Work on the details and test the product
After validating the overall shape, the team then works on the details. Tests are made with different monsters (. "We first worked on the shape of the collar and then we test different things: the adjustment of the hood on the face, the metallic nose cover, the magnets to close the flaps, the flapseuros " Not everything will be retained, as it is the case for the magnets which close the flaps and which we will not find immediately on the Ocean 900. Then, tests will be made on the sleeves.
Then came the first sea trials with this first prototype, which took 3 months of work from the basic idea. It must be said that the team does not work full time on the development of a single product. "During these tests, we realized that we had a problem with the hood and that water was getting into the sleeves." says Audrey. The team also performs on-site tests with a fire hose to test the waterproofness of the jacket. Other tests have also allowed us to rework the gussets on a second prototype.
In July 2016, the Tribord team was then able to debrief with its Euro technical partner Tanguy de Lamotte euros, who will be wearing this jacket in his upcoming races. But at this point, it's just a matter of small details. Next came batteries of waterproofing tests to check everything, then size validation [in January 2017], shower tests [450 L/H/m2] for a period of 20 hours, carried out this time in Lille, in a standard laboratory.
And let's not forget the test phase by the average yachtsman, which will validate the production of the jacket. Even though all prototypes are made at Tribord's global design center in Hendaye, production is outsourced, as are the technical tests in the laboratories in Lille.
From the idea to the Starboard shelf
It took a hundred mock-ups and prototypes, a dozen laboratory tests and usage tests, twenty people involved in the project and 20 months of development to arrive at the finished product. To manufacture Tribord products, the process is still the same for all products, but in a less complex way.
Now, compared to the previous version "Ozean 900", the jacket "Ocean 900, which will be released in July 2017 has many improvements such as:
- One-step sleeve adjustment, a Tribord innovation
- A higher collar with flaps in front of the nose
- Fleece hand warmer pockets
