill the inside. But I am not an expert. I will look into it.

I found a source called Carbon Fiber Tubeshop and
Forte Carbon. Does any one know anything about them?
By the way,

[Giulietta]

Just..really...forget about it...

I have experienced (on my boat's twin sister), tests with composite rudder shafts...all failed due to complex torsion stresses coupled with lateral stress.

The vertical fibers have no resistance to the forces...it's a good idea, but not quite developped yet..

Mine is Alluminium, made by Lewmar.

If you expererience ruddrer shaft corrosion, put an anode..I have one on my rudder, that I remove when sailing.

[xort]

Just
You are right about the benefits of CF but that leaves out the nasty negatives. CF is nice for a lot of things but for something critical like a rudder...

[sailingdog]

One other point that you may not have considered... Graphite, the primary component of carbon fiber laminates, is very high on the anodic scale, and using a carbon fiber rudder post may put nearby underwater hardware at greater risk of galvanic corrosion. IMHO, really not worth the expense... Also consider, if you sail anywhere remote, a CF rudder post is going to be far more difficult to repair than a stainless steel, bronze or aluminum one would be.

[sww914]

I'd rather have a bent rudder shaft than a shattered one. Carbon fiber is brittle compared to metal.

[billyruffn]

Where are you located? If there's a really good boat yard in your area you might ask there. By "really good" I mean, do they build custom boats? If they use a lot of high tech materials so much the better? One such place is New England BoatWorks in Portsmouth, RI (New England Boatworks  Builders of advanced composite sailing and power yachts) -- they might be able to steer you in the right direction. Call 401-683-4000 and ask for Ian.