Company

A winning organization merges talent, teamwork and technology

About Us

Symmetrix has its roots firmly grounded in America’s Cup campaigns.  Modern Cup teams are a showcase for technological achievements and advancements in the fields of hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, and composite construction techniques. John Barnitt and Scott Vogel, the President and Vice President of Symmetrix Composite Tooling, have the unique benefit of not only having been part of many America’s Cup teams but also having won the trophy with Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes crew in 1987. They since went on to be parts of two more Cup teams and have shared familial career paths

“Scott and I are fortunate. We both raced sailboats competitively and were lucky enough to sail together on the 1987 Stars & Stripes America’s Cup team,” said Barnitt. “Since then, our friendship, mutual interest, and opportunities have all combined to help us run very parallel paths, career and personal. We sailed and worked together on two more America’s Cup teams, we worked together at the mast company for a long time, started our families at the same time, helped each other build our houses, and raise our kids. We’ve worked together in one way or another for the past 35 years in places like San Diego, Australia, New Zealand, Nevada, and Rhode Island.”

It was in those Cup teams where they were introduced to and witnessed the prevalence of composites, particularly fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) such as carbon fiber, in the marine industry. Their use has become widespread in areas such as hull and deck, mast and standing rigging, and more recently sails.

“At Symmetrix, we produce cost-effective, accurate tooling on schedule,” said Barnitt. “We achieve sub-millimeter accuracy (+/- .020) through subtractive shaping methods in low-shrink materials that don’t absorb moisture. Our molds are adequately supported, vacuum-tight geometries that can support closed molded resin infusion. Production tooling or limited-use prototype tooling is optimized for the client’s preferred processing method at ambient- or elevated-cure temperatures.”

Timeline

  • 1987

    John Barnitt and Scott Vogel are members of Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes crew, which won the 1987 America’s Cup off Fremantle, Western Australia

  • 1992

    Barnitt and Vogel work at Omohundro Mast Co. in Minden, NV

  • 2010

    Barnitt forms tooling manufacturing company

  • 2014

    Symmetrix founded

  • 2016

    Vogel joins as Vice President

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Symmetrix Composite Tooling is a full service composite tooling manufacturer of complex and innovative design that prides itself on precision and quality.