New products from Selden
Seldens new carbon friendly mast foot.
Selden has been busy investing in improvements to its Proctor range of fittings over the last year, and has introduced a number of new products recently.
The company claims that the carbon spinnaker pole is 30 per cent lighter than its equivalent alloy version; whilst being twice as stiff. "The increased stiffness will be most noticeable on a tight reach where so much drive from the spinnaker can be lost through poles flexing, " explained Chips Howarth, Selden's Product Manager.
Selden manufactures the pole on a highly consistent filamentwinding machine, the same machine it uses for Proctor profiled carbon masts.
The new carbon spinnaker pole is complemented with the latest pole end design, which is also suited for use on Proctor's alloy poles. After gaining feedback from the top dinghy sailors, Selden says it has been able to build many unique features into the end fitting including a significantly stronger 'beak'; a cleverly profiled 'beak'to allow the rope to sit away from the plunger giving a more secure attachment; more positive trigger; a new design spring mechanism to allow easy flushing out of sand and salt.
The new pole end was thoroughly tested by the Olympic 470 teams from Great Britain, Portugal and Spain this winter.
Olympic 470 crew Jo Glanfield, commented, 'The new Proctor pole ends are great, I think the positive plunger has been the biggest improvement. I am sure I am gybing quicker now!'
Also new from the company is a range of super light, 'carbonfriendly' mast feet and adaptors for use on all Proctor dinghy mast extrusions. Two types of inter changeable mast feet - standard and multi-sheave - have been designed to work alongside a series of section adaptors.
The new design reduces the number of mast feet stockists need to hold, and makes it easier to install and retrofit.
A feature of the new mast foot is the slight radius on the bearing surface to help spread the load of the mast and ensure a constant load distribution through the full range of rake. A locating notch has been incorporated into its design to aid when stepping the mast, and an "A-line" is used on all fittings to help guarantee perfect alignment between the foot and mast section.
The multi sheave mast foot is available with 3, 4, 5 or 6 sheaves. Each sheave can easily be interchanged for ones of different strength, diameter, or with ball bearing. By opening the blue 'Proctor' clip at the side of the mast foot, the central pin locating the sheaves can be removed and sheaves easily replaced or transferred.
Injection moulded from an advanced composite, the new mast feet and adaptors are significantly lighter than aluminium products, have high shear strength and are designed to be very durable. Unlike the more traditional alloy mast feet, this new range does not react with carbon.
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