Advanced Composite Design and Manufacturing
Composite Engineering, Inc. provides comprehensive design, engineering, and production services for the advanced composite industry. Owned and operated by naval architect, Ted Van Dusen PhD, CEI serves clients focused on exceptional design and state-of-the art fabrication.
CEI is the home of Van Dusen Racing Boats, recognized worldwide as a leader in the design, engineering and production of elite racing products. Our carbon composite rowing shells and racing kayaks are custom designed and built here in our USA workshop. We have experience designing and building carbon masts and spars for a wide range of cruising and racing sailboats including racing dinghies, Nonsuch and Wylie catboats with free standing masts, wing masts, Around Alone single handed circumnavigators, and larger vessels like the Spirit of Bermuda and a replica of the Yacht America. Note that spar design and production is now in collaboration with Moore Brothers in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Shell and Kayak Production Underway
Since our move to Westport Massachusetts, rowing shell production started again in early 2021. Mohican kayak production started in January 2024 after a ten-year hiatus. We will be taking additional shell and kayak orders in the Fall. Stay tuned.
Customer Service
We are a small operation working hard to keep our customers happy, but we can’t do everything. We are still catching up on our back log of boat orders and repairs, plus production of wing riggers, fins, and other parts. We also have not yet finished organizing our workshop since our move during the pandemic. We can’t always answer the phone so please leave a message or send us an email or text and we’ll get back to you. Spar inquiries should be directed to Moore Brothers (office@moorebro.co). Thank you for your cooperation.
Boat repairs
Because we have limited capacity to take on repairs, we give priority to repairs of Van Dusen composite shells & kayaks, in particular repairs that only our workshop can do. For simple repairs and touch-ups we advise customers to find other repair shops. Customers in the Boston area are encouraged to contact Inriver Tank and Boat in Concord, Massachusetts, who are willing to take on repairs that we don’t have room for. Thanks in advance for your understanding.
Owned and Operated by Ted Van Dusen, Ph.D.
Ted Van Dusen, PhD. is a graduate of the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture, MIT MS ME, Fluid Dynamics and Univ. of Mass., Amherst, PhD, Ocean Engineering. Widely recognized as an early developer of the modern wind turbine and composite rowing shells, Ted brings deep composite design experience to each project.
Our Three Areas of Focus
CONTACT USCUSTOM ENGINEERING
Custom engineering at CEI involves many industries. Our composite engineering projects are often mission-focused and we welcome unique projects. Many of our projects are focused on racing or adventure. Other projects are focused on the radio-transparent properties of carbon composites, for example military radomes and medical imaging applications. We bring a versatile and experienced composite build team to your project whether it be sea, air or land.
COMPOSITE SPARS
Our carbon spars are custom-designed for each rig using Composite Engineering’s library of design and simulation programs, and 30 years’ experience with composite technology. We can work from your specifications, work with your designer, or custom design your rig from scratch. We also retrofit production sailing boats. We custom build triaxial carbon spars, stayed, unstayed, or semistayed, including circular, oval, D-shaped, complex furling, and wing masts.
RACING BOATS
Van Dusen Racing Boats are designed for athletes competing at top international levels, but their lightness, strength and responsiveness have also commended them to athletes who value their engineering excellence, durability, and functional grace. In addition to technical excellence, we offer genuine customer support driven by the desire to support your racing experience. We build each boat, one at a time, here in the USA, as if it were our own.