OVER 38 YEARS OF INNOVATION

Since the Summer of 1964, STEVE HAARSTICK has been an innovator in sailmaking, from Hard Sails, to Hard-McPherson, to the start of HAARSTICK SAILMAKERS in 1970, STEVE has pioneered some of the greatest contributions to the science/art of sailmaking.

1. 1st Radial Head Spinnaker : Developed at Hard Sails, 1964.
2. Cloth Testing Program : Developed at Hard Sails, Fall 1964.
3. Cloth Test Data correlated with measured sail distortion: Summer 1965.
4. Extensive Wind Tunnel Testing : Master's Thesis, 1968 - “Study of Vertical Camber Distribution's Effect on Induced Drag.”
5. Developed Computerized Sail Design Program that incorporated results of Master's Thesis, 1968.
6. Published article in SAIL MAGAZINE on “Benefits of Increasing Cloth's Threadline Strength at the Expense of Bias Strength” : 1972 - Widely Disputed at the Time of Issue.
7. Introduced World's 1st Computer Driven Sail Cutting Machine : March 1974. Patented process of machine cutting as it applies to mass production of LASER Sails (ALL LASER SAILS WORLDWIDE WERE CUT ON OUR MACHINE FROM 1974-1983).
8. World's 1st Computer Cut Custom Offshore Triradial Spinnakers delivered to Customers : Spring 1975.
9. World's 1st Vertically Cut Racing Genoa : 1978 1/2 Ton Championships. This “Quilt-Cut” genoa completely revolutionized the industry as it paved the way for today's vertically cut Triradial Sails.
10. 1st Vertically Cut Kevlar/Dacron Mainsail used by Daedalus to Win BLOCK ISLAND RACE WEEK, 1981.
11. Developed early “Insertion” Style Kevlar Laminates with Dimension Polyant Sailcloth : 1982.
12. Triradial Upwind Sails Introduced in 1982.
13. Introduced “QUILT-CUT” Rocked Horizontals to our Triradial Spinnakers: Summer 1983.
14. Developed Custom CAD System : Spring 1985.
15. Introduced “Fully Faired” Triradial Mainsails, Genoas, and Spinnakers: Spring 1987.
16. 1st FULL BATTENED PHRF Mains : Fall 1990.
17. Introduced Extended Battens in #3 Jibs : Spring 1991.
18. Began using Dimension Polyant's ULTRA-BOND System for Bonding Triradial Panels : 1996.  Result - Sails are Smoother, Stronger, and Lighter.
19. Constructed Triradial Sails from DP's PBO Laminates for Eight Meter World Cup : Sodus Bay YC, 1996.
20. PBO Zylon Magna Shield "Flypaper" UV Film PBO Laminates used in PHRF & Class Sails : 1999.
21. AIRX Nylon Spinnaker Cloth used in PHRF & Class Sails : 1999.
22. Magna Shield "Flypaper" UV Film Kevlar Laminates used in PHRF & Class Sails : 2000.
23. Haarstick Carbon Fiber Sailcloth Research Published in September 2001 Issue of Sailing World Magazine in Peter D'Anjou's Article, "Are You Ready For Carbon Fiber Sails?".
24. Carbon Fiber used in sails for PHRF and Grand Prix Racing : 2001.
25. UV Retardant "Smoke" Kevlar film laminates in PHRF & GP Racing Sails: 2002.

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