Glossary · Hull & structure
Carbon fibre
Also called: Fibre de carbone, carbone, carbon, carbon fiber
A very stiff and light composite material, the standard of racing boats.
Carbon fibre, set in resin, gives parts that are both very stiff and very light. Hulls, masts, foils, rudders and booms of offshore racing boats are nowadays almost all carbon.
Its stiffness transmits all the power of the sails without distortion, but it is expensive and has a significant environmental footprint, which leads classes to regulate its use or to test alternative fibres.
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