The Case for Carbon Rigging
High-tech materials are no longer reserved for Pro teams.
All sailors can benefit from the weight-savings, righting-moment/pitching, and performance of solid carbon rigging -- while enjoying the durability and reliability of composite materials. When stacked up against alternative rigging options, LS Carbon wins. LS Carbon rigging packs a lot of power in a small package: the lowest stretch, longest lifespan, and smallest weight-size ratio, makes it a sleek but sturdy product.
Invest in rigging that lasts as long as your mast.
A carbon fiber rig deserves carbon fiber rigging. Race boats and more performance cruisers are choosing carbon fiber for spars, why not also carbon fiber rigging? Life expectancy on LS Carbon is 15+ years, and overall cost of ownership beats alternatives like rod and PBO.
Read more about the Case for Carbon below.
Weight Savings
Average 75% weight savings from metal rigging alternatives
Righting Moment
Less weight aloft means more righting moment from your keel
Durability
Lasts 3x longer than metal rigging. No corrosion, fatigue or degradation.
Low Stretch
Best stiffness (EA) for rigging cable's size and weight compared to alternatives.
Dimensional Stability
Unlike textiles, carbon has no stretch or movement by environmental factor
Value
Over double the lifespan of rod or PBO, but priced in line, LS Carbon provides the best performance and financial value.
BEST VALUED RIGGING.
Value is determined by investment over the lifespan, and LS Carbon offers the best rigging value. LS Carbon is the most affordable carbon rigging option on the market due to low maintenance, ease of shipping, installation, and ownership.
BEST MATERIAL, PERIOD.
Carbon Fiber has the best dimensional stability and performance of all rigging material options. Unlike textiles, carbon has virtually no stretch or movement by environmental factor. LS Carbon is constructed with a uniform load path structure of a single, continuously wound fiber thread to create an innovative carbon cable that is solid, yet flexible.
The LS Difference
Our raw carbon fiber materials come from industry-leader Toray. The T-700 (LS Carbon) and T-800 (LS Carbon Pro) are intermediate grade carbon fibers, providing the best combination of tensile strength and durability for the task.
The LS Difference is in our process. LS Carbon & Pro products are both solid carbon cables made of innovatively wound fibers that are sealed with our proprietary LS resin. Our resins are cured in-house, so all products are coiled and shipped ready to install.
Carbon fiber rigging is our craft. Our finishing work showcases the modern elegance of carbon fiber. LS Carbon is available bare -- a sleek and smooth jet-black finish that can be visibly inspected for damages. The carbon cable is finished with an integral Technora fiber blend that protects against chafe without adding bulk of a cover to the cable.
Titanium terminals complement our high-tech carbon rigging. These streamlined and retrofittable Titanium terminations are constructed from a high-grade structural alloy that is light-weight, but strong. LS also uses 17-4 Stainless Steel that avoids galvanic corrosion issues with carbon, and won't gore.
LS Carbon is our principal product line, offering an introductory carbon fiber rigging option that is most accessible in terms of price point and maintenance. LS Carbon Pro offers more performance features tailored to race teams, appropriate for side rigging only.
We are currently manufacturing solid carbon fiber standing rigging and structural cables, both flexible and semi rigid, which can be profiled for superior aerodynamics. Light Speed Rigging currently builds cables from 750kg (1,653lb) up to 42,500kg (93,700lb) break loads.
Carbon Fiber Rigging Myths
Fragile
LS Carbon is sleek AND sturdy — constructed with an integral Technora blend and flexible resin for optimal chafe and impact resistance.
Expensive
Over double the lifespan of rod or PBO, LS Carbon provides the best performance and financial value.
Complex
All LS Carbon rigging solutions are easily retrofittable. LS Carbon is designed to be manageable: easy to install and maintain.