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Stumble mentioned a few types of sails, but didn't mention a cruising laminate. I seem to do similar sailing to you and I'm trying a cruising laminate for my new main.
They aren't as light as a true laminate string sail and don't have as completely custom/optimized load path of the strings. There is UV protection on the outside (dacron tafetta, plus an optional UV layer below for high UV areas) that a lighter laminate sail would not have.
The price ended up being about the same for me as having the same loft make a high quality dacron sail using high end cloth (not Marblehead, but a variation for high aspect sails).
I'm sick of dacron sails having bad shape and good cloth. I wanted a sail that would maintain good shape throughout it's lifetime and last longer than a dacron sail would hold good shape for. Multiple lofts pointed me in this direction, so that is what I'm trying. Ask me in 10 years how well it's worked out.
This is a PDF about what I'm having made:
http://www.china-sail-factory.com/Docs/CSFBook/adjust05-Custom Axis Laminate Sails.pdf
The load fibers in my sail are vectran. I'm getting the cruising version with 75gsm tafetta. On my size sail the lighter tafetta didn't save enough weight (650 grams, or about 1.5 lbs) to justify the cost and reduced UV protection.
Everyone who makes a "CAL Custom Axis Laminate" sail is getting it done by China Sail Factory. In my limited digging it looks like Ullman and CSF came up with the design. CSF contracts this out to many "lofts".
I should have my sail in a couple of months and can comment on the full ordering process and how the sail appears to be performing at that point. I'm excited about it, the other sails that I've bought have always been dacron sails.
They aren't as light as a true laminate string sail and don't have as completely custom/optimized load path of the strings. There is UV protection on the outside (dacron tafetta, plus an optional UV layer below for high UV areas) that a lighter laminate sail would not have.
The price ended up being about the same for me as having the same loft make a high quality dacron sail using high end cloth (not Marblehead, but a variation for high aspect sails).
I'm sick of dacron sails having bad shape and good cloth. I wanted a sail that would maintain good shape throughout it's lifetime and last longer than a dacron sail would hold good shape for. Multiple lofts pointed me in this direction, so that is what I'm trying. Ask me in 10 years how well it's worked out.
This is a PDF about what I'm having made:
http://www.china-sail-factory.com/Docs/CSFBook/adjust05-Custom Axis Laminate Sails.pdf
The load fibers in my sail are vectran. I'm getting the cruising version with 75gsm tafetta. On my size sail the lighter tafetta didn't save enough weight (650 grams, or about 1.5 lbs) to justify the cost and reduced UV protection.
Everyone who makes a "CAL Custom Axis Laminate" sail is getting it done by China Sail Factory. In my limited digging it looks like Ullman and CSF came up with the design. CSF contracts this out to many "lofts".
I should have my sail in a couple of months and can comment on the full ordering process and how the sail appears to be performing at that point. I'm excited about it, the other sails that I've bought have always been dacron sails.
