Hydranet sail material

[Windswept-windy]

Hello Members.....anyone using Hydranet sail material....more so for cruising? Pro's/ Con's ect. All ears, thank you!

[CAELESTIS]

Bulletproof. Tri radial cut for shape. Like a white race sail.

[Dsanduril]

We have an 8-year-old Hydranet main that has done 1.5 circumnavigations without a tear or any other failure. It's ability to hold shape over time, fair. We have, though, given it a lot more use than most.

[JPA Cate]

We, too, have hydranet sails. Quite pleased for their age. They were offered at a really reasonable price, both are radial cut, made from seconds. There is more labor in radial cut sails, so the dacron ones would have been a lot more than cross cut, anyhow. But, it is a lot of $$, even so. It will possibly depend on how important sail shape is to you, how much you care.

Some here will say you're cruising, and it doesn't matter. Well, it probably doesn't matter to them, but you stick to your guns if it matters to you! It's your boat, and you know the manner in which you like to sail. Especially if you're a string twitcher, you may want the best you can afford.

Ann

[Bill O]

We have the DP Pro Radial cloth for our radial cut genoa and like it a lot. It's the same weave/loom used for the hydranet, just polyester. A little more economical than the hydranet also.

[fxykty]

Our boat (55 foot catamaran) came with HydraNet main (80sqm, large roach) and jib (35sqm, self tacking). Both sails are high aspect ratio and tri radial panel layout. The sails were built by Delta Voiles France in 2010 and sailed half way around the world over 6 years and around 50,000 miles. Since 2017 we’ve had the boat and done 10,000 coastal and passage miles.

The sails are due for replacement: during the last sail check the sail maker recommended complete re-stitching if we wanted to go offshore using these sails. As the cost of that would be half the cost of new sails, there’s no point.

The sails are badly stretched - the main at the first and second reef shelfs as the tri radial layout does not support the reefs’ foot loads. There are visible billows between the bottom three battens, with overly deep draft. The jib is a bit better as it doesn’t have the off-axis loading, but it’s draft is aft and the leech badly hooked.

Bottom line, in anticipation of significant offshore mileage over the life of the next set of (white) sails, we are not replacing with HydraNet. For our boat, with high sheet loads and a rigid mast, woven cloth just doesn’t work (we expect to sail at all angles, not just downwind). YMMV

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Our boat (55 foot catamaran) came with HydraNet main (80sqm, large roach) and jib (35sqm, self tacking). Both sails are high aspect ratio and tri radial panel layout. The sails were built by Delta Voiles France in 2010 and sailed half way around the world over 6 years and around 50,000 miles. Since 2017 we’ve had the boat and done 10,000 coastal and passage miles.

The sails are due for replacement: during the last sail check the sail maker recommended complete re-stitching if we wanted to go offshore using these sails. As the cost of that would be half the cost of new sails, there’s no point.

The sails are badly stretched - the main at the first and second reef shelfs as the tri radial layout does not support the reefs’ foot loads. There are visible billows between the bottom three battens, with overly deep draft. The jib is a bit better as it doesn’t have the off-axis loading, but it’s draft is aft and the leech badly hooked.

Bottom line, in anticipation of significant offshore mileage over the life of the next set of (white) sails, we are not replacing with HydraNet. For our boat, with high sheet loads and a rigid mast, woven cloth just doesn’t work (we expect to sail at all angles, not just downwind). YMMV

Well honestly, any sail that is still at all functional after 60,000 miles is bloody good IMO! That's a LOT more miles than any dacron sail that we've owned over the years, and none of our boats have had the cloth loads that your big cat has.

I'd agree that for a boat like yours some form of hi-tech laminate would be desirable from a performance aspect, but I doubt if any of such will still be around after that many miles.

I will be interested to see what cloth (if that is still an accurate word for sails) you will eventually choose.

Jim

[Joli]

We use hydranet for the main and staysail, the jib is a string sail. The hydranet sails have held up well, in the past year we have sailed about 10,000 miles. We hope to get 25~30,000 miles out of them. We care about sail shape so change sails fairly often. The main is 1,000 sq ft, the staysail is maybe 500 sq ft. The jib is a little older with maybe 15,000 miles on it and it's starting to come undone and go round.

Good sails are expensive and need to be changed out at regular intervals, no way around it.

