According to the team, one of the boat’s features that made “survival mode” possible was an abundance of carbon fiber composites. The F4’s tubes, bars, riggings and four of the five sails on the F4 were made completely with carbon fiber, which gave the boat more construction consistency.
“The most important thing about foiling sails is trying to reduce the drag and the shape in the sails,” says Loughborough. “You need to flatten them as soon as you get sailing … [But] that is exacting a lot of load and carbon fiber is the only material that can withstand [it].”
To learn more about the F4, watch the video below:
