Cloth Matters

X-ply monofilm (left) vs. ODL04 (right) used in the V-Series North Moth Sails

Instron Testing ODL04 at nearly 100kg

Instron Testing X-Ply (Fill test shown, warp, fill and bias are tested)

In sailmaking the shape and design of a sail are very closely related to the cloth used in a sail. Likewise the performance of a sail has a lot to do with the cloth it is made from, which is why we feel it is important to use cloth that costs 3 times more than film.

Below are the results from tests this week of standard X-ply monofilm vs. ODL04 Technora used in the V-series Moth Sails. It is not surprising to us that the ODL04 is 1.39 times more resistant to stretch in the warp at 1% strain even though it only weighs 56% the weight of monofilm. With sailcloth the old saying, you get what you pay for is very true.

ODL04 1mil film results.

Smaller Stretch numbers are better, larger Loat at 1% strain are better

X-Ply test graphs