plummet wrote:That is some insane fastidiousness for a first build!
I love it.
Interestingly my wet layup, vac bag,carbon bamboo core build also weighs 3kg. My flex test is 12mm flex, 8mm torsion.
So as far a weight and stiffness is concerned, very similar.
How has your learning progress been?
Have you tried different aoa's of the rear wing relative to front?
Cheers Plummet.
From my experience as a mechanical engineer ,weights measures and methods can all give such varied results . But good on you too , I have read some of your experiences.
Comparing my foil mast and fuselage to the current "AXIS" race foil it is almost identical in weight , bending (flex) and torsional stiffness. My crash test dummy is a rider for them.
I know that the America's cup TeamNZ tried many versions of rudders and like components (long and slender) with different cores inside a carbon layup but eventually came to the conclusion that solid carbon was the only solution for max rigidity. I think that would be the case with most top end kite foils too , but not certain. The other important design point is that the thinner the section thickness the more difficult it is to obtain the rigidity. My mast is 105mm at top end 13mm thick and 100mm at fuselage 12mm thick. Probably like you too , it is all a learning process when building anything . That is part of the excitement of doing it.
In terms of riding , I have done around 12-15 hours on the water to date. I can ride both directions no problem. Not doing any s curves yet , just building confidence.
Setup , I had set the AOA of the rear wing at -3deg ,but after my Crash Test Dummy rode the setup he felt that it was to much. So I reduced to-2deg. But until I get the skill level up I won't touch it . As they say a tradesman never blames his tools.
What are the dimensions of your mast ?