MATERIALS


There are many many fabrics available to the sailmaker. Here at Sanders Sails we only use the best as we rely almost entirely on word of mouth for our orders. This is why you will never see medium tenacity / boatshow fabric in our loft let alone in our sails.

Please contact us for our recommendation of what you need for your sailing application.


Wovens:

 

DACRON

The first dacrons were developed in the 1950s and it is still the most popular sailcloth available today. There are many different qualities of Dacron available but we only use the best. Since the demise of Hood sailmakers in Lymington we have been fortunate enough to be able to use the entire range of their woven fabrics. We have been so impressed with it that our woven cruising sails are now made almost entirely of Hood fabric.

 

VEKTRON

This exclusive fabric is woven by Hood Textiles in Ireland. Vektron yarns are incorporated in the weft of the sailcloth making it more stretch resistant ( denier for denier) than any other woven sailcloths. We are fortunate to be one of the only non Hood sail lofts allowed to use this fabric. We use this material for our top of the range cruising sails and our race sails when more durability is required than can be achieved from a laminate.

 

LAMINATES

The problem with woven materials is that due to the weaving process the yarns ‘are crimped’ which means that there is a certain amount of stretch inherent in the construction. Laminating eliminates this crimp and the film used either side of the scrim provides good bias support. Laminating reduces the amount of the yarn content required which results in a lighter sailcloth with less stretch. Racing sails take advantage of this reduction in weight so most racing laminates are what is known as ‘film on film’, in other words shiny on both sides. Although this weight reduction is an advantage to cruising sailors too the durability reduction isn’t. For this reason cruising laminates have a layer of light weight ‘Taffeta’ glued to each side of the fabric. This taffeta increases the bulk of the cloth which increases the durability.


Racing Laminates:

Sanders Sails offer three different styles of Racing Laminate which are all available in different yarn qualities.

MAXX / FLEX

These fabrics are designed to be used in a crosscut construction making them more cost effective. This style of design is most suited to smaller yachts or high aspect sails such as mainsails and No 3 genoas. The fabrics are available in Pentex, Aramid ( Kevlar) and Carbon Fibre.

WARP / RADIAL LAMINATES

Warp laminates are designed to be used in radial cut sails. This more sophisticated panel layout takes longer to make and wastes more fabric than the Maxx / Flex alternatives and therefore costs more. Radial cutting duplicates the design more accurately than crosscut therefore this style of sail creates smoother shapes and is especially beneficial on low aspect sails such as No1 and No2 Genoas. These fabrics are available using Polyester, Pentex, Twaron and Carbon Fibre.

D4, SPIDERTECH & MEMBRANE

Membrane sails such as 3DL, D4 and Spidertech are custom made laminates. The yarns are individually positioned to align with the loads in the sail. This method of construction is the most expensive but also the most efficient. Sanders Sails design the yarn maps of each sail themselves selecting yarn type, denier and yarn count. The following yarn types are available: Pentex, Twaron, Kevlar, Carbon Fibre, Technora & Vectran.


Cruising Laminates:

Sanders Sails offer three different styles of cruising laminates which are similar to the race styles but with the addition of taffeta to increase durability.

VOYAGER / FLEX TAFFETA

Crosscut constructions available with Pentex, Aramid and Carbon Fibre.

WARP /RADIAL CRUISELAMS

Radially constructed sails that are available using Polyester, Pentex, Carbon Fibre and Dyneema. More expensive than the Voyager / Flex styles due to the more sophisticated panel layouts but better for low aspect sails and essential on larger yachts where the crosscut constructions do not have the right quantity or quality of yarn. The Dyneema / Spectra Cruiselam is only available in warp constructions therefore you will not find crosscut laminates on large yachts where the stretch resistance of these superior yarns is necessary.

D4 / SPIDERTECH/ MEMBRANE

Cruising yachts can take advantage of this more advanced method of sail construction. To make the fabric more durable a layer of taffeta is laminated to each side ( as with the other cruising laminates) of the custom membranes. Despite what stories you have heard it is possible to make successful reefing sails in these constructions. Due to advances in the sail design software it is now possible to create a ‘map’ that positions yarns at the reefed positions on roller reefing genoas as well as on mainsails.