I am thinking about buying some new sails and I have heard that mylar sails are better going down wind but are about the same as dacron sails going upwind. Also I heard the mylar jibs tend to crack after awhile from hitting the mast.

I have a nacra 5.2 and any suggestions would be great.

airborne

The Mylar is much stiffer and less forgiving then the Dacron. Pentex would be another material to consider. It is stiffer then the Dacron and cheaper then the Mylar. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

When you say "The Mylar is much stiffer and less forgiving then the Dacron", what do you mean by less forgiving. airborne

A mylar (composite) sail is much more durable and stretch resistant. It will hold it's design shape longer. However, it is more brittle and will respond a little less favorