> Using 5 ply must surely result in a bullet proof spar?
You don't mean 5 ply PLYwood do you? Because two of the five plies in plywood run perpindicular to the other three, it would be weaker than solid wood when used in the "unidirectional" application of a spar cap. But to answer somebody's question, quarter inch (or even half inch) laminations of the usual spruce would be perfect for the "bent up" center spar. That's exactly how you'd do it. One other thing that nobody's mentioned is that imperfections like hidden knots are exposed when laminating a spar, so they can be eliminated or minimized. Mark Langford, Huntsville, AL N56ML at hiwaay.net see KR2S project N56ML at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford
