In preparation for the J-80 class rules change allowing jibs made with aramid laminates, past world champion Kerry Klingler of UK-Halsey New York went to work testing the new materials. The following is Kerry�s report on how he went about the process of building a new class jib.
At UK-Halsey, our goal is to provide the J-80 class with the best sails possible. With the rule change allowing aramid laminates to be used in jibs, I thought it would be a good idea to test sails using current and new construction techniques. I made five different sails that consisted of the following:
� Tri Radial: The standard that sailmakers have been using for years.
� Tape-Drive: UK-Halsey�s loadpath technology.
� Dimension/Polyant�s Flex Laminate: A six-axis yarn sail, this is a new material.
� Bainbridge�s MulitFiber Material: A six-axis yarn sail, this is a new material, that was still in the testing stage.
� Contender�s Maxx Material: A four-axis yarn sail, this is a multi axis material that was the first to the market and has been available for over 1 year.
We tested these sails in two ways. The first test was to evaluate the sail in a loaded condition. We tested in 18-22 knots of wind with five people on the boat so that there would be the full crew weight on the rail. All sails were built with the same shape design and the rig tension remained the same for all pictures.
The second test was two-boat testing where we set up two boats with identical mains and tuning. We then ran the different jibs against one another.
Conclusions: I felt that most of the sails were pretty good, and would perform well in a race. The differences are relative.
Tri Radial Construction: This sail maintained a nice shape with a straight leech exit, which I feel is good. The other thing I like about this sail is how the draft stayed forward. The sail is fuller that the three other sails, and is a little full in the head. It is my guess that this sail will continue to get fuller ahead of the other sails. This sail is the lightest weight sail, one pound lighter than the Tape-Drive and D4 sails. Actually we need to make the sail out of slightly heavier fabric to make it legal for class racing.
Tape-Drive Construction: This sail maintained a nice shape, with a straight leech exit, which I feel is good. The sail is flatter that the three other sails, and has great shape in the head. The other thing I like about this sail is how the draft stayed forward. It is my guess that this sail has the lowest stretch materially of all the sails. Also this low stretch will make the sail fast and it will last longer than any other construction method.
Dimension�s Flex Laminate Construction: This sail maintained a nice shape, with a straight leech exit, which I feel is good. The draft set slightly further aft, with a flatter entry than the other two sails. It also had a vertical wrinkle off the top batten going into the head. Otherwise the sail was very smooth and performed well.
Bainbridge Diax 2 MultiFiber Material: This sail maintained a nice shape, with a straight leech exit, which I felt is good. The draft set slightly further aft, with a flatter entry than the radial or Tape-Drive sails. It also had a vertical wrinkle off the top batten going into the head that carried down the leech of the sail. I think this sail has the least amount of yarns going directly up the leech. This vertical wrinkle could be a slight overloading of the material. By the way, this sail was used in the most wind. Otherwise the sail was very smooth and preformed well. This sail was the heaviest sail and weighed one pound heavier than the Dimension Flex and Tape-Drive sails. One thing to note is that the Diax 2 was a test product and has been reengineered for better stretch performance than this sail. We have received a new version of this material and will be testing it soon.
Contender�s Maxx Material: This sail was the lightest of all the fabrics. It also proved to be the stretchy, and too round in the leech. It is my feeling that the material was not well suited for this application. It was the slowest of all the sails.
Overall the testing proved to us that our Tape-Drive sail was a solid performer. The things we liked about this sail were simple. It has great overall shape in a wide range of conditions. In boat-on-boat testing it proved consistently fast in light or heavy wind. The beauty of this sail is how well shaped it is in windy conditions and then how fast it was in the lightest wind. If you want a new J-80 jib that will perform, we have the product for you.
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