I have recently ordered a custom R/D longbow with double carbon.
I had correspondence recently with a well known bowyer around these parts who said he won't put carbon on any of his bows. He wants his bows to be around for our grandchildren. Apparantly he said that carbon is very high in compression and may eventually pull the laminations off the limb. He said that is why many bowyers won't give the same warranty for carbon!
I guess something to think about. My new order hasn't been started yet so I could easily change to glass! Any thoughts guys??
Sutto
I dont know about all carbon, but I do know that alot of bows are carbon backed, glass bellied.
The Hoyt ILF limbs and the Martin Bamboo Viper are, to name a few.
Just a thought.........
My PAW Somerset longbow is backed in carbon and has held up very well.
Hoyt, Samick, W&W have all been using carbon in their ILF limbs for many years. Those limbs can take a real beating from using super light target arrows and they hold up extremely well. There are old Hoyt Carbon Plus limbs still floating around that have thousands and thousands of shots through them. They are still highly sought after.
I have a set from Samick and W&W, both maple,carbon.glass laminates and they are both extremely tough limbs.
As long as the bowyer knows his craft I don't think carbon should pose any durability issues.
Don't know about durability yet. I have a Black Swan hybrid one piece that I received earlier this year, it is still practically new. I just don't shoot it. It is very light. Very fast. Pretty in the utilitarian sense. But to me it does have a different "feel" than glass bows. It is something I can't put my finger on, the draw is different than similar bows of the same weight. Anyway, if I remember correctly it was Pete Ward that said in one of his reviews that he found no benefit for carbon in the core, only on the outside of the limb. My bow has front and back and core lam all of carbon. I prefer the smooth drawing characteristics of bamboo. I guess carbon may have a high pre-load. You can't touch it for speed but durability is probably going to have more to do with the experience of the bowyer. Black Swan has been doing carbon forever, you might send Arvid an e-mail he is a wealth of knowledge.
I have a Centaur with double carbon limbs and love it.If there was a problem with them it would get around pretty fast,Jim Neaves knows what he is doing with carbon.