Technology


The finest china


... for the finest applications. Meet Zircon, ceramic opening the door to the next level in precision sail trimming


By introducing ceramic bearing technology into its latest line of Zircon blocks, Harken has significantly improved the accuracy with which sail trimmers will immediately match sail shape to changes in conditions. An undeniable leader in the field


of premium deck gear for the past 50 years, Harken is renowned for being at the front of running rigging technology, both in its design and production. The company ethos and the demands of the world class sailors with which it collaborates, requires its technical team to constantly improve its products for racing and cruising alike, and line handling gear has always been one of its specialties. In the early 1970s, Peter Harken


forever changed the way sailors trimmed and eased sails when he dropped a handful of white high- density composite bearings called Delrin by duPont to the floor. They bounced like crazy. To Peter it was obvious they changed direction very quickly—exactly what was needed to improve the heavy, slow-to-respond blocks that depended on plain bearings or the dead steel balls then universally used. Those Harken white ball bearing blocks began a quest Harken’s still on. How much inertia can be overcome while safely delivering ever-increasing working load capability?


58 SEAHORSE Delrin was a miracle. It remains


so in the right applications. But it has its limitations too. Apply too much load and it will begin to deform, making the balls run less freely—a fact alleviated significantly by adding Torlon which is far more crush-proof and impact-resistant where needed. Years of development have proven


one thing: there is no ideal single solution for block bearings. Indeed, sometimes the most effective solution employs layers of balls. Sometimes it combines composite rollers and stainless balls. At the highest end of the performance demand, the balls are eliminated, the rollers become titanium living inside bespoke Delrin cages. The sheaves are titanium too. But as mentioned, Harken never


shrinks from the challenges of competitors or sailors. Its engineers saw incredible performance leaps being delivered in cycling and other high efficiency bearing applications in about 2015 and begin to translate the same material for sailing. A new range of insert-moulded ceramic bearings, aptly named Zircon is its latest offering. Named after the element metal Zirconium which is more commonly referred to as ceramic, from which the balls are made, Zircon blocks drastically reduce rolling resistance, and greatly improve power transfer to the crew


Above: Harken’s new Zircon blocks push the boundaries of overcoming inertia while delivering significantly higher safe working load capabilities than blocks with Delrin bearings


for rapid and precise trimming. At the core of its new Zircon


blocks is a single row of ceramic balls which run on ceramic inner and outer races moulded inside glass/nylon sheaves. These ceramic balls are so much harder than even stainless bearings, that without the surrounding like material races, they would certainly wear through and destroy the block from inside out. Ceramic is also much smoother on its surface than any other bearings. The result? Less energy and response time absorbed before they start to move. Quick bearings make for responsive trimming. An early example of Harken’s use


of ceramics was its innovative 2800 Grand Prix catamaran mainsheet system, which was developed in the run up to the Rio Olympics and had become the standard by the 2020 games. The high-efficiency blocks making up these systems feature insert-molded ceramic bearings that significantly reduce rolling resistance and greatly improve power transfer to the crew for simple and very precise trimming. They have now been adopted by virtually all the best foiling multihull sailors-- particularly favored by mixed teams where the smaller sailor trims the main. Zircon sheaves are so free- running, teams feel free to rig more purchase, without the risk of not


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121