Why Are Sails White?

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Joli

Our kevlar sails are brown. I've found with poly sails the darker collors seem to hold up best. Our red kites tended to last much longer then our white kites, I don't know why though.

Our nephew is in Nevada testing the new North sails that are made without a scrim, they are nothing but fiber. He says they are pretty bullet proof, more so then the boats and gear. He says when a puff goes through they do not move, no bag, no stretch, no nothing. They simply load up and break the halyard, shackles, sheets...... They look like the solution to film shrinkage.

But I do like white sails.

My competitors have black sails, so I have white ones, even when the fiber is carbon, the sail is basically white. So there.

[siamese]

That's a two part question.

Why?....or course!

And are they white?...yes, they are.

[Tetepare]

Because of the Polynesians.

They call white people Palagi (and in Tuvalu it’s Papa’a) both of which mean white sail. If sails were a different color they’d have to call whites something else like araqua.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Dogscout

They are white because when you see them against a blue sky, you will think of Penn State.

But of course. MBA Architectural Engineering 1968 Go State!

[dfelsent]

Tanbark cotton sails are reddish. The tanbark solution is a mixture of tree bark, blood, and urine and more. The solution is a preservative.
In about 1978 or so I had a conversation with a gentleman on the South coast of Newfoundland who told me that he and all the other village kids would be red for a week after the annual sail boil.
He showed me the hollow where they put the mixture and the hot rocks and sails every year.

I also used to work for a sailcloth manufacturer. As in thread up though finished sail. The man who ran the dye vats always had arms of one color or another. Crazy dude but nice.
White sails? Kind of a yachtie thing. Cause back in the day replacing sails was more expensive than tan barking. In the long run.
Nowadays white Dacron is undyed. Kevlar is brown. Carbon is black. Technora is brownish. Dyneema/spectra is white.
But yes white is now long lasting and less expensive than dyed.

[Jim Cate]

Interesting that the tanning in the old days was to increase life span of sails, and now the tanbark colored dacron has a shorter life span (UV) than white. Strange practice for modern folk, but nostalgia is a strong emotion!

Jim

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Perhaps, but more than a few professional ship bridge crew have said that from their aspect, white sails don't show up well against breaking waves and foam, and suggested that colored sails, especially red, orange or bright yellow would be easier to pick out.

That is why most storm sails (in UK) are orange.

[sailjumanji]

None of our sails are white. Dimension Polyant GPL Lite Skin main and jib. Spinnaker is just nylon.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by Joli

Our kevlar sails are brown.

Years ago we had Kevlar sails. The Kevlar threads were initially a gold color. With time and UV exposure - covered when not used - the threads turned brown.

[chrisr]

during my racing days we transitioned from white (dacron etc) to black (carbon etc)

i've gota say the white sails are a hell of a lot easier to trim at night !

cheers,

[fxykty]

White also reduces the heat load, particularly important for laminate and membrane sails to be used in the tropics.

Our jib and main are fibre string sails on monocoque membranes. We were offered a colour range from natural (black and grey), to black through dark grey, silver and white. We selected white.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by fxykty

White also reduces the heat load, particularly important for laminate and membrane sails to be used in the tropics.

I've never noticed our black/grey sails to be warm to the touch. I think air flow over them prevents heating. We've in South Texas, which gets warm. We have a very good stack pack they are zipped in when not being used.

Also black sails don't show mildew. Light colored or white laminate sails will mildew in tropics.