A few shots of the TR9 tested by Micah B:

Work on the layout of the XT (Technora) material to keep the crisp feeling of the monofilm in the body of the sail and use the softness of the XT on the upper leech

Hey Remi, when do you think we might see these bad boys landed in Aus??, I hope they have kept the a simular colour sceme to last years Tr8's.

There has been plenty of discussion about colour schemes on the Maui Sails site, I think they changed for '13.

The first batch of TR9s should be in Oz around mid December, pre-order before October 15 to make sure we include your sails (preorder discount applies)

Not sure if the graphics have been locked in yet, but here is what we could have:



Development focus of the TR9s was for further refinements to body tension, twist and layout for high performance, hence the XT layout of the above pics.

The mast, boom spec will remain very similar to TR8s requirements.

A few words from Micah Buzianis:

"These sails really do feel as great as they look!!! With the new panel layout and sleeve construction the draft is so much more locked in and the sail is able to breathe and react so much better. Also a great weight savings in the new sleeve construction."

Here are the final 2 colour combos going into production:




A few shots of the actual TR9 XT:

yellow looks much better in real !!!!!!

The yellow/orange is very similar to the sails Micah Buzianis has been using all year on the PWA, stands out quite nicely!

A few more days to gt the pre-orders and a bit more info from Barry Spanier:

'Tr-8 was the refinement of a grand change to outline and twist initiated with the seventh in the Team Race Series. Encouraged by results we were seeing in all kinds of racing all over the world, we knew beginning with these successful designs was already a head start. The goal was simple. The TR-9 race sails have to manage increased range and top speed without compromising instant acceleration out of the jibes. We achieved this by tackling a number of elements, from tuning luff curve and shaping relationships, to outline adjustments, and re-evaluating the stretch and orientation of sail body materials.

The modified structure of the TR-9 wide luff increases the use of ultra-light Technora? in the upper half of the sleeve. This achieved two goals. By reducing stretch in the upper sleeve there is better range and stability, and also the added benefit of reducing weight in the top of the sail. A significant modification to the body panel layout of the TR-9 XT locates materials in a way that best combines the ?crisp? feel of monofilm in the lower body with the light weight and softness of Technora? in the upper sail body and leech. Test results of the new layout have shown significant advantage over previous constructions.

Outline geometry and aspect ratio have been treated on a size-by-size basis to ensure optimum balance and tension. Correct tension relationships are confirmed scientifically through the use of our custom load cell. Leech twist profiles achieve the magic balance of enough release for light handling and control in gusts, while still maintaining sufficient tension for good acceleration and forward drive. The new sleeve material configuration allows increased cam pressure to maintain a locked profile, while still allowing painless cam rotation. Added tension in the lower body has been carefully balanced with the improved release in the mid and upper leech to ensure that the sails feel efficient and slippery in the wind, giving tremendous range.'