I have new dacron sails (Neil Pride) They are made for cruising. Can my boat perform in races against similar boats with their high tech kevlar sails? What is the difference between common dacron sails and the counteparts in the racing world? Regards...
Racing Sails
- Thread starter Paul8753
- Start date
- Status
High Tech Sails
If your Dacron sails are new, they have their initial designed shapes. As they age the fabric stretches after being subjected to higher wind pressures and these shapes tend to change. I'm sure you've seen deeper belly in the middle of a mainsail or a hooked luff from an over tensioned leech cord when the leech flutter could no longer be controlled. I have a well used Mylar/Dacron scrim tri-radial 135 Genoa and a well used Mylar bi-radial 155 Genoa, and while I'm sure they don't have all their initial shape, the added strength and alignment of the fabric panels probably keeps the ageing to a minimum, as does carefull handling and folding. My 2 year old 'new' mainsail is a cruising weight Dacron withone full head batten and the other three as oversized 'IOR' length battens. It has a loose foot, a cunningham gromet, two reefs and an adjustable leech cord. In other words, it's a Dacron 'racing sail'. I've chosen these combinations with the good advice of an excelent local sailmaker who steered me away from spending more money on higher tech materials, he felt I didn't need. I would further qualify that advice was given for my race rigged deep keel Hunter 28.5 which we sail shorthanded in PHRF as well as 'cruising division' non spinnaker races. However her performance has often been borne out by finishes with corrected times equal or faster than boats in the racing categories above us. We can easily sail to our rating because of the way we've prepared the boat. If it is your intention to compete with the top high-tech racers you will probably want to move up to higher tech sails as the dacron sails age and as you add to the sails you carry. Don't miss the other points of race prep such as a folding or feathering prop, an immaculately prepared & wet-sanded bottom job and all the sail adjustment controls that didn't come standard on the boat.
If your Dacron sails are new, they have their initial designed shapes. As they age the fabric stretches after being subjected to higher wind pressures and these shapes tend to change. I'm sure you've seen deeper belly in the middle of a mainsail or a hooked luff from an over tensioned leech cord when the leech flutter could no longer be controlled. I have a well used Mylar/Dacron scrim tri-radial 135 Genoa and a well used Mylar bi-radial 155 Genoa, and while I'm sure they don't have all their initial shape, the added strength and alignment of the fabric panels probably keeps the ageing to a minimum, as does carefull handling and folding. My 2 year old 'new' mainsail is a cruising weight Dacron withone full head batten and the other three as oversized 'IOR' length battens. It has a loose foot, a cunningham gromet, two reefs and an adjustable leech cord. In other words, it's a Dacron 'racing sail'. I've chosen these combinations with the good advice of an excelent local sailmaker who steered me away from spending more money on higher tech materials, he felt I didn't need. I would further qualify that advice was given for my race rigged deep keel Hunter 28.5 which we sail shorthanded in PHRF as well as 'cruising division' non spinnaker races. However her performance has often been borne out by finishes with corrected times equal or faster than boats in the racing categories above us. We can easily sail to our rating because of the way we've prepared the boat. If it is your intention to compete with the top high-tech racers you will probably want to move up to higher tech sails as the dacron sails age and as you add to the sails you carry. Don't miss the other points of race prep such as a folding or feathering prop, an immaculately prepared & wet-sanded bottom job and all the sail adjustment controls that didn't come standard on the boat.
You can race with them
forget about performance comparisons right now... just get out and race. You will learn so much by getting involved with other racers. I don't want to duck your question...but the difference between dacron and laminated sails is best understood by linking to any sailmakers' website such as North Sails, UK Sails, Doyle Sails, Elliot-Pattison, etc. Or..... let me recommend an excellent book that every sailor should have in his library. "The Art and Science of Sails" by Tom Whidden. ALL of you questions will be answered there. BTW most people buy dacron sails because they have a longer service life than the laminated kind. With proper care a dacron sail will be an effective engine for 10 years or more. They can be re-cut also to counteract the stretching. As far as I know, laminates cannot extend their life in this manner and are usually just discarded if they start falling apart.
forget about performance comparisons right now... just get out and race. You will learn so much by getting involved with other racers. I don't want to duck your question...but the difference between dacron and laminated sails is best understood by linking to any sailmakers' website such as North Sails, UK Sails, Doyle Sails, Elliot-Pattison, etc. Or..... let me recommend an excellent book that every sailor should have in his library. "The Art and Science of Sails" by Tom Whidden. ALL of you questions will be answered there. BTW most people buy dacron sails because they have a longer service life than the laminated kind. With proper care a dacron sail will be an effective engine for 10 years or more. They can be re-cut also to counteract the stretching. As far as I know, laminates cannot extend their life in this manner and are usually just discarded if they start falling apart.
Dacron sails don't really have.......
.......a longer service life. Dacron sails (if used regularly) are used longer, but their shape is all blown out in 3 to 5 years. Sure the canvas is still in one piece, but that is not what I call a useable sail. Laminate sails like kevlar do require proper care, but they hold their shape for much longer, have a much wider wind range and are lighter, which affects pointing and weather helm.
.......a longer service life. Dacron sails (if used regularly) are used longer, but their shape is all blown out in 3 to 5 years. Sure the canvas is still in one piece, but that is not what I call a useable sail. Laminate sails like kevlar do require proper care, but they hold their shape for much longer, have a much wider wind range and are lighter, which affects pointing and weather helm.
- Status