Cruising Mainsails
Cruising sailors ask different things of a mainsail. Some want an easy sail that goes up and comes down without fuss, some are heading offshore, and some want to be competitive on club race nights. UK Sailmakers builds cruising mainsails across that whole range, from the most economical Dacron to the lightest performance membranes.
Shape holding is where most of the difference lies. A mainsail that keeps its designed shape drives the boat efficiently, points higher, and keeps the helm balanced. As a sail stretches out it gets fuller and the draft moves aft, so the boat heels more and the helm loads up, and on in-mast furling rigs a stretched sail is the most common cause of jams when rolling in and out. Our performance cruising mainsails hold shape through UK Sailmakers’ Titanium membranes, X-Drive® load-path reinforced laminates, hybrid wovens, and premium Dacron.
If your budget calls for a simpler sail, we build with basic cruising Dacron as well, and even those sails are made to a higher standard than off-the-shelf alternatives. Every UK Sailmakers mainsail gets properly sized corner and reef patches, premium hardware, and UV covers applied last on furling sails so they protect the corner webbings and stitching underneath.
Titanium Double Taffeta
Description:
Lightest weight performance cruising sail.
Construction:
Molded membrane containing carbon load-path fibers running continuously from corner to corner over a Technora scrim. Lite Skin, White or grey taffeta on both sides of the sail.
Appearance:
Black, Grey or white
Shape stability:
★★★★★
Durability:
★★★★
Price:
$$$$$
X-Drive Taffeta
Description:
Load-path reinforced performance cruising laminate sail.
Construction:
Extra lightweight cross-cut laminate panels reinforced with corner-to-corner carbon or S-Glass reinforcing yarns bonded to the sail. Taffeta or Lite Skin on one or both sides of the sail.
Appearance:
Black, Grey or white
Shape stability:
★★★★-★★★★★
Durability:
★★★★★
Price:
$$$
Radial Taffeta
Description:
Tri-Radial panel layout for increased shape holding.
Construction:
Long narrow panels radiating from the three corners of the sail that follow load paths connecting the three corners. The narrower the panels the better the shape-holding. Taffeta on both sides.
Appearance:
Grey or white
Shape stability:
★★★
Durability:
★★★
Price:
$$$ – $$$$
Hybrid Woven
Description:
Premium woven materials featuring high-tenacity polyester reinforced with UHMWPE fibers.
Construction:
These sails are built in either Cross-cut (Voyager) or Tri-Radial (Hydranet and Fibercon Pro Hybrid) configurations to orient the high-strength fibers along the sail’s primary load paths for maximum shape retention.
Appearance:
White
Shape stability:
★★★★
Durability:
★★★★★
Price:
$$$-$$$$
Dacron
Description:
Most economical sails for cruising and daysailing.
Construction:
Cross-cut panels make for the most efficient use of the sailcloth, which helps control costs. Woven polyester is better known by the name Dacron, which is a trademark of Dupont.
Appearance:
White, Tanbark or Cream
Shape stability:
★★
Durability:
★★★★
Price:
$