Context
You have to know the Class implemented into Class Rules an Official Cloth List years ago, following the situation created by the introduction of the so called “Cuben Fiber” cloth, giving its users a significant advantage in terms of performance, when not being made available to everyone, nor at a reasonable cost, situation being rapidly transferred from Olympic Tornado to F18 world…
Currently, and according to Class Rule G.3.2.(a) & G.4.1.(a), the body of mainsails and jibs shall be of polyester materials as detailed in the cloth list, Pentex fabrics being so far the most commonly used by our sailmakers.
It then appeared that, due to both Pentex true availability and raising cost, some new cloth using more performing fibres, such as UHMWPE (Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, more commonly known as Dyneema© and Spectra© trademarks, or Aramid (Aromatic polyamide) have become cost competitive, for not even say available at a lower cost.
On top of this, we have been facing some ripping issues on mainsails, such type of cloths would be likely to prevent.
Hence we started in December 2023 to investigate by sailcloth producers and sailmakers for possibly adding some of those fabrics into the Official Cloth List.
This being said, no question of giving up our basic principles, ie. aiming for the best quality in terms of performance and durability, at the lowest possible cost for the sailor.
Testing process
One first set of test sails made from the new DP fabric has been presented by Greg Goodall in La Ballena Alegre during 2024 Worlds, and other sailmakers have now been provided with this cloth too.
Parallel to this, Challenge and Contender are prepared to offer new fabrics as well.
In order to verify both resistance and durability of these cloths, we plan to manage a testing in real-life conditions during 2025 season, in collaboration with various sail lofts, and, for such purpose, we are looking for volunteer testers.
Testers profile
- Active F18 sailors
- Good sailing skills: Worlds Gold Fleet qualified (top 20 ones being excluded)
- Prepared to work in close cooperation with sailmakers and to provide feedback
Would you be interested, please fill in our contact form
Thanks in advance for your participation!