aramid resists so well. Aramid is also used extensively for structural furling cables within code zeros and jibs, and the company has been involved in ground-breaking superyacht projects involving the development of systems to store large furled sails on drums installed under the foredeck as well as smaller raceboats such as Class40s. PBO cables are of similar
weight to carbon fibre rigging, with the advantage that they are easier to handle, but with the disadvantage that life-spans are lower than with carbon fibre. PBO rigging is therefore used on smaller high-end race yachts willing to accept more regular servicing and replacement intervals, and who appreciate PBO’s ease of handling when boats are regularly trailered or shipped around the world. For performance-orientated boats
that don’t need to be packed into a container on a regular basis solid carbon fibre rigging is the obvious choice. The product beats aramid on weight and PBO on longevity, with the only real disadvantage being the difficulty in handling and transport. The weight savings compared with wire or rod rigging depend on the size of the boat but are in the range of 50-80 per cent. SmartRigging’s precision-winding
techniques ensures that load is shared more evenly throughout their cables than that of their competitors, leading to higher breaking loads and a longer design life for a cable of any given stiffness or Young’s Modulus. Cables can be load tested using in-house test-bed. The thinnest fibre rigging available
is suitable for replacing 4mm wire. SmartRigging manufacture their own end-fittings from titanium, and keeping this production in-house gives them the flexibility to tailor products to both ends of the size spectrum. The smallest boat they
Top left: SmartRigging manufactures its own end
ttings from titanium. Top middle: a staysail furling strop for the Baltic 117 Perser- verance. Top right: carbon bre rigging is the company’s mainstay. Above: BigLift Shipping’s m.v. Happy Sky, with a super yjib
are currently working on is an 18ft catamaran, although a higher profile example is the revolutionary QuantFX lake foiler which has pushed the boundaries of weight reduction throughout design and manufacture of the entire boat. But what makes SmartRigging
stand out from other composite rigging manufacturers? ‘Our key competitors have been bought by sail and/or mast manufacturers,’ says SmartRigging’s head of sales Constantijn Weber. ‘Commercially it helps them a lot, as the sailmakers who own them obviously recommend them. But we have a huge amount of very specialist expertise here at SmartRigging, due in part to revenue brought in by the industrial arm of the business, the best manufacturing equipment on the market. Our products are totally custom
made, which means we can make relatively cost-effective aramid rigging for small sportsboats but also super-high-end products as well. In short, we have an expert team who can deliver cost-effective solutions on short lead times which are individually tailored to the exact
need of any given client. ‘The build-quality has helped
us win business with some of the world’s most prestigious superyachts and some of the world’s most prestigious yards. Recent series-build examples using our carbon product include the Baltic 67, the Maxi Dolphin 62 and the innovative Botin-designed Maxi Dolphin 55 featuring a runnerless Marstrom rig and SmartRigging’s aerofoil profiled rigging. ‘When it comes to superyachts
the magnificent F-class Gio (ex Firefly), which was launched in 2011, has just undergone a full refit after 11 years to carbon rigging. Refits are a significant part of our business, and we have recently replaced the PBO rigging of the 63m schooner Athos with carbon rigging as well. In addition, McConaghy 60s, HH44s and Kinetic 54s all use SmartRigging stays,’ Weber explains. If it’s good enough for the America’s Cup team, then it’s probably good enough for anyone. Within the sailing world, recommendations don’t really come much better than that.
www.smartrigging.com
❑ SEAHORSE 73
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