Making the carbon lower folding strut anchors turned into one of the most demanding structural jobs so far. After a few failed attempts, the right layup method emerged—and with the anchors and beam bulkheads aligned, the folding system started to feel like real engineering work rather than just shaping foam.
Carbon folding anchors and folding system setup
Making and positioning the carbon lower folding strut anchors turned out to be a tough job. I had been a little uneasy about them from the start, because they are such a critical structural element in the boat. The first two attempts were disappointing, but eventually I developed a reliable method to wrap the carbon around the anchor blanks without introducing wrinkles or voids.
Up to this point the build had largely been about shaping foam into hull panels, laminating (or more accurately: infusing), and bonding bulkheads into position. It certainly felt like assembling a boat, but not always like constructing something highly loaded. Mounting the beam bulkheads and the lower folding strut anchors—together with their reinforcements—was different. This work felt like real structural engineering in composite form.
I was already impressed by the design drawings and the engineering quality of Ian Farrier. The way these load paths are designed and built in—anchors, beam bulkheads, pivot alignment, and local laminate schedules—only confirmed that impression.
This photo gallery (58 images) covers the complete build and installation of the carbon lower folding strut anchors: from making the anchor blanks and solving the carbon wrapping method, to cutting the hull openings, aligning the pivot geometry, and laminating the final reinforcements around the beam bulkhead anchor areas.
