1. Topics
  2. [Amel] Re: New main sail sm2k

[Amel] Re: New main sail sm2k

Dennis woods
 

Dave, is there any optimum cloth weight I should go for in a load path Dacron material ? Thanks. Dennis
On 4 Feb 2013, at 05:56, "Dave_Benjamin" <dave_benjamin@...> wrote:

Dennis,

There's no "right answer" so to speak. Every material has advantages and disadvantages. Many Super Maramu owners in Europe favor Radial Hydranet from Dimension Polyant. It's important to note that the crosscut variant of Hydranet is a waste of money, offering little advantage over a premium Dacron. Radial Hydranet is an excellent product but is very very expensive. There are some excellent alternatives and as a sailmaker, I personally wouldn't put Hydranet on my boat. The latest generation of load path sails are a better value, have better shape holding, and are lighter.

As for cut, you're pretty limited with a furling main. When we build furling mains our goals are to make a very strong sail that doesn't get too thick and interfere with smooth furling and to avoid a full shape. Furling mains are very simple to design and build compared to conventional mainsails.

If I can answer any questions, feel free to get in touch.

Regards,

Dave Benjamin
SV Exit Strategy - Maramu #29
Owner/Founder Island Planet Sails

--- In amelyachtowners@..., "dennis" wrote:

I need to replace the mainsail on my 2003 sm2k. I would welcome advice on the best material, the weight ( in ounces) and the cut. All views would be most welcome. Happy Sails. Dennis SM408

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Dave_Benjamin
 

Dennis,

A load path sail is a crosscut laminate sail with reinforcing fibers laid along the load paths. The beauty of the construction is that the parts of the sail under more load have higher denier, or fiber density. So we don't really classify the material in the same fashion as a woven product like Dacron.

Where is your boat located?

One thing I realized about my previous post is that I discussed thickness without really explaining that I was referring to the areas of the sail like corner patches where we try to avoid bulkiness. We also use a SailKote treatment at our production loft to reduce friction, block moisture retention, and extend the life of the furling motors. We put a set of Dacron sails on a Maramu and the owner mentioned he could hear the difference in the motors and how they were not having to work as much as they did with the old sails.

--- In amelyachtowners@..., Dennis Woods wrote:

Dave, is there any optimum cloth weight I should go for in a load path Dacron material ? Thanks. Dennis

Sent from my iPhone

On 4 Feb 2013, at 05:56, "Dave_Benjamin" wrote:

Dennis,

There's no "right answer" so to speak. Every material has advantages and disadvantages. Many Super Maramu owners in Europe favor Radial Hydranet from Dimension Polyant. It's important to note that the crosscut variant of Hydranet is a waste of money, offering little advantage over a premium Dacron. Radial Hydranet is an excellent product but is very very expensive. There are some excellent alternatives and as a sailmaker, I personally wouldn't put Hydranet on my boat. The latest generation of load path sails are a better value, have better shape holding, and are lighter.

As for cut, you're pretty limited with a furling main. When we build furling mains our goals are to make a very strong sail that doesn't get too thick and interfere with smooth furling and to avoid a full shape. Furling mains are very simple to design and build compared to conventional mainsails.

If I can answer any questions, feel free to get in touch.

Regards,

Dave Benjamin
SV Exit Strategy - Maramu #29
Owner/Founder Island Planet Sails

--- In amelyachtowners@..., "dennis" wrote:

I need to replace the mainsail on my 2003 sm2k. I would welcome advice on the best material, the weight ( in ounces) and the cut. All views would be most welcome. Happy Sails. Dennis SM408

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
1 - 2 of 2