13 Nov, 2024
6 mins read

1001 Vela Cup: Kiel students before the start in Trieste – “extremely important to be here”

Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP) has been the benchmark in yacht building since the 1970s. However, the composite material is controversial: its production consumes a lot of energy and the epoxy resins used to laminate the glass fiber layers are based on crude oil. What’s more, GRP cannot be recycled satisfactorily. For this reason, efforts […]

15 mins read

Technology: Causes of rudder breakage and how to avoid it

When it comes to the minimum requirements for yacht steering systems, the Recreational Craft Directive 2013/53/EU is so meagre that it could be omitted. Point 5.4 states: “Steering and propulsion control systems shall be designed, constructed and installed in such a way as to enable the transmission of steering forces under foreseeable operating conditions.” Consequently, […]