Yachting Monthly - November 2015

TECHNICAL

64 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com NOVEMBER 2015

A cruiser’s guide

to sailcloth

Woven, laminate or

membrane – which is

best your boat? Greg

Goulding explains

the pros and cons

M

ost cruising sailors

feel that ‘standard’

sails made from the

cheapest grade of

woven polyester are

perfectly adequate for their

needs – why spend more than

the minimum? But any boat will

perform noticeably better with

PHOTO: GREG GOULDING

decent sails and performance

is not just about boatspeed.

I’ve yet to meet a cruiser who

wouldn’t like their boat to point

a little higher, heel a bit less

and punch through the waves

more effectively when sailing

to windward. And that’s when

spending a modest amount more

than the minimum on your sails

can pay dividends.

The technology behind sails

has come along in leaps and

bounds over the last 20 years.

Computer software calculates the

perfect shape. Stronger, more

durable materials enable today’s

sails to work like never before.

When choosing sail material,

you need to understand

the relationship between

performance, cost and longevity.

A wide range of materials are

available, which means you can

get exactly what you want from

a sail. Before jumping in and

going for the cheapest, it’s worth

thinking about your budget and

your future sailing plans.

New sails have a fine,

efficient aerofoil shape, but the

material used will define how

long before they stretch, losing

their efficiency. There is a lot of

force against the cloth, so most

materials will stretch over time;

often this is quicker than you may

imagine. As sails stretch, the

aerofoil shape changes, giving

you less forward drive and more

sideways force, heeling the boat

over rather than driving her

forward. Most cruising yachts

perform best when they’re sailed

nearly flat; with stretched sails,

performance will suffer because

of increased heeling and inability

to point close to the wind.

A basic radial

laminate sail

nearing

time for

replacement

When sails start looking tired,

they have usually stretched and

will soon need replacing

Why spend more

than the minimum?

If you enjoy sailing

you’ll know why

PHOTOS ABOVE & LEFT: GRAHAM SNOOK/YM