Sailboat carbon mast
Rondal

Rondal built its first carbon mast in 1996 – a 60-metre one-piece construction that defied industry conventions, not only because a one-piece mast of that size had never before been attempted but because Rondal also chose to invent its own design and construction process.
Working closely with the Dutch aerospace industry and Gurit/SP, Rondal set aside existing industry methods in favour of:

An 810m2 composite building hall, itself an oven capable of curing at up to 90°C
A prepreg and resin system jointly developed between Rondal and Gurit/SP - now the industry standard for vacuum-bagged curing
Full-length fore and aft inner mast shells to carry halyard systems, cabling and vents, in addition to local reinforcements for high-loaded areas
A vacuum-bagged mast lamination system incorporating two or three curing stages (depending on size) at increasing temperatures to ensure even resin flows, as well as 100% vacuum efficiency.
Mast shells and laminates constructed, vacuum-bagged and cured within the same frames, without any need to move them.

The benefits include the integrity of a one-piece mast with no interruption to longitudinal fibres, minimal void content and no constraints on achieving optimum bend characteristics; assured mast straightness; mast taper options; no limitations on section shape; reliable weight prediction; and very high quality assurance supported by fully independent testing.
Rondal’s experience-and-information-rich relationships with leading sail makers and rigging suppliers ensure the perfect optimisation for every project.