All articles by Bob Greenwood – Page 4

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Marketplace: Marina equipment

2007-12-01T10:38:00Z

Global economic ups and downs aside, the space available to keep boats has a direct bearing on boating market growth. Berth provision varies from region to region, but increasing boat sizes, shortages of sites, planning authorities’ attitudes and an ever-growing welter of environmental regulation all put pressure on boating infrastructure. ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Sparcraft - volume in aluminium

2007-11-01T14:32:00Z

French sparmaker Sparcraft has been manufacturing masts for more than 30 years. Today it operates from two mast factories in France, from one in the USA (Charleston Spar) as well as one rigging factory in France. Altogether, the group produces around 7,000 masts and rigs a year with a workforce ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Offshore Spars - Finnish carbon production starts

2007-11-01T14:31:00Z

In 2002 Offshore Spars supplemented spar production at its factory in Chesterfield, Michigan, where it has been mast-building since 1976, with a new manufacturing plant in Jakobstad, Finland. This almost doubled its total production area by adding 2,000m² to its existing US capacity of 2,200m². Then, in November ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Seldén Mast - Embracing carbon

2007-11-01T14:31:00Z

With an annual group production of more than 10,000 dinghy masts, 6,000 yacht masts, plus a range of related hardware and accessories including its Furlex headsail furler range, Sweden’s Seldén group lays claim to being the biggest manufacturer of masts and rigging in the world. Seldén group was founded by ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Nordic Mast - moving up in carbon

2007-11-01T14:30:00Z

Having manufactured only aluminium spars for the first 15 years of its life, Nordic Mast added carbonfibre spar production 10 years ago. Now, since it sold its aluminium business to John Mast at the beginning of this year, it has turned exclusively to carbon masts and related products.Nordic today has ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Mastermasten — aluminium masts

2007-11-01T14:29:00Z

Based at Wervershoof, Netherlands, Mastermasten custom-builds aluminium masts for boats up to 18m (60ft). Rather than using prefabricated aluminium extrusions, it welds its own sections in lengths up to 25m (82ft) as well as stainless steel components.The company has been in operation for six years, having grown out of the ...

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Marketplace | Spars: John Mast — from father to son

2007-11-01T14:28:00Z

In 1971 John Christensen built his first mast in the loft of his house in Denmark. Since then his company, John Mast, has produced more than 45,000 spars, taking as its philosophy that masts and booms should be solid, functional and of a top-notch design. At the 8000m² John Mast ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Future Fibres — a new direction in standing rigging

2007-11-01T14:27:00Z

Having introduced composite materials into the standing rigging market, Future Fibres can claim to have revolutionised the top end of the rigging business. Its wound unidirectional PBO standing rigging first appeared on race boats in 1999, offering lighter rigs with less windage compared with rod rigging, and at least as ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Hall Spars — top on carbon tonnage

2007-11-01T14:27:00Z

Although it doesn’t give output figures, Hall Spars and Rigging says that the total tonnage of carbon that it uses each year to produce composite spars is far greater than that used by any other spar manufacturer. The company, which started operations in Bristol, Rhode Island in 1980, produces one-piece, ...

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Marketplace | Spars: FurlerBoom — reefing in composites

2007-11-01T14:26:00Z

In-boom reefing systems manufactured by Danish company FurlerBoom are housed in spars moulded in both glassfibre and carbon reinforced composites. Over the past two years FurlerBoom has changed its lamination method from hand layup to 95 per cent seamless vacuum infusion moulding as the company has reoriented its marketing from ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Formula for growth

2007-11-01T14:25:00Z

Formula Yacht Spars was incorporated in the late 1990s to design, engineer and build quality yacht spars in both carbonfibre and aluminium. Since then, the company, which is based at Lymington on England’s south coast, has grown steadily, providing grand prix and cruising spars as well as complete rig and ...

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Marketplace | Spars: Forespar — from whisker poles to full-on spar building

2007-11-01T14:24:00Z

Robert Foresman started Forespar Products Corporation 42 years ago to manufacture a telescopic whisker pole. Since then the privately owned company based at Rancho Santa Margarita, California, has gradually expanded its manufacturing capability to produce spars in both aluminium alloy and carbon composite as part of a broad range of ...

Article

Marketplace: Spars

2007-11-01T14:23:00Z

The spar market has moved significantly towards carbon composites over the past few years, but are carbon spars poised to displace aluminium, the mainstay of the volume mast builders for many decades? In the spar business, that’s now a hotly contested issue.

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Processes | Zodiac’s RTM: Cash injection

2007-10-01T11:05:00Z

Zodiac is reinforcing its position as the world’s largest producer of inflatables and RIBs with significant investment in RTM (resin transfer moulding) methods. Bob Greenwood visited the group’s expanded moulding plant near Bordeaux to see how this process is progressing.

Article

Backlog | Ben Hall:

2007-10-01T10:03:00Z

The rise in demand for carbonfibre fuelling higher prices has not slowed the growth of the carbon composite spar business, as Ben Hall, vice president of Hall Spars & Rigging, tells Bob Greenwood.

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Marketplace | Outboards for 2008: Yamaha 350hp - now the world’s most powerful production outboard

2007-10-01T09:37:00Z

While three of its main competitors were upping their game to 300hp, Yamaha leapt over them all by launching a new 350hp model at this year’s Miami boat show and claiming the titles not only for the world’s most powerful production outboard ever, but also the first V8 four-stroke outboard.The ...

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Marketplace | Outboards for 2008: Tohatsu adds four-strokes

2007-10-01T09:36:00Z

Tohatsu’s two- and four-stroke outboards are aimed mainly at the commercial and workboat markets, but are also sold to recreational mariners. At the foot of the range are the four-stroke models, comprising 11 units from 2-30hp, with fuel injection for the larger models. For 2008 two new models, rated at ...

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Marketplace | Outboards for 2008: Torqeedo - high-efficiency electric outboards

2007-10-01T09:36:00Z

With the aim of providing an environmentally neutral alternative to small petrol outboards, German company Torqueedo entered the boating market in January last year when it launched its Travel 400 and 800 and Cruise 2.0 outboards powered by lithium-manganese batteries. With an energy density that’s four to 10 times higher ...

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Marketplace | Outboards for 2008: Sword Marine brings diesel jets to outboard propulsion

2007-10-01T09:35:00Z

Outboards have been adapted by Honda for jet drives (in 35, 65 and 105hp versions) and, this year, by Mercury (as an option with its 25 and 40EFI four-stroke outboards), offering boaters the possibility to navigate shallow waters that are not accessible to conventional outboards. A Florida company has made ...

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Marketplace | Outboards for 2008: Selva Marine - small and resourceful

2007-10-01T09:34:00Z

Selva, based in Tirano, northern Italy, is a rarity in the outboards business. Far smaller than its competitors in that it produces only about 9,000 outboards a year, it is nevertheless a strong regional player that also has a presence in a wide scattering of 45 export markets. Although its ...