Innovations in sails continues to raise the bar in performance racing. For discerning cruisers, the definition of performance encompasses the gains made in racing (speed and lighter weight) and adds confidence, value, and elegance to the list of criteria.

The perfect balance

Top vessels now feature sharply retracted stems, narrow water lines, long, stretched keels with sword-like rudder blades, or open sterns with a heavily stressed U-frame. To gain the full benefit of these developments, it is essential to pair these designs with high-performance sails and rigging.

Delivering the perfect balance of strength and weight, Dyneema® fiber is the ideal material for these yachts. With low stretch characteristics that let sails retain an optimal shape and a pure white appearance that’s resistant to abrasion and UV radiation.

Achieving a perfect sailing profile

Aerodynamically-driven sail profiles generate more propulsion than flat ones – but only as long as they keep their original contour. The level of precision is intense because, at certain wind speeds, air particles can become detached from the surface of the sail and swirl up causing propulsion to implode and elevating the vessel. By trimming the sails with strategic bends at key points, the sailor tries to adapt the profile of the sail to the wind conditions and therefore to retain the optimum sailing characteristics.

The greatest depth of the profile should ideally be in the front third of a sail and it should run as straight as possible toward the leech. In effective profiles, the propulsion component is directed ahead at angles between 38 and 42 degrees.

The ultimate statement for cruising sailors

20 years ago, woven polyester fabrics defined "state-of-the-art" in sailcloth, but weakness and stretch prevented it from evolving further. Next, aramid fibers were introduced that allowed for improvements in sail design, such as non-woven "membrane" configurations that place highly directional strands of yarns exactly where needed.

Today, still further performance—and appearance—improvements are being made by fiber and sailcloth manufacturers, the most exciting of which incorporate yarns from DSM Dyneema® such as Dyneema® SK75 and Dyneema® SK78

Woven sails with Dyneema®

Even in woven processes, Dyneema® delivers a 40% reduction in weight over polyester, while being 4 times stronger and 10 times stiffer. The low weight combined with high modulus and superior strength facilitates ease of handling, increased speed and reliability.

Membrane sails with Dyneema®

Dyneema® is the ideal fiber for membrane-based sail designs, delivering superior strength and modulus to aramids or LCP. Moreover, its superior flex resistance, compared to carbon, makes it the fiber of choice for sails that need to perform over and over again.

New Innovations in Sails with Dyneema®:

The innovation and technology does not stop. DSM Dyneema and our customers are presently and continuously working together to make it possible to go faster than ever before. Keep looking for Dyneema® in the next significant leap in technology that you see sailing past.