Is there a market

[RMK7SledHead]

for true carbon fiber tunnels? Not wet lay-up/epoxy tunnels, but prepreg, oven cured, professionally built tunnels, made to aerospace standards? CNC cut molds, etc, etc...

I have permission to do it, but don't know if it's worth it, cause the investment would be large and the return might be nill.

Would start with Cat M-series as that's what I currently have available to build from.

Oh, I have estimated the cost of the tunnel to to be ~$5000-$7000...not cheap by anyone's standards, especially mine!

 

[m8magicandmystery]

she would be a tough tough go...but if you could as well branch into other fabricating with your investment...boat hulls..floatplane floats,,...etc etc to increase your exposure to cash flow without increasing your initial investment alot then what the hell...just do not go in undercapitalized...emergency money and then emergency money to replace the emergency money...and if the time came if it didn;t work out...WALK..don;t ruin yourself or family....its easier to pick up the pieces of a piano after falling 10 stories then trying to catch it on the way down...good luck...follow your heart and dreams...the experience may be the true reward..

 

[RMK7SledHead]

she would be a tough tough go...but if you could as well branch into other fabricating with your investment...boat hulls..floatplane floats,,...etc etc to increase your exposure to cash flow without increasing your initial investment alot then what the hell...just do not go in undercapitalized...emergency money and then emergency money to replace the emergency money...and if the time came if it didn;t work out...WALK..don;t ruin yourself or family....its easier to pick up the pieces of a piano after falling 10 stories then trying to catch it on the way down...good luck...follow your heart and dreams...the experience may be the true reward..

This isn't an all-in, new job for me. It would be something I would do in conjunction with my current job. I'm an engineer for an aircraft company...I would be doing the design work on it, and it would be sold through the company, with me getting a direct cut of the profits. I am already responsible for the design, programming, and production of plugs and molds for our carbon parts. The bosses have given me the ok to do it if I feel that it would be profitable. I just don't know if they'd actually sell for the price listed above.

oh, and just throwing out a rough number, but I'd expect a 30-40% weight savings over stock aluminum tunnel.

 

[straight-shot]

A carbon fiber tunnel would be swet but I'm not sure you coulld sell many at that price! Maybe to some of the extreme mod guys but not the average joe.
Wish I could be more optomistic for you! If it isn't too big of an investment try a couple and see what happens.

Wish I coud afford one!
That would send the cool factor through the roof!!!

 

[m8magicandmystery]

gee wouldn;t it be neat if the tunnels could be snowchecked like the boss seats on the A/C..that would give you a free market insight ....but l agree with slingshot,it would be a tough call....one in a thousand sleds..???...who knows...why not a carbon fiber mold thats a complete rear bumper assembly like BDX..gee that would be sweet...anyway im going to shut up...sounds like you have a good headstart if it proceeds...good luck

 

[Ollie]

At that cost I don't think you would sell enough of them to make it worth while.
If you could get the cost down to around 20% over a standard metal tunnel you would sell a lot more of them.

Not saying it wouldn't be a great product or anything, but it is an unproven tech. with a lot of outstanding questions that can only really be answered with time and on snow experience. Add that to the cost and it will prohibit a lot of would be buyers from purchasing one.

Personally, I would love to try one out, but again the cost would stop me.

 

[Kevco]

Cut the cost ib half I bet they'd sell like hot cakes. Prob. is you'd have to build for all the big 4 current and recent mnt.sleds? Good luck have thought about that for sometime now.

 

[Ron]

There is a market for a lightweight sled so the tunnels will sell just not in the volumn you might need. What about a complete sled tunnel & bulkhead? You need to get some serious weight loss to get the big bucks. I don't think that the amount from a tunnel will be enough. But then there are too many changes to tunnels & bulkheads over a few years & then 4 brands.
Might be an interesting proposal to Doo or Cat for a Snopro chassis that could be also be marketed with longer tunnels as a "Top of the line" mtn sled & also as a "Freeride" sled.
IMO if you can sell a chassis for $10-15,000 that is 50-60 lbs lighter you could have a winner.

 

[xsummitx]

At that cost I don't think you would sell enough of them to make it worth while.
If you could get the cost down to around 20% over a standard metal tunnel you would sell a lot more of them.

Not saying it wouldn't be a great product or anything, but it is an unproven tech. with a lot of outstanding questions that can only really be answered with time and on snow experience. Add that to the cost and it will prohibit a lot of would be buyers from purchasing one.

Personally, I would love to try one out, but again the cost would stop me.

i am going to go along here it is unheard of in the industry...but isn't that what makes revolutionary changes to go where none has before....i would build one test the hell out it....if it is not to much initial investment for the materials out of pocket...if it is trouble free,they will sell maybe not a bunch in the begining due to cost.then as they grow as an after market product. then i would do like ron said approach the big 4 and i would bet one or maybe all would for the sake of advantage over their competitors sell them on a factory sleds...what a weight savings...if it was proven bullet proof ,i would concider one on the low side est. cost...and by all means patent the hell out of to keep sole market corner.just my side ,hope to see one soon.gook luck

 

[Ollie]

If you are serious. I would contact some of the big names (on here) and see if they would be willing to showcase them for you.

Maybe get some in some of the videos so people can see them and see that they stand up.

We have talked about this before and some of the questions that come up..........
the tunnel would be stronger but would it fracture and break instead of bend?
Can you drill holes and change location of things (like skid relocation) on the tunnel without weakening it?

Stuff like that. If people could see the tunnels standing up to serious abuse it would help. The ol', let someone else test it and then I will consider it.

 

[deaner]

I think in that price range a person would be better off going with a titanium chassis would they not? I would think the wieght savings would be similar, but the titanium would be a little better for modification and/or repairs??

 

[RMK7SledHead]

We have talked about this before and some of the questions that come up..........
the tunnel would be stronger but would it fracture and break instead of bend?
Can you drill holes and change location of things (like skid relocation) on the tunnel without weakening it?

This isn't something that you just build and throw at the market. One full, if not two seasons, would have to be devoted to testing. I can easily look at a stock tunnel and decide where I need to reinforce a carbon tunnel to handle load...but, because I'm all about weight (the current airplane we're building is 40% larger, yet weighs less than it's predecessor from 10 years ago), I'd skimp in a lot of places to start, which WOULD cause failures. Carbon repair is easy, and we're very good at it. But, you are correct...carbon is either good, or broken...there really isn't an in-between. And yes, I can set anything up to be moved and not have issues...just takes planning. It can also be reinforced after the fact.

Prepreg carbon is NOT CHEAP! This wouldn't be with random carbon from anybody...this would be Toray 12k carbon and uni, the best made. Think 787.