Roll genoa 2 : warp oriented dacron or laminate

[Chanquete]

Hy
I usually sail with family and friends our 37 feet crucer racer . My partially delaminated old and mildew stained laminate roll genoa is finishing its life.
As I am tired of mildew I am considering a warp oriented radial cut dacron sail.
The local north loft offered its new radian dacron cloth.
Other sailmakers offer challenge warp oriented dacron.

I am concerned wih the shorter shape conserving life of dacron, but maybe the modern warp oriented dacrons have a better behavior than traditional c cut sails with normal daron.

As the price of these modern dacron sails is more or less similar to the cost oflaminatad sails I would very much appreciate opinions and suggestion.

Thanks in advance!

Chanquete

 

[Yacht Yogi]

Have you considered radial Hydranet? I have a cruiser/racer mainsail made from this by Crusader. They do jibs in it too. It is woven with Dyneema threads and gives similar stiffness to a laminate but with much greater durability at a price a bit lower than a mid-range laminate. It comes out a little heavier than laminate; about the same as Dacron but that aside it makes a good compromise to give you a long-lasting, mildew-free sail that performs pretty much the same as a laminate.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[TimBennet]

The comments above about Hydanet are spot on. They do a couple of versions which allow you to choose either cross-cut or tri-radial panel layout for your genoa.

Its stability, longevity and LACK OF MILDEW issues make it my firm favourite for genoas.

 

[Daydream believer]

Hy
I usually sail with family and friends our 37 feet crucer racer . My partially delaminated old and mildew stained laminate roll genoa is finishing its life.
As I am tired of mildew I am considering a warp oriented radial cut dacron sail.
The local north loft offered its new radian dacron cloth.
Other sailmakers offer challenge warp oriented dacron.

I am concerned wih the shorter shape conserving life of dacron, but maybe the modern warp oriented dacrons have a better behavior than traditional c cut sails with normal daron.

As the price of these modern dacron sails is more or less similar to the cost oflaminatad sails I would very much appreciate opinions and suggestion.

Thanks in advance!

Chanquete

If it os long life you want then dacron
It is well documented that laminated sails hold the initial shape longer than dacron but the sail will suddenly deteriorate
You will get say, 8 years out of a well handled dacon, against 5 for a laminate
Of course jibs do a lot of flogging whereas a mainsail may last a little longer if handled carefully
I have read too many complaints about Crusader to have one made by them
Be careful of " local" north sailmakers they are often just franchisers

 

[Georgio]

Take a look at woven Vektron/Vektran, it's a bit more expensive but it's what I'm probably going for next time.

 

[davidwf]

I had my Dacron genoa coated with Saikote when new, its done three seasons so far and is still slippery, very clean and shows no signs of any mildew, other big advantage is that it rolls up very tight.

It was expensive but I am very pleased with it and feel it was worth doing, cost about £200 although you can do it yourself if you wanted to with maclube which is similar.

 

[charles_reed]

Take a look at woven Vektron/Vektran, it's a bit more expensive but it's what I'm probably going for next time.

Vectran, polyacrylate superfibre, first developed by Celanese and used by Hood for their sails.
Stronger and slightly less stretch than dyneema. High UV resistance but unlikely to perform (offer drive) more than good dacron.
It's quite easy to get 18-20 years out of a well-made Dacron sail (not cross cut).

 

[fishermantwo]

North's radian sails are made in Sri Lanka. I have a new cruising laminate furler designed by a local sailmaker and built in China by the same company that builds most of the well known sailmakers. It was 2/3 of the cost of North's quote. I will be surprised if it lasts only 10 years, stunning quality.

 

[Georgio]

Vectran, polyacrylate superfibre, first developed by Celanese and used by Hood for their sails.
Stronger and slightly less stretch than dyneema. High UV resistance but unlikely to perform (offer drive) more than good dacron.
It's quite easy to get 18-20 years out of a well-made Dacron sail (not cross cut).

I beg to differ, but maybe it's the racer coming out in me. I wouldn't want to be sailing with 10-year old dacron sails, let alone 18-20.