56 PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDER
DESIGN: Hybrid Wing
huge oven utilizes only the segments
required for the length of a given mold-
ing. Some small prepreg parts were
“cooking” in a single segment while we
were there.
Prepregs have the prime advantage
of maintaining ber straightness dur-
ing layup, substantially improving the
multiple CNC-cut plugs and their
resulting resin-infused molds for a
range of boats, wings, and foils. Smyth
described how the 62' wing’s prepreg-
carbon D-section spar was molded in
one piece and post-cured in the shop’s
95 '-long (29m) segmented, telescoping
oven. Built on rails, this potentially
for maximizing their overall section
shape to suit varying conditions. To
the same end, the hybrid wing’s so
and rigid elements can be sheeted
independently to produce the desired
twist-o near the top and a bit of
overtrim down low.
Scattered about the shop were
Above—In this view up the hybrid wing while under way, the transition from
rigid wing element, right, to battened soft sail is awless. Right—Complex com-
posite structures, from solid carbon foils to light foam-cored skin structures, are
standard fare at Fast Forward Composites.
AARON PORTER
HybridWing170-ADFinal.indd 56 10/31/17 3:04 PM