DJE
Well-Known Member
It certainly happens between the layers of cruising laminate sails.
Oh for blue sails... Double layered Dacron?
- Thread starter rhumbunctious
- Start date
rhumbunctious
Well-Known Member
Another option presents itself from Challenge, who have a 6oz dacron in blue. They say:
Our 6.03 colored cloth weighs almost exactly 6 sailmaker's ounces. It will probably be okay for your main, mizzen and working jib sails, but definitely have good patching. A tabling (2 layers) on the leech of the main and storm jib might be a good idea and on the foot and at reef points on the main and mizzen also. It is a little light weight for your application, I would almost certainly normally recommend a 7oz cloth for this. For the genoa this cloth is fine, though.
So now I'm thinking, perhaps it would be an option to go with the 6oz dacron for the main, mizzen, jib and genoa, with "aggressive" reinforcements/construction, and look around for some used, ugly but fully servicable "heavy weather" sails (at least main and jib) when needed, but enjoying the new blue sails most of the time.
The 6oz is actually probably fine for the genoa and mizzen sails, and I anyway have a pretty hefty 70% jib that I could have a local sailmaker give some attention to, so it's really a question of the main.
Hmmmm.....
Our 6.03 colored cloth weighs almost exactly 6 sailmaker's ounces. It will probably be okay for your main, mizzen and working jib sails, but definitely have good patching. A tabling (2 layers) on the leech of the main and storm jib might be a good idea and on the foot and at reef points on the main and mizzen also. It is a little light weight for your application, I would almost certainly normally recommend a 7oz cloth for this. For the genoa this cloth is fine, though.
So now I'm thinking, perhaps it would be an option to go with the 6oz dacron for the main, mizzen, jib and genoa, with "aggressive" reinforcements/construction, and look around for some used, ugly but fully servicable "heavy weather" sails (at least main and jib) when needed, but enjoying the new blue sails most of the time.
The 6oz is actually probably fine for the genoa and mizzen sails, and I anyway have a pretty hefty 70% jib that I could have a local sailmaker give some attention to, so it's really a question of the main.
Hmmmm.....
Kukri
Well-Known Member
My tow foresail and jackyard topsail are 6oz blue. Boat is 9 tons displacement but these are lightish weather sails.
I like Rolly tasker's solution - incidentally, back in the Victorian era this was not an unusual way to make sails.
I like Rolly tasker's solution - incidentally, back in the Victorian era this was not an unusual way to make sails.
rhumbunctious
Well-Known Member
In further considering the two-ply approach, I've been researching the two-ply wrap around sails originally used on Freedom yachts. While not identical to two layers fully sewn together, there are useful similarities.
I found it interesting that I was unable to find any discussion about either chafe or mildew being a problem, and the key reasons for moving later to single ply with a track was to allow for battons and because the wrap around luff had a tendency to creep around the mast and spoil the sail shape.
I also found reference to a few offshore racing yachts of yore which had fully two-ply sails for strength, in the early days of dacron.
So I'm still not ruling out the two ply approach. Will be talking more with sailmakers to get additional expert input on the options.
I found it interesting that I was unable to find any discussion about either chafe or mildew being a problem, and the key reasons for moving later to single ply with a track was to allow for battons and because the wrap around luff had a tendency to creep around the mast and spoil the sail shape.
I also found reference to a few offshore racing yachts of yore which had fully two-ply sails for strength, in the early days of dacron.
So I'm still not ruling out the two ply approach. Will be talking more with sailmakers to get additional expert input on the options.
rhumbunctious
Well-Known Member
True, but that appears to be a problem particular to laminates, as they don't breathe like dacron does. Even with multiple layers of dacron, moisture will (eventually) wick out and evaporate -- given the opportunity.
With laminates, the moisture gets trapped and never leaves.
The keys to keeping mildew out of a dacron sail with heavy tabling and large patches appear to be (a) keep it clean and (b) let it dry out. Certainly more of a challenge with greater amounts of multi-ply construction, but not too difficult to manage, I think.