Date:	Sun, 13 Feb 1994 10:00:25 -1000
From:	sasaki@das.harvard.edu (Marty Sasaki)
Message-Id: <CL6I8q.w7@das.harvard.edu>
Organization: Harvard OIT Network Services
Subject: Beman Spars (was Re: THE PRO)

In article <CL66ys.M1F@das.harvard.edu> uspehmev@ibmmail.COM writes:
>  FROM:      MVIRGILI PALL400   Mark Virgilio at Pall East Hills
>  
>  Dean Jordan states that he's now using Beman Pro Comp in the
>  Jordan Air Pro. The Into the Wind Catalog says it uses Beman 14
>  Light. What is the difference between the two which both have the same
>  dimensions? Which is lighter? Which is stronger? You get the impression
>  that PC14 Custom is better because it's more expensive, but what is
>  the real difference? We have a number of kites using Beman (Phantoms,
>  Katana, El Dorado Prisms, Scorpion, Big Brother - we've used
>  Beman when we couldn't find Wolfe spars) and I figure they all use
>  Beman PC14 Comp but I'm not positive since they are not labeled.

Beman makes all kinds of spars so it can get confusing at times. Here
is my take on everything:

	- Originally, Beman kite spars were seconds from their line of
	  arrow shafts. If you were willing to check the spars out (a
	  few would split or break easily) these shafts worked well.
	  Many kites used these shafts.

	- Beman makes a line of tournament quality arrow shafts known
	  as Diva. These are definitely tougher than the kite shafts
	  and have good stiffness. With some flyers these shafts have
	  taken on almost mythical qualities. The only real downside
	  of these shafts is their high cost. I think that the
	  suggested retail is around $10 each.

	- Beman also makes hunting arrows. Since hunting is more
	  abusive to spars than target archery, these shafts are much
	  stronger with a slight sacrafice in weight.

	- Last year Beman brought out a line of kite spars. There are
	  3 different shafts, the "light", "strong" and "Pro comp".
	  The lights are (surprise!) lighter in weight than the other
	  two types. The strongs are heavier and stiffer than the
	  other two. The Pro comps are in between the  in weight and
	  are nearly the same stiffness as the strongs.

	  Lights and strongs are less expensive than Pro Comps. Beman
	  has recently reduced their prices for kite spars, so I'm not
	  sure of the actual current prices.

	  I suspect that the strongs are made of the same material as
	  the hunting shafts. I also suspect that the Pro Comps are
	  made of the same material as the Divas.

	- Introduced at the KTA are a new line of wrapped/pultruded
	  rods. They look just like regular pultruded shafts until you
	  look inside. You can see the ridges of the spiral wrapping
	  on the inside.

I hope that this has helped...


-- 
Marty Sasaki            Harvard University           Sasaki Kite Fabrications
sasaki@noc.harvard.edu  Network Services Division    26 Green Street
617-496-4320            10 Ware Street               Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
                        Cambridge, MA 02138-4002     phone/fax: 617-522-8546


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