[JPA Cate]

@fxykty,

If you do go for sewn sails again, consider paying for at least one row of stitching per seam with ptfe thread. It does not sun rot like dacron thread. It'll go 10 yrs, and although it loses strength its first 2 yrs., it doesn't lose much thereafter. Eventually, the dacron just blows off.

With a boat such as yours, it is wise to expect lots of sail wear.



Ann

[JustMurph]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Our boat (55 foot catamaran) came with HydraNet main (80sqm, large roach) and jib (35sqm, self tacking). Both sails are high aspect ratio and tri radial panel layout. The sails were built by Delta Voiles France in 2010 and sailed half way around the world over 6 years and around 50,000 miles. Since 2017 we’ve had the boat and done 10,000 coastal and passage miles.

The sails are due for replacement: during the last sail check the sail maker recommended complete re-stitching if we wanted to go offshore using these sails. As the cost of that would be half the cost of new sails, there’s no point.

The sails are badly stretched - the main at the first and second reef shelfs as the tri radial layout does not support the reefs’ foot loads. There are visible billows between the bottom three battens, with overly deep draft. The jib is a bit better as it doesn’t have the off-axis loading, but it’s draft is aft and the leech badly hooked.

Bottom line, in anticipation of significant offshore mileage over the life of the next set of (white) sails, we are not replacing with HydraNet. For our boat, with high sheet loads and a rigid mast, woven cloth just doesn’t work (we expect to sail at all angles, not just downwind). YMMV

That describes the hydranet sails on my boat perfectly. What are you looking to replace them with?

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

@fxykty,

If you do go for sewn sails again, consider paying for at least one row of stitching per seam with ptfe thread. It does not sun rot like dacron thread. It'll go 10 yrs, and although it loses strength its first 2 yrs., it doesn't lose much thereafter. Eventually, the dacron just blows off.

With a boat such as yours, it is wise to expect lots of sail wear.



Ann

The sails were sewn with ptfe thread according to the original invoice we still have. 10 years is great longevity for sails, but the pictures I have of the boat 5 years ago show the sails were already stretched out of optimum shape. Fine for downwind and casual sailing, but not so much when one loves to sail for its own sake.

Good suggestion, but for those looking for sewn seam sails the ptfe thread should be for all stitching, not just some.

[fxykty]

(Sorry OP, responding to other posters off topic.)

We are purchasing membrane string jib and main from Zoom Sails. We are specifying extra heavy polyester taffeta on each side for chafe protection. Probably not 10 years of service, but not much less we hope.

[CAELESTIS]

Due to the strength of the woven dynema, many sailmakers go lighter on the sail cloth. This is a common mistake. Use the same weight as you would for dacron. If you have a cat, go up one or two weights in the leech.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by CAELESTIS

Due to the strength of the woven dynema, many sailmakers go lighter on the sail cloth. This is a common mistake. Use the same weight as you would for dacron. If you have a cat, go up one or two weights in the leech.

And particularly with tri radial panelled sails, ensure that the sailmaker properly reinforces the foot shelf of each reef (that means, for the same loads as the foot of the full main) that is below the intersection point above which the panels are mostly vertical. It is the off-axis loads that really stretch woven materials. Our main doesn’t have any reinforcement other than corner patches for the reefs and I’m sure that contributed to the greater stretching in the lower third of the sail. We do use 1st and 2nd reefs often.

[Windswept-windy]

Interesting & thank you for all your inputs. Needless to say, I see pros and cons, mostly pros.

Tad of history....our Hylas has a Selden mast, in mast furling, rig is a sloop but possible cutter as I have a chain plate for a staysail and a place for a T-bolt (mast) for same. I need to add a sheave box to complete the staysail.

I probably should also have asked for a census Pro's & cons (maybe it should have been addressed in it's own thread) or please point to a existing thread....of setting up a cutter or sloop? Pros & Cons

I've had 3 other boats, all with Dacron.

We plan on leaving Ca. next spring for Mexico, where we will work out the boat for year. From there we will work south to Ecuador where we will make our big right turn for the South Pacific. I'm thinking 3 yr's in the area (in & out) for the seasons. From there, SE Asia, maybe 2 yr's...maybe by then Suez will be safe. Med. 3 years easy. Gibraltar, right turn for the Baltics, eventually Atlantic, Carbbean. So, we're looking at 10/12 on fresh sails...which is the reason for the post. Thoughs?

Thank heaps!!