Actually Wouter had very little to do with my post, just good old common sense enginnering dictated that.

Your comment that an AC mast costs in excess of $1000000 dollars sort of confirms things as there certainly isn't that sort of cost in composite materials more like 10K max ( you can buy an awful lot of carbon rovings for 10K ) my guess is that an awful lot of masts are made and scrapped, you just never are told about it.

If the manufacturer struck lucky with the first couple then man he certainly would be makiing fast bucks <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />