Carbon Spars
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Seldén carbon spars Seldén was founded in 1960 and has grown to become the world leading spar producer with manufacturing facilities in Europe, USA and Asia. Our products and processes combine reliable and tested methods with the latest technology that enable us to produce spars for Olympic and World Champions, offshore racers, blue water cruisers and family sailors alike. It is this experience and knowledge that we have applied to our latest generation of carbon spars. Our carbon spars are designed using the latest finite element analysis backed by many years of solid engineering...

Why go carbon? All over the world Dinghy, Keelboat and Yacht sailors are enjoying the benefits of Seldén carbon spars for both racing and cruising.  Carbon masts are lighter: less weight in the rig increases righting moment and reduces pitching for more performance and more comfortable sailing.  Carbon masts are stiffer: improved control of mast bend improves sail shape and reduces forestay sag, more performance and higher pointing.  Carbon booms are up to 40% lighter: less weight in the boat and on the mainsail leech increases performance. Lighter booms have less momentum making for...

Cross section  Pre-preg construction: all tubes are made using 100% pre-preg materials. No wet lay-up is used. Autoclave cured for near perfect consolidation and void free laminate.  Seamless tubes: using a male mandrel makes a single piece tube. The need for vertical joins and joints using screws and filler is eliminated.  MFM: straight, thin filaments of carbon fibre are laid on a male mould. Fibre is applied under high tension to ensure straightness and a compact lay-up.  CNC: carbon is laid by a computer controlled head. Consistent, accurate, repeatable, no human error.  Autoclave...

At Seldén every rig is specifically designed and engineered for each boat. We base our mathematical dimensioning on data supplied by the yacht designer using our ‘rig facts form’ . 100% Pre-Preg Carbon All our spars are made from pre-preg meaning that the fibre is coated in the precise amount of epoxy resin for optimum lamination. This allows us to build a lighter, stronger spar because for a given weight we have a higher ratio of carbon to resin. No wet lay-up is used anywhere on our spars. This is used by our ‘Rigcalc’ team to calculate the righting moment of the boat which determines...

Mandrel Filament Moulding (MFM) Shrink wrapping When the lay-up is complete the delivery head sheathes the mandrel/carbon combination in heat shrink tape. It is then removed from the MFM machine, enclosed in a vacuumed bag and prepared for the curing process. Autoclave cured All Seldén carbon spars are autoclave cured. An autoclave is a pressurised curing oven. The secret to making a strong laminate is to use precisely the correct balance of heat and pressure to squeeze and cure the spar. Our system is computer controlled and runs a complex cure cycle to ensure optimum consolidation of the...

Natural: Dinghy spars and spinnaker poles are supplied with no additional painted finish. The resin system used in the manufacture of all our carbon spars includes a UV inhibitor to protect the epoxy resin. A black pigment is also added to the resin to further improve UV resistance. A natural finish and the limited UV resistance it provides is ideal for spars where weight and cost are critical. Seldén carbon spars are available with a choice of 5 quality levels of surface finish. Which quality you choose depends on the type of boat and the requirement of the spar. Standard Clear: In this...

Specialist fittings – masts All Seldén yacht carbon spars are fitted with carbon head boxes, boom brackets and vang brackets as standard. Seldén is world renowned for the quality of the fittings on our aluminium spars. Where appropriate the same fittings are used on carbon spars, in other applications dedicated fittings have been designed. Mainsail Track All Seldén carbon yachts spars are fitted with carbon headboxes. These incorporate sheaves for main halyards and masthead spinnakers if required. They are removable for maintenance. Seldén carbon yacht masts come with stainless steel...

Specialist fittings – booms Seldén ‘Y’ boom The Seldén ‘Y’ boom is a Park Avenue type carbon boom designed to allow easier reefing and sail stowage for the larger cruising yacht. Lazy jacks guide the sail on to the top of the boom while the beautifully shaped wings of the ‘Y’ boom help to catch and retain the mainsail when lowered. A sail cover is then zip closed over the top of the sail. Single line reefing and boom lights can be specified as options. ‘Y’ booms can only be supplied with a painted finish. End Fittings Inboard end fittings are machined aluminium. They have integrated slots...

Spinnaker poles Gennaker bowsprits A carbon spinnaker pole is a popular upgrade for both cruising and racing sailors. Carbon poles are up to 40% lighter than an aluminium equivalent. This makes them much easier to handle during hoists, gybes and drops, as well as reducing line loads on the topping lift. Seldén carbon poles are available for boats up to 70ft. Seldén gennaker bowsprits are available as an easy to fit kit. A range of bow fittings are available to fit most boats which allow the pole to be easily extended and retracted. Complete pole and launch systems can also be supplied for...

The Seldén Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of mast and rigging systems in carbon and aluminium for dinghies, keelboats and yachts. . Our well known brands are Seldén and Furlex. The world-wide success of Furlex has enabled us to build a network of over 750 authorised dealers covering the world’s marine markets. So wherever you sail, you can be sure of fast access to our service, spare parts and know-how. SELDÉN and FURLEX are registered trademarks of Seldén Mast AB. Seldén Mast Asia Ltd, Hong Kong Tel +852 3572 0613 Fax +852 3572 0623 e-mail info@seldenmast.com.hk