Reply To: OKDIA to ban high modulus carbon??
@robert wrote:
There is absolutely NO intention whatsoever to ban ‘many’ current masts. If we have to ban one then, in my opinion, that is one too many.
This issue arose after Poland when OKDIA was advised that people were about to spend £2000 on masts constructed from high-modulus carbon. OKDIA took the only action it could to stop this happening, which most people agree was the proper thing to do. What comes next is down to the Technical Committee. However, any proposal or rule change it presents (even if it is brought it on emergency measures) will have to go to membership for approval at the next AGM.
OKDIA is talking to all mast builders to gather information and advice on the best way forward. There are a lot of varying opinions on what this is.
Even if we cannot test for high-modulus carbon (as far as I know there is no way to test), the onus is on the mast builder to build within the rules and he knows he will have a lot of problems if he is found breaking them. Cheats will always cheat, but I trust there are none in the OK class.
Now for some this is not good enough, and they will say we must have a rule that can be tested. But if the only option to limit price increases is to have an untestable rule set in trust, then perhaps that is the way to go. (One other option apparently is to change the dimensions of the mast to negate the effect of using high modulus, but that’s a whole different kettle of fish.)
Robert
Who advised OKDIA a high mod mast was going to cost 2000 pounds (aboutNZ$6000)? The only NZ high mod mast cost NZ$3200, celidhs which also contain high mod carbon cost more. This whole business and website release appears to be poorly thought out and a knee jerk reaction to unsubstantiated price rumours. To draft a rule changing mast dimensions is just further insanity and will result in even more masts becoming needlessly illegal. A current rules compliant mast is unable to have a lot of high mod carbon in it anyway if it is to comply with the weight and cog requirements! It is lunacy to try and ban something you can’t test for. The issue of using high mod carbon was debated on the main website forum when carbon masts were first made. Then as I do now people largely regarded it as a non issue for the reasons outlined above….OKDIA for gods sake show some sense and stop second guessing the decisions you made back then!
OKDIA has only two choices- to allow carbon masts (using whatever mod carbon mixtures you like) or ban all carbon masts.
