boatbuilders enjoy the benefits. The boats become lighter, more responsive, more enjoyable to sail.’ As a Doyle Sails customer at
SailGP, Marsh recounts that meeting exacting sponsor demands for improved branding on sails was a headache until Doyle Sails was able to offer him a solution with their digital printing technology, SailArt. ‘SailArt is lighter, brighter, more
cost effective and better for the environment without the need for toxic paint systems.’ To meet continuing growth in demand, Doyle Sails has had to expand their manufacturing capacity in Auckland, New Zealand – opening a second facility for “small boat” sails. Small boats are defined as under 25m. Marsh chuckles: ‘A boat like a Volvo 70 is now a small boat’. The headquarters focuses on the
manufacture of custom Stratis membranes to supply the worldwide network of Doyle Sails lofts. ‘Every single Stratis sail starts its winning journey in this building,’ he says. In the climate-controlled area,
wide gantries travel backwards and forwards across three huge tables, laying a complex matrix of technora or carbon fibres onto prepreg film to correspond with the sail load paths. A recent development has seen
Doyle integrating as much detailing and patching as possible – including batten pockets – within the sail structure as opposed to post- production stitching and gluing. This reflects an ongoing determination to constantly seek improvement down to the smallest detail. ‘Old-style external batten pockets
had performance disadvantages,’ says Marsh. ‘They meant there was an aerodynamic inconsistency from one tack to the other, plus the exposure created abrasion issues. Sealing internal pockets at the centre of the structure makes the sail totally symmetrical on either tack and is more durable. ‘Ironing out this process was something Doyle Sails worked on through the Covid period,’ Marsh explains. ‘Now 90 per cent of our sails have internal
Above, left and right: before taking up his current role as CTO of Doyle Sails Brad Marsh was technical director of the SailGP circuit. The complexities of this multi- dimensional job stand him in good stead for his new role driving innovation and steering development at one of the world’s leading sailmakers
patching and detailing.’ Achieving this development
does introduce an interruption in the process, while the internal patches and pockets are positioned. However, in addition to streamlining the finished product, it also streamlines valuable time on the loft floor by reducing the amount of manual finishing. This level of attention to detail
applies not just to the product, but the process as well. Look above the production area and instead of the customary maze of metal air-conditioning ducts floats a cloud of white tubing made from lightweight spinnaker material, complete with a line of vents neatly spaced along its length. ‘Making our own ducting enabled us to recycle or upcycle material and repurpose it to something relevant to our process,’ he says. ‘Like the move to SailArt, it is also a way we can improve our sustainability profile, which is important to us.’ In terms of building sails, this
main facility concentrates largely on superyacht and grand prix projects. ‘Those two areas present the greatest potential for development and therefore offer the best prospect of trickle-down to benefit all our sails,’ Marsh notes. Yards and owners increasingly
realise the value of having Doyle Sails’ design team around the table at the conception stage of a superyacht project to exploit the full load-reduction benefits of their technology. This means those conversations can sometimes begin five years or more before the sails are actually built. ‘We are currently working on a
sloop where the mainsail luff will be just short of 100m,’ says Marsh. ‘That will occupy the full length of the main loft floor and we will have to clear all other finishing work to accommodate that single sail. At other times we might have a dozen or more projects on that floor. Amazing things are happening in the Superyacht world.’ Given the massive and ongoing
investment Doyle Sails has made in Stratis, what happens if Marsh, in his role as chief technology officer, finds a new and better way to do things? ‘As a previous customer and somebody who has been involved in other parts of the industry, I have seen that Doyle Sails has always been quick to adapt and adopt new technology,’ he smiles. ‘Many of their technology jumps
have severely challenged their manufacturing processes, but that hasn’t stopped them. Driving major change is their normal. It could be that in the future this room is completely different,’ he says, looking at the laminating machines endlessly travelling back and forth as they weave their webs of high- tech fibre. ‘We don’t know yet, of course,
but there could be robots, artificial intelligence processes ... The marine industry has always been open to progress and has often led change. If you have a business culture that i s hesitant or closed to change, you are never going to move forward.’ Clearly relishing the prospect,
Marsh says when he left SailGP, he was determined to stay in the marine industry. ‘I enjoy the environment. I enjoy exploring new concepts and ideas. And, best of all, I get to go racing again. It is such a fun time right now with maxi yachts VMG sailing, TP52s that are still rapidly developing, progress with foiling classes of all sizes.’ In keeping with their “By Sailors,
For Sailors” credo, Doyle Sails actively recruits frontline grand prix sailors in the knowledge that these circuits are both their major shopfront and their best development laboratory. ‘It is important for us to be out
there sailing,’ says Marsh. ‘All our processes are set up to be working remotely, so we can be embedded with sailing campaigns and feeding our ideas and everything we are learning back here. That is definitely within the scope of my role,’ he nods. ‘I will definitely be out there.’
www.doylesails.com
❑ SEAHORSE 63
HARRI WREN
BOB MARTIN/SAILGP
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