Choice of Sails

[Mark Matthews]

What are the best sails?

Mark Matthews responds:

Your question is one that really needs qualifying because the answer depends upon the kind of sailing you do. If you’re someone who spends most of his or her time on board racing, then you’ll probably want sails that are cut expressly for performance, and not necessarily for endurance. If you have a boat with roller furling, then you’ll need specially designed sails for that application. If long-distance passagemaking is what you do with your boat, you’ll probably want low-maintenance, bullet-proof sails made of heavy dacron cloth, possibly with full-length battens and heavy stitching. As you can see, the "best" sails are those that best fit the intended use of your boat.

If you’d like additional information about sails, sail cloth, and different applications of sailmaking technology, have a look at the series of articles that Brian Hancock has written for SailNet. Here’s hoping this information helps you.