![]() ![]() Nylon is widely used for spinnakers and asymmetric spinnakers (Gennakers™) because it is low cost, is lightweight for its strength, and exhibits good UV stability. Polyester yarn is quite resistant to UV damage. ![]() Polyester fabric is used both as stand-alone woven cloth and as a component in laminates. High shrinkage, combined with very tight weaving, produces sailcloth which is tightly packed and stable without having to rely on on adding excess (and less durable) resins for stability. Premium polyester yarns deliberately feature very high shrinkage when heated during the finishing process. Over the years other suppliers have introduced premium polyester yarns well suited to sailcloth. Woven polyester sailcloth is often called “ dacron”, in reference to the brand name given by DuPont to their Type 52 Dacron yarn, which was developed specifically for sailcloth and was the industry standard for years. Polyester has for decades been the most commonly used sail fiber because it is strong, durable and relatively inexpensive. Let’s start with the various fibers found in abundance in top quality sailcloth, and then look at the more anomalous products that have appeared (and in some cases later disappeared from sailmaking applications). Finding the right balance of properties for your type of sailing and keeping within budget is the key to being happy with your sails. But in the real world, available fibers exhibit varying degrees of these attributes with some materials having vanishingly small levels of stretch for weight, but less than desirable durability, while others are tough, but somewhat stretchy. The ideal sailcloth fiber would last for decades of use, stand up to the harsh sailing environment (toughness and structural durability), would not stretch under load (modulus and shape holding) and would be low in cost. A better understanding of the characteristics of these fibers can be helpful in choosing the right sails for your boat. Some of these products are well known to sailors by a specific supplier’s brand name but in many cases the material properties of these products are not especially well understood. Modern sailcloth begins life as industrial fiber and film. Everything You Need To Know © Studio MULTICLIC
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