Carbon Gooseneck

[spaldi01]

I am planning on making a ball raced gooseneck for my new boat and the method I am considering doing it in will IMHO streach the rules. So I would like your advice and comments before going to the trouble of making it and presenting it to my club measurer. My specific questions are:

Can I make a gooseneck (or any other spar fitting ie a boom band) out of carbon fibre, or am I limited to wood and aluminium only?
If I am limited to wood or aluminium, can I lash it to with dyneema or dacron cord to the mast?
If I can lash it to the mast can I then coat the lashing in epoxy for additional security?
If I can do the above could I use; a glass fibre, carbon or kevlar tow for the lashing? Which is then coated in epoxy? Doing this would stiffen the mast at a critical area but as I see it, it would not be in the spirit of the rules, but all I want to do is connect the gooseneck to the mast and I haven’t seen anything in the rules which stops me doing this.

Thanks in advance

Chris

[awallin]

I am planning on making a ball raced gooseneck for my new boat and the method I am considering doing it in will IMHO streach the rules. So I would like your advice and comments before going to the trouble of making it and presenting it to my club measurer. My specific questions are:

Can I make a gooseneck (or any other spar fitting ie a boom band) out of carbon fibre, or am I limited to wood and aluminium only?

Yes you can. Michael scharmer used a cf gooseneck fitting in Arcos, see
http://el-servo.physics.helsinki.fi/per ... ct2881.jpg

If I am limited to wood or aluminium, can I lash it to with dyneema or dacron cord to the mast?
If I can lash it to the mast can I then coat the lashing in epoxy for additional security?
If I can do the above could I use; a glass fibre, carbon or kevlar tow for the lashing? Which is then coated in epoxy? Doing this would stiffen the mast at a critical area but as I see it, it would not be in the spirit of the rules, but all I want to do is connect the gooseneck to the mast and I haven’t seen anything in the rules which stops me doing this.
Thanks in advance
Chris

the material rules(wood/aluminium) apply to the spars. as I understand it fittings can be of any material. keep in mind class rule F.2.3:

F.2.3 LIMITATIONS
The function of items shall be limited to what is normally provided by items of their type.

so fittings which are overly large to stiffen the spar are not permitted.