TOPIC:

Interesting views, reading through posts I would say a slight trend towards laminate mains and or carbon jibsticks. I don't want to create cheque book sailing and really don't see that it would, you doont have to have one I really don't think there is a performance advantage, so if looks of Dacron preferred you can still have Dacron, I do however think it would make the white plastic boats look more up to date . They do last longer and as most people who race seriously probably buy a new sails every year they may save money by not having to replace as often, using the right cloth de lamination wouldn't be a problem for years. Would I have the class associations backing to have one made for trial purposes, willing to lend to people to try out.

MrGin wrote:

Laminate sails have to be dried out after each sail, they cannot be left in the boat as a lot of people do.

In the twenty years I've used laminate sails I've never once done that. However I did religiously wash my dacron sails in fresh water after being on the sea. That seems to make a noticeable difference to longevity as it stops the salt crystals breaking the cloth down even quicker.

Graham,

send me an email at philsmithathome [at] hotmail.co.uk outlineing your request and your reasoning and i will forward it to the committee.

Phil

If the used sails we have for our Merlin are anything to go by, I vastly prefer old dacron to old mylar - the latter from the 1990s are only fit for turning into kit bags whilst much older 1968 and 1970s dacron sails are quite useable.
If the front of the fleet has short life laminate then the secondhand sail market is affected and many people can't afford new suits for club racing and the front of fleet can't recoup some costs by selling on their "used for a season" sails.

I bought a new laminate main this year for my RS and it is starting to de-laminate after 6 months of sailing, they still have good performance but would probably only last another 6 months, I thought it would last much longer for the £700 it cost me.

The Squib class is looking into this...

www.hydesails.co.uk/hyde-sails-uk-news/s...-sailcloth-proposals.

For me, I LIKE the Alb the way it is.

I just think if it aint broke dont fix it, we can get 2 years plus good performance out of a main by using it only at opens, but still look round at our club and see sails we sold years ago still looking good. I reckon you cant alter jib life no matter what you make them of. Barney has the right idea, spend money on doing more sailing!
Paul