I saw the very first 3DL in action in 1991. I was sailing on the Stars and Stripes wing catamaran in San Diego Bay when Team Dennis Conner hoisted this strange looking clear sail on his AC boat for a very brief period of time. I was working at North Sails One Design at the time and the next day saw all of the execs standing around this sail on the loft floor downstairs. A few weeks later at the "Sailmakers" party I sparked up a conversation with one of the North engineers in charge of 3DL. He acknowledged they had a long way to go. It would be a few more years until they debuted the new technology at the '95 AC.

Fast forward to January 2008, the patent held by Peter Conrad expires. License holders, UK, North and Ullman no longer have to pay the royalties and other manufacturers most notably Dimension Polyant and the China Sail Factory are marketing finished and partially finished membrane sails to small and midsized saillofts.

We've sold some over the past year, all to racing monohulls.

These membranes are manufactured on the same laminators used in the production of sailcloth. The lamination is strong and the fibers are well laid out.

They are a bit more expensive than paneled sails. Someone still needs to operate the machinery, the panels need to be assembled, then finished at the sailloft like a conventional sail.

Will we see this new technology on beach cats? Maybe.

Currently Dimension Polyant is only selling Kevlar membranes. If and when they market Pentex versions will you see it become more mainstream.

Chip Buck
Whirlwind Sails