Sailing cloth
The development of technology, the creation of new materials have greatly influenced the development of sailing and yachting in general. Lightweight and durable materials such as Kevlar, Vectran, Spectra, Dynema, Technora, Carbon etc. made it possible to create very strong and lightweight structures. Progress did not bypass the production of sailing fabrics. In addition to the widely used fibers of polyester, nylon, pentax, we increasingly meet Spectra, Vectran, Kevlar in the construction of fabrics.
To date, the main material for the production of widely used sails are polyamide fibers. Polyester fabrics are created from these fibers, such as Dacron, Terylene, Lavsan. These are commercial names for basically the same material. The main difference lies in the form of connection of the molecules. If in Dacron the structural formula is an elongated chain, then in Dacron it looks more like a tree or a bush. These materials are created for different purposes and weights. For the manufacture of sails for boats of various sizes and for various navigation areas, as well as courses relative to the wind, appropriate fabrics are designed and manufactured that best meet these requirements.
Groups of materials (cloth)
Monofabrics
are made on looms, during the weaving process certain parameters are set such as the number of warp and weft threads, as well as their thickness, after weaving, as a rule, the fabric web is finished with various resins that fill the spaces between the fibers and prevent the fibers from shearing under load. Thus, the initial deformation of the fabric is eliminated. Depending on the type of impregnation (resin) used, different physical properties of the fabric are obtained, namely the rigidity or softness of the material itself. storage, but they keep the shape of the profile better and are less deformed. Materials with a soft finish (Polypreg, MTO, FTO) are more comfortable when cleaning, setting a sail, and also when taking reefs.
Modern sailing fabrics are designed and manufactured for a certain type of cut. There are also balanced fabrics that can be used for both types of cut.
Laminates
these are multilayer materials from which sails are made. The main structure of the web is made up of fibers from aramid yarns, which perceive the main load that occurs in the material, and the gap is filled with a film, which, during sintering, fixes the fibers in a certain direction and is the surface of the material.
Since the film is easily damaged, more and more people began to use taffeta, this is a thin layer of fabric that is baked simultaneously during the manufacture of the material. It can be either integrated into the middle of the material, or be on one or both sides of the material.
Taffeta significantly increases the service life of the laminated fabric.
Sailing fabrics depending on the expected courses relative to the wind
Tail fabrics
For tacking sails, there is an extensive range of dacron fabrics as well as laminates. You can get acquainted with fabrics for tacking sails here:
http://www.contendersailcloth.com/Cruiser/cruising-upwind
http://www.contendersailcloth.com/Performance%20Cruiser/performance-cruising
http://www.contendersailcloth.com/Clubracer/Clubracing-upwind%20cross%20cut
Sail fabrics for full courses
An equally extensive range of sail fabrics for full courses.
These fabrics can be found here:
http://www.contendersailcloth.com/Clubracer/Clubracing-reaching
http://www.contendersailcloth.com/Clubracer/Clubracing-downwind