North exclusive J/24 3DL Kevlar Patches

J/24 Program Overview || News || FAQs || Tuning Guide || Contact J/24 Experts || Order

The J/24 Class has legalized the use of more durable materials in the corners/patches of the genoas and North Sails One Design was the first and only sailmaker to recognize the new ruling. Changing, what is already the best J/24 Genoa design in the world, would take some serious thought from our design team and lots of hours on the water. Combining our 3DL and One Design Design Teams, we were able to script the lightest, durable and most efficient J/24 patch on the market.

The weight of the patch is key, only enhancing the performance of the sail, especially in the clew area. The section becomes much more flexible, basically allowing the patch to bend, which is critical when tacking. Anyone who has ever sailed J/24’s knows how much friction there can be around the mast when performing a tack. The new 3DL J/24 Patch now eliminates most of this friction.

Durability is another huge benefit that comes with our new patches. Kevlar is much stronger and can withstand the constant beating incurred while sailing The J/24. Durability equates to dollars saved -you’ll get those few extra regattas out of your North Sails Genoa compared to any other genoa on the market!

Efficiency is critical to developing shape and speed! The 3DL Patches are by far the smoothest patch you’ll find out there, obviously a smooth patch will create the best flow across the sail. With our new patches, we are now able to “line up” the load paths from patch to sail, resulting in our finest shaped J/24 Genoa, as seen in the widest of ranges ever produced from North Sails One Design.

New genoas at the 2006 Nationals. photo Sue Bodycomb

On the water testing played a huge role in The 3DL J/24 Patch development! Our designer, Paul Bogataj sailed with the product throughout the Summer of 2005 in Seattle and watched it carefully while performing remarkably in battle. Chris Snow went on to win back to back Nationals using our new designs and was extremely impressed with their performance. Ever since, we have not looked back. Slowly rolling our new genoas into the market was the next task and we just watched the regatta wins pile up from coast to coast. Giving the product a full year and a half of on the water testing was complete and we decided to make The 3DL Kevlar Patch standard, in both our Newport and San Diego Series Sails. They are “the talk of the town” so to speak and you’ll notice them heavily invading the regatta scene this Fall, with many sails ordered for the North Americans, East Coasts, Pan Am Trials/Games, Midwinters and the Worlds in Mexico.

For more information on J/24 sails, contact the North J/24 experts.