Doyle Sails will be exhibiting with the product at both the Monaco Yacht Show (QS74 DARSE SUD) and METS (Stand 10.715 in the Superyacht Pavilion).
They will use such occasions to launch Stratis ICE, now available exclusively throughout the Doyle global network of lofts.
Part of Doyle’s Stratis sail range, ICE is a game-changing product that offers weight savings, performance gains and high durability levels for both performance and cruising sails.
ICE is an entirely new and unique UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethelene) fibre, developed by the Doyle Stratis team following market demand for a creep free and highly durable sail membrane.
Exclusively licenced to Doyle for marine use it exhibits similar properties to high modulus carbon, and is a derivative of Spectra. Since its development, ICE has undergone beta testing on more than 100 yachts – including;
- Team Korea (AC450
- Secret Men’s Business (Reichel Pugh 51)
- Sanya (Volvo 70)
- Kenora (37m Wally 107)
Following its launch, ICE is now being put on to yachts including:
- Moonbird (Fitzroy Yachts/Dubois)
- Wired (Bakewell-White 52)
- Team Australia (Orma 60).
So what are the benefits of ICE?
- It has the highest creep resistance of all UHMWPE sails: half that of a Dyneema SK78 product.
- It is the lightest sail for given strength when blended with carbon
- It has a specific gravity of just 0.97, almost half of carbon fibre’s 1.8
- It is easy to handle
- Its initial strength is comparable to higher strength para-aramids. However, real benefits are shown after repeated flex, where ICE hardly loses any strength in comparison to carbon, Kevlar and Twaron which fail.
- It has a modulus comparable to standard modulus carbon fibre that on a weight-for-weight basis is higher than almost all other UHMWPE and aramid fibres. It will retain that modulus even after extended mechanical fatigue.
- Due to the fibre construction and unique manufacturing process of Stratis, ICE fibre is laid with zero crimp, meaning that the “apparent modulus” of the fibre is 10 to 15 per cent higher than standard modulus carbon.