touting high strength, good hand (no backing) and high UV resistance. They also claim elasticity, that it will recover from stretch (unlike acrylic).
The FAQ at that link is missing some details, so I wrote the company.
This is what I got back:
1) WeatherMAX is made of SaturaMAX as the website states. It is our proprietary fiber that is based on a polyester but with additional chemistry to add UV resistance and is solution-dyed with pigments.
2) The elasticity comes from the fiber itself. It will stretch around 2% but has memory that will allow it to return to its original length.
And, in response to a wish for more elasticity:
As for 10-12% elasticity, we are actually developing a WeatherMAX "Stretch" that is a knit product using the same UV resistant fiber. It has 10% stretch in one direction and around 25% in the other.
Prices vary from different suppliers, but tend to run a bit less expensive than Top Gun, and generally at toward the low end of JR sailcloth candidates.
Here's my correspondent (will be away until Jan 2014):
Jamie Martin
WeatherMax Sales & Market Development
(864) 240-2681 Office
(864) 252-6727 Mobile
Anyway, this has got me thinking. Sounds like WeatherMAX 80 would put a little stretch into an otherwise flat-cut sail, while remaining a fairly conventional JR sailcloth. Sounds like a particularly good match for flat-cut, fanned sails?
WeatherMAX Stretch has potential, especially in crab-claw like panels.
Dave Z