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GRADIENT SERIES
ASYMMETRIC
Racing Spinnakers
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North's powerful new GRADIENT SERIES  asymmetrics are descendants of our dominant America's Cup designs. They were designed using a revolutionary twisted flow wind tunnel jointly developed by North Sails, Team New Zealand the University of Auckland. The result is a spinnaker that delivers more power and more stability over a broader wind spectrum, which is especially important for today's generation of lighter, faster-accelerating boats.
The "TWISTED FLOW WIND TUNNEL" is the first in the world to simulate differences in apparent wind speed and apparent wind angle between deck level and the upper part of the rig.
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North reacher molds are optimized  for point-to-point and triangular course  racers.
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Windward / leeward racers benefit from a runner mold optimized for deeper downwind angles with a higher draft and fuller head designed to rotate the sail to windward out from behind the mainsail.
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Standard Features
- Stainless steel rings with strap reinforcement
- True Radial construction with 1-3 belly panels (depending on 'I' dimension)
- Premium strip patches
- Low stretch Dacron leech tapes
- Polyester Leech  and Foot cords
- Luff cords
- North Box Turtle
Extra Features
- IMS Measurement
- Retriever patch
- Sail numbers and/or insignia
- Custom artwork and graphics
- Snuffer
More choices, better choices.
North GRADIENT SERIES Asymmetrics are available in five different “codes”  that allow you to match your asymmetric to your style of racing. North’s CODE 2A and 4A Runner molds, for instance, are larger and fuller than the CODE 1A, 3A and 5A Reachers, with maximum girth carried higher up in the head of the sail. This helps rotate the sail to windward, out from behind the mainsail for improved performance at the deeper wind angles commonly sailed in windward / leeward courses.

CODE 1A: VMG...55¡ - 95¡ AWA
CODE 2A: AP Runner...110¡ - 175¡ AWA
CODE 3A: AP Reacher...85¡ - 120¡ AWA
CODE 4A: Heavy Runner...110¡ - 175¡ AWA
CODE 5A: Screacher...55¡ - 95¡ AWA

!!! CLICK HERE FOR SPINNAKER CODE SELECTION CHART !!!

NOTE: Different rating rules treat Asymmetric and Symmetric spinnakers differently, and there are times when a boat may be better served by an All-Purpose Symmetric Reacher/Runner. Your North representative can help you make the best choice for your boat and crew.  

All North Asymmetric spinnaker panels are computer molded, both horizontally and vertically, resulting in an exceptionally fair shape, and are optimized with North's exclusive Flow™ and Membrane™ computer simulation programs, which analyze pressure and stresses on the sail at various wind speeds and angles.
Spinnaker Cloth Options
North Asymmetric spinnakers are available in two lightweight cloth types, polyester and nylon. Each has its advantages.
- Polyester stretches less for their weight, especially when wet, but do not absorb  shock-loads as well as nylon. Polyesters tend to last longer than nylon styles, but are less resistant to tearing. 
- Nylon loses some strength when wet, but may be a better choice for rough water, or offshore racing. Following is a table of available cloth weights and colors for the complete range of Asymmetric spinnaker designs.

Spinnaker Cloth Colors
NorLon™ 0.75 and 1.5 oz.: White, Red, Green, Yellow, Lt. Blue, Dark Blue, Purple, Black, Caribbean, Fuschia, Mango, Grape, Raspberry

NorLon Accent Colors (0.75 oz. only): Periwinkle, Sweet Pea, Pumpkin, Yam, Beige (great for inlays, faces and flesh tones)

NorLon 250 Colors: White, Red, Blue

0.6 Nylon (30/20): White, Red, Blue

0.50 Polyester: White, Red, Yellow, Dark Blue, Gray

0.60 Polyester: White, Red, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Gray, Hot Yellow, Hot Green, Hot Orange, Hot Pink

0.85 Polyester: White, Red, Dark Blue, Yellow, Green, Hot Pink
Copyright 1998 North Sails, Inc. All rights reserved.