Riley Gibbs Talks Zircon

The 7 ceramic ball bearings in a new Zircon block overcome inertia from friction so easily, information flows acutely through the sheet. Simply put, trimmers feel and better match sail shape to the new condition–often the difference between winning and not. Don't take it from us, though. Listen to Olympian and America's Cup athlete Riley Gibbs. Riley probably has more experience using Zircon than anyone on Earth. He was in the first test team that used them as part of his Nacra 17 mainsheet system in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Since then, he has used Zircon beta test blocks on his Nacra 17, A-Class Catamaran, 505s, E Scows, and Moths. ————— Introducing: 𝗭𝗜𝗥𝗖𝗢𝗡. Simply the most efficient small boat blocks Harken has ever made. Now available. At the core of Zircon performance are industrial ceramic ball bearings. It's all about the surface texture. Ceramic is much harder and smoother than steel or composite, so it requires less force to start moving. Why does that matter? Through the line, you feel even the slightest pull which enables you to fine tune a sail shape. In the lightest breeze, you can ease a sheet when others can’t. The ceramic ball bearings are mounted inside caged races. The cages keep these bearings apart so they don’t bunch up, touch, and stop each other. The result is a very free-running block with less energy lost to friction than in even our current Carbo blocks. Give an unrigged Zircon block a strong spin, and it spins for an incredibly long time. Zircon bearings are more than 700% stronger in compression than stainless bearings of the same size. So, they won’t deform if used within the recommended load limits. More importantly, they don’t absorb as much energy before starting to roll. This becomes evident when you need to ease a sail in very light air. You feel even the slightest fluctuations in sheet load. When used expertly, that means better sail shape and more speed. 40mm Zircon blocks now available. 57 mm blocks coming soon. → Learn more: www.harken.com/en/shop/zircon-blocks/