Darryll is refering mostly to other points then durability and that was the question.

Aswer the question of what effect UV and Weather has on properly anodised aluminium. Could an aluminium mast survive 30 years of beachside parking in the sun ? To my personal experience the answer is yes; I had a 1974 Prindle 16 that I sold in 2004. One that was parked 6 months at the time in the sun and sandstorms. Yes it had been degrading by the influence of acids and salt (the white spots) around the fittings but it didn't fail and wasn't about too.

Shall we put a carbon mast through the same measure of abuse ?

UV coating is all fine but it is only a method of slowing down UV degradation. Quite effectively I might add but slowing down over stopping notheless.

I've seen alu mast after being sandblasted in sandstorms for over 20 hours. On the lower part of the mast, the top layer of aluminium oxide was blown away but under the action of salt an new layer was formed. Now do this with a carbon mast. That UV protection layer will not grow back on its own, no matter what other people say.

No I don't think todays carbon masts are something other then durable, but alu wins out just the same in the long run.

Same with carbon beams or extually even more so.

Now if you trailer your boat all the time and can keep it out of the sunlight and weather then carbon mast will go on a very long time, possibly 30 years or more. It is not that carbon is fragile. It is just that whatever abuse to put it through alu will hold out longer.

Wouter