NORTH SAILS TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT

The Quality Of 3Di Discussed By Nigel Young

You often hear about the trickle down effect of products developed for the America's Cup; it makes great PR and reads well in the social media, but so many times it never makes it all the way to the smaller boats, writes North Sails Ireland's, Nigel Young. I am happy to say that this is not the case with 3Di. From the technology made for the America's Cup and superyachts to the International Moth, we now have a 3Di film-less product available for everyone, not just for the Grand Prix end of sailing. I have sailed the Melges 24 since 1994 and it is great to see that the boat is now fully 3Di. Check out the latest news from Miami here. At the North Sails loft in Ireland, we delivered our first 3Di sail to the Kelly Family for the J-109 Storm way back in 2012. As a testament to the 3Di product and production process, that sail is still in use today with Brian Jones on the J-109 Jelly Baby. Impressively, no major repairs have been done to that sail, only minor luff tape damage and some small chafe repairs (not unusual for an 8-year-old sail). In the last few months, North Sails Ireland has supplied 3Di sails to 1720's, J-80's, Melges 24's and several smaller IRC boats proving that it is not just PR, it is reality - 3Di really does cover every possible sail size out there for both racing and cruising. Visit our website to see our full range of 3Di sails. In Ireland, we have delivered hundreds of 3Di sails since the first sail in 2012 and the overriding factor is how long they last, specifically, how long they hold their shape for. The shape holding of 3Di is a product of many factors, but one of the main contributors is the fact that 3Di sails have double the fiber content of our old 3DL product. For example, a 3DL jib weighing 18kgs would have just over 6.5kg of fiber in the sail, roughly 35%. The equivalent 18kg 3Di sail has almost 70% fiber so it is easy to see why they hold their shape so well. The fibers are what gives a sail its ability to retain the design shape meaning more fiber can only be good for the long term shape holding of your sails. Generally, the plastic film in our 25 year old technology 3DL sails accounts for over 50% of the sail's total weight. If you then add light skins to make it look like a 3Di sail, even more parasitic weight is added - plastic is not fantastic! Not only that, it needs protecting so it does not crack, hence all the additional films on the outside (Taffeta's, Light skins etc.). The good news is that 3Di has no plastic film (parasitic weight), meaning they cannot delaminate. The initial cost may be more, but they offer greater value for money in the long run - less time in the service loft, more time flying in their original FAST design shape.

''Next time you are thinking about a new sail, think 3Di. The investment is worth it - ask any one of our 3Di clients here in Ireland what they think and I know the answer you will get. North Sails 3DL was 25 years ahead of the opposition, 3Di is light years ahead. Sail FAST.''