An excellence coming from the dinghy
The roots of AG+ Spars are anchored in light sailing. The rigging manufacturer, based in Charente-Maritime, built its reputation in dinghies and the Olympics. "This has taught us to always pay particular attention to the performance of what we manufacture. The Olympic medals won by French sailors Camille Lecointre and Aloïse Retornaz with one of our aluminum masts is proof of the know-how we have been able to maintain," says Jean-François Nevo, founder of AG+ Spars.
Design the mast specifically for boats
AG+ Spars does more than just build the spars, whether it is the mast or the boom. The company has in-house expertise for the dimensioning and design of the boat. "The calculations are often done in-house, for example for the Mini 650 or IRC boats. We think about the choice of materials, for example by making fewer heavy stainless steel parts. On aluminum Mini masts, by removing T-pieces for electricity, we have saved between 500 grams and 1 kg. We also work on the booms to lighten them. We work on performance even if it sometimes has a cost" explains Jean-François Nevo.
Disseminate know-how in ocean racing and yachting
This knowledge, the Charente rigging manufacturer intends to apply it to more and more different boats.
The AG+ Spars aluminum masts already equip 51 of the 90 Mini 650s at the start of the 2021 Mini Transat. "In ocean racing, we apply this optimization know-how for carbon, a material we will continue to invest in. Initially for Mini and IRC boats and eventually, we would like to come to Class40" explains the manager.
In yachting, high-performance aluminum has more than ever its place. "If you know how to optimize aluminum, under 30 to 35 feet, there is not much gain with carbon. With J Composites, we've already sold 100 masts for the J99. This same J99 won the Sydney-Hobart double-handed race in the standard aluminum mast version," explains Jean-François Nevo in conclusion.
