Inspired by aerospace weight-saving practice, the original stainless steel bobstay anchor was replaced by a much lighter carbon version. Built in a similar way to the carbon chainplates, this custom anchor significantly reduces weight in the bow without compromising strength.
Carbon bobstay anchor
Some time ago I was invited to have a look at the composite department of Stork Aerospace. One of the things that stood out was how much effort goes into saving weight at the extreme ends of aircraft and wings. That immediately made me think of the rather heavy bobstay anchor in the bow of the F-39.
Although I had already prepared the stainless steel anchor specified in the plans, I decided not to use it. Instead, I chose to build a much lighter carbon bobstay anchor, using almost the same construction principles as for the carbon chainplates.
This photo gallery (20 images) shows the complete process of making and installing the carbon bobstay anchor: from the original stainless steel fitting, through foam-core shaping and carbon lay-up, post-curing in a home-built oven, to fitting and finishing the anchor in the bow.
