Why are North sails so expensive ?

[Delfini]

Sanders Sails maybe!?

I did get a quote from Sanders and Hyde - they were roughly 2/3 the price of North - in the end I decided on the North option

 

[Steve The Seagull]

Out of curiousity how much would a 3DI be compared to say a vectran? Not in the 48 size bracket but the percentage difference for 3DI?

3Di will be more expensive, to give a percentage is very difficult as these are 2 very different materials. One is a pannelled 'traditonal' sail while one is a custom layout.

Vectran is a upgraded Dacron, the majority of the fibers are Dacron with a amount of vectran woven in, 2 cloth manufactures only put it in the fill direction to allow it to be crosscut while another does both warp and fill to allow crosscut or radial. It is still a woven pannelled sail, tough and long lasting but with not amazing shape holding over time.

3Di is very different. Depending on your bugdet and boat size there are different fiber options available. All polyester in 3Di Nordac at the bottom, a mix of aramid and dyneema in the middle and all carbon at the top end. It also features a lot more in built structure than traditional sails, especially on the corners and battens allowing a stronger and lighter sail.

 

[ashtead]

Thank you Steve -clearly a lot to learn about 3Di -I suspect for most it might be the Nordac option that might be a starting point for comparison.