Published 5/2/2025

UTComp NDT inspection prepares FRP Class 40 racing sailboat

Ahead of the competitive Globe40 competition in September, UTComp’s ultrasonic capabilities were used to test the viability of the craft’s carbon fiber mast, boom and bowsprit on the water.

Edited by: Grace Nehls

Senior Managing Editor, CompositesWorld and Products Finishing

Canadian composites inspection and engineering firm UTComp (Cambridge, Ontario) has achieved its first mechanical integrity inspection of a Class 40 racing sailboat ahead of the Globe40 around-the-world race. It began when UTComp’s expertise in nondestructive assessment of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) industrial equipment prompted blue water sailboat racer, Melodie Schaffer, to reach out.

“Melodie approached us to see if we could nondestructively test the carbon fiber mast, boom and bowsprit of Whiskey Jack, her Class 40 offshore racing sailboat,” explains Jo Anne Watton, CEO of UTComp. “We were excited to provide this support — this project was a first for us!”

Schaffer is preparing the vessel for the second edition of the Globe40, a sailing race organized by Sirius Events. The first leg in the 8-month, 30,000 nautical mile event will be underway in Cadiz, Spain, starting in September 2025. It will be Schaffer’s second attempt at the challenging double-handed race in which a crew of two manages all aspects of sailing, from navigation and sail handling to cooking and cleaning.

Watton and UTComp CTO Geoff Clarkson met with Schaffer and co-skipper Jeff Engholm in Toronto in March 2025 for an up-close look at Whiskey Jack to start developing an UltraAnalytix inspection plan.

Carbon fiber sailing masts and booms experience tremendous stresses and strains, especially on open water, including:

Compression from rigging tension
Bending from sail loads
Local stresses at the gooseneck, which connects the boom to the mast
Compression and shear forces at the mast step, where the base of the mast is secured to the deck or keel of the boat.

From left to right: Jo Anne Watton, CEO of UTComp; Tom Shewfelt, director of sales and business development, UTComp; Geoff Clarkson, CTO of UTComp; Melodie Schaffer and Jeff Engholm, co-skippers of Whiskey Jack. Sources | UTComp.

It’s not uncommon for a mast to break or fall over during a race, which is also devastating and potentially life-threatening for the racers.

According to UTComp, ultrasonic inspection offers several key advantages over other nondestructive methods for assessing the condition of composite marine equipment. For example, ultrasound can be used to measure the thickness of the mast wall and identify voids, porosity, inclusions in the laminate and other defects in the material; flaws in the material, whether due to manufacturing defects or damage from corrosion and mechanical stresses, can result in failures.

The UTComp inspection took place in April.

“In its basic form, a mast is simply a beam and our engineers are well trained to analyze and assess beams,” Clarkson says. “We checked every location where forces were applied to the mast to measure the effect of the forces on the polymer that holds the carbon fibers in place. We did not have details of the carbon fiber orientation and layup so we used a conservative approach that has been developed for Fitness for Service assessments of pressure vessels.”

The evaluation, which involves analyzing the ultrasound data using UTComp’s proprietary algorithm, confirmed Whiskey Jack is fit for service.

“One more important step is complete to make sure Whiskey Jack is ready to race around the world,” reports Schaffer on the Whiskey Jack 128 Instagram page.

“UTComp is proud to sponsor the Whiskey Jack crew by donating our inspection services,” adds Watton. “We wish them fair winds and good fortune in the Globe 40 race.”