savageseadog
Well-known member
What views do people have on membrane sails v panel construction sails
We inherited a full suite of 3Di RAW with the new boat. The sails are from 2016, and the only thing the owner has replaced over the winter is the J-3, which had done a lot of work. Shape was fine, but it was starting to shed battens from abraded stitching etc. Nature of a J-3 is that when it's dropped for the downwind leg it doesn't get quite the care that the light wind sails get... Main is in very good condition, good enough for a class win at Cowes anyway, no doubt that it could do another season, at least, as our 1st line sail.This is now an incredibly complicated subject because there are so many variations nowadays and before speaking to any sailmaker you need to have read all the info on their website and have a pretty good idea of what you want them to aim at between maximum performance and maximum longevity and their are pro's and cons to each material.
If you want the absolute best longevity from a race sail one of the versions of north 3di is probably about a bullet proof as you will get but in the versions that are aimed at longevity are quite heavy and there are other versions of 3di which probably offer the best performance currently possible (not sure if they have a better version for light airs yet as haven't had a 3di raw sail yet).
In more traditional string sails that most other sailmaker will supply, ultimate performance is probably still from a lightweight clear laminate sail they have been around for ages, but the longevity isn't great because the film eventually breaks down with creasing, the old solution to this was adding a taffeta membrane to one or both sides. This has now been superseded as mentioned above by Lite Skin membranes which are lighter than taffeta but seam to offer similar longevity and if you don't want 3di then most of the sailmakers I know seam to think that these offer the best performance / longevity compromise for all but elite racing, the only snag with them as with all grey sails is that there can be issues seeing tell tales through them. My last 3 sails have been light speed and they all look very good after a couple of seasons.