Eric:

That is a fair estimate of a carbon mast cost. However, it is based on current demand for carbon tubes. Remember aluminum masts were once very exotic and expensive items. We probably owe cheap aluminum masts to the "decorative street light" or something similar for making aluminum extrusions really cheap.

The price for small diameter (12mm- 35mm) carbon tubes has really dropped over the last 5 years. This is the result making everything from tennis rackets to flag holders out of carbon. The technology has changed too. Where they once layed up fabric over male molds, they now use knit tubes and rotary mandrels (they kind of look like a pasta maker) to form cold prepreg.

For larger tubes, they are now knitting over mandrels. You can make complex masts with this process and the labor costs are really low.


I predict cheaper light weight masts in the future but I am not convinced It will be carbon fiber as we know it. The carbon epoxy composites are suitable to light weight high quality structures. The are not easy to produce in large quantity. A different process that is better adapted to high volume could take over. For example, if the metal extrusion industry comes up with a really good metallic composite that can be worked by existing machinery, it could kill the volume carbon composite business.