I am thinking of using a 2m length of 5mm rod to make a marine danbuoy which I will use as a pick up buoy on a swinging mooring for my 30ft boat. This rod will pass through a float and have a weight attached to the base to keep it upright. Do you think that carbon fibre would be a suitable product for this purpose please and, if so, would a 5mm rod be appropriate or should it be a larger diameter?  Many thanks, Colin 

Hi Colin,

I see no reason why a carbon fibre rod or tube would be unsuitable. Carbon fibre is commonly used in a marine environment so it is certainly possible.  You might want to paint the rod or tube to help prolong the life and aid visibility but beyond that you should be able to use the rods as is.  In terms of actual diameter, it depends on the actual loads experienced. Depending on the weight and expected loads, you may want a bigger diameter for supporting the weight itself. However, supporting a light weight flag/radar reflector on top of the buoy would I suspect be fine with a 5mm rod.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

A friend of mine has his 28' boat tied up th whole summer season from a swinging mooring .. I coated a 2 metre 12- 15 mm bamboo cane in West Systems Coating epoxy about 15 years ago for use as his pickup-bouy..
The float and lead sinker was coated up as well ... He still uses it the whole summer period... We are talking Danish summer here .. = large temperature swings, quite a bit of sunshine .. lots of wind and choppy bay waters ..  I do not know if a CF rod would be any better .. But it will be a bit more expensive ..

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Thank for your replies, Warren and Dravis, much appreciated.

Colin