NEW SAILS?

Feb 21, 2011
74
Hunter 410 Lorain
Hi, all! My 2000 h410 is in need of new sails after 18 years! I have the option of O.E.M. replacements OR black polyester "club race" sails for just slightly more. I like the look of those black sails! Has anyone out there bought these sails? How's their longevity & strength? ANY comments or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
 

Dave Groshong

SBO Staff
Staff member
Jan 25, 2007
1,864
Catalina 22 Seattle
They do look pretty cool! JackDaw may be the guy for your answer.
 

SG

.
Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
I'm not familiar with "black polyester 'club race' sails".
Who makes them?
Are they imitation carbon or some other high-tech fiber construction?
Where is Loraine, Stargazer3?
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
Isn't Dacron polyester? The black sails we see on racing boats have carbon fiber as a component of the materials. I don't understand what black polyester is either.
 
May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
If they are "laminate" construction they may be subject to delamination prematurely if not well cared for.
 
Oct 27, 2016
0
Seattle
And now a word from the sponsor...
Replacement in-deck solar panel


Finally, a drop-in replacement for the in-deck solar panel on Hunters built from the early 90s through the mid-2000s. Improved for longer life and greater output.
See the product
 

Ted

.
Jan 26, 2005
1,254
C&C 110 Bay Shore, Long Island, NY
The black color is meaningless unless you know the composition of the structure of the sail. The black can be from a black polyester taffeta laminated to the outer surface of a sail, on one or both sides. Dimension Polyant has product called Lite Skin which is dark gray and is used to protect the sail against chafe. It's lighter than a polyester taffeta and doesn't absorb moisture. Both of these products are not intended to add much strength to a sail but will increase their life while increasing the overall weight of the sail somewhat. There are also black tinted mylar films which are not woven like a polyester taffeta is.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
If both sails are tri-radial construction, the cost difference between a dacron cloth and a mylar-polyester string-mylar laminate will not be much, maybe 15%. The laminate will hold its performance shape longer, the dacron sail will last longer construction wise, but will lose its shape much faster. It's more a question of what you want. If you want 18 years of 'life' again from your sails, for SURE get the dacron. But if you have more reasonable expectations and you can keep them from flogging, I suggest the laminates. Much better. Life is too short to sail with crappy sails.
 
Last edited:
Jan 12, 2016
268
Hunter 410 Ladysmith, BC
We're ordering new sails this winter for our 410 as well. We're going with cruising laminate with a grey carbon lite skin taffeta. Which sailmaker are you going with? The black stuff is racy, but maybe lacking in UV protection. The carbon lite skin is supposed to be very forgiving for chafe, and give excellent UV and mildew protection.
 
Feb 21, 2011
74
Hunter 410 Lorain
Hi! You asked where Lorain is. It's on the South Shore of Lake Erie half-way between Cleveland and the Lake Erie Islands.
 

Ted

.
Jan 26, 2005
1,254
C&C 110 Bay Shore, Long Island, NY
We're ordering new sails this winter for our 410 as well. We're going with cruising laminate with a grey carbon lite skin taffeta.
Lite Skin is not carbon, it is a random array of non-woven polyester filaments laminated to a very thin Mylar film. You may be getting a carbon or other exotic substrate sail with Lite Skin taffeta but make sure you know what the substrate is because that is where all the strength comes from. The Lite Skin does not add any appreciable strength but it will extend the life of the sail.
 
Jan 12, 2016
268
Hunter 410 Ladysmith, BC
Lite Skin is not carbon, it is a random array of non-woven polyester filaments laminated to a very thin Mylar film. You may be getting a carbon or other exotic substrate sail with Lite Skin taffeta but make sure you know what the substrate is because that is where all the strength comes from. The Lite Skin does not add any appreciable strength but it will extend the life of the sail.
You are correct, I had mixed up product names with another product I looked at a year ago. The product I'm using is from Dimension Polyant. CXTech is what UK sails refers to the fabric on the estimate. I think it is a fairly new material from DP.

We've visited the UK loft several times in Sidney. The chosen material is a cruising laminate, with a darkish grey taffeta that is opaque, and provides excellent abrasion and mildew resistance in addition to good UV protection. Amazing stuff, about 25-30% lighter than the Dacron it replaces, soft to the hand and very low stretch. I

The only black sails I've seen were pure racing sails, and weren't durable enough for cruising, but there may be new stuff out there I haven't seen that allow for black laminate cruising sails.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Lite Skin is not carbon, it is a random array of non-woven polyester filaments laminated to a very thin Mylar film. You may be getting a carbon or other exotic substrate sail with Lite Skin taffeta but make sure you know what the substrate is because that is where all the strength comes from. The Lite Skin does not add any appreciable strength but it will extend the life of the sail.
Are you sure the GPL Lite Skin is filaments laminated to mylar? I thought it was a those same fibers rolled/pressed into a thin sheet. It is then applied (only) to the DP Aramid Sport laminated cloth.
 
Oct 31, 2012
464
Hunter 2008 H25 Lake Wabamun
I purchase these Dimension Polyant with the darkish grey taffeta from Evolution Sails this spring. Definitely notice improved performance and additional power of the full batten high roach main and surprisingly, less heel than with my original sails.
E1E4D9E8-8D8A-46CD-A588-AEE663DF12B4.jpeg
43E1DC91-389C-4360-BB6F-FF378D3A648E.jpeg
7F954912-A267-4806-927B-2D2376A114D8.jpeg

2A573DFD-E729-4765-8299-C8FB0954BEEE.jpeg
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I purchase these Dimension Polyant with the darkish grey taffeta from Evolution Sails this spring. Definitely notice improved performance and additional power of the full batten high roach main and surprisingly, less heel than with my original sails.View attachment 156345 View attachment 156344
Very nice! Now that you have that fat-head, a super upgrade for your boat would be a traveler. It would allow you to set the correct twist with the top half correctly positioned with respect to AoA. I'm guessing right now that most of the time the top half of the sail is not generating its full power potential.
 

Ted

.
Jan 26, 2005
1,254
C&C 110 Bay Shore, Long Island, NY
Are you sure the GPL Lite Skin is filaments laminated to mylar? I thought it was a those same fibers rolled/pressed into a thin sheet. It is then applied (only) to the DP Aramid Sport laminated cloth.
GPL Lite Skin is made by Dimension Polyant. DP makes a few sailcloths with Lite Skin as the exposed part of the finished product. GPL Graph X (with carbon and technora internal fibers) and Carbon Sport and another fairly new sailcloth (I forgot the name) all have Lite Skin. Lite Skin is a taffeta like product that can also be applied to one or both sides of membrane/string sails when they are being built. The attached pdf file describes Lite Skin and how some very thin mylar is part of the make-up.
https://www.dimension-polyant.com/portfolio/gpl-lite-skin/?lang=en
 

Attachments

Last edited: