Sail batten from COLORBOND
Maker
Blue Streak
Date1985
Object number00017973
NameSail batten
MediumFibreglass, plastic
DimensionsOverall: 0.4 kg
ClassificationsVessels and fittings
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from BHP Steel Division
DescriptionA yellow fibreglass and plastic sail batten from the 18-foot skiff COLORBOND, manufactured by Blue Streak.HistoryCOLORBOND was developed by two aeronautical engineers and a naval architect on behalf of BHP. Some research and development was undertaken in the United States with hydrodynamic computer simulation and stress analysis being completed in Australia.
The high-tech hull has a composite sandwich construction outer skin of Nomex paper honeycomb core material.The hull was then baked and cured with a carbon fibre cloth. A carbon fibre frame gives the hull rigidity and strength. The skiff has carbon fibre wings, alloy mast and boom, a selection of Kevlar/Mylar sails, and a lightweight Dacron spinnaker. The retractable spinnaker pole is made of Nomex and carbon fibre.
This construction technique further reduced hull weight without sacrificing overall strength. This method of construction, like the boat's design, relies on technology that has evolved in the aeronautical industry.
The thing that has become obvious about 18-footers is that their development is only Iimited by the imaginations of the men who design, saiI and buiId what became the fastest mono huIled class in the world.SignificanceCOLORBOND came to represent a time in design and construction that favoured hi-tech and grandiose elements. It remains a symbol of a decade that thrived on large budgets through corporate sponsorship and exhibited elaborate designs such as huge rigs and asymmetrical spinnakers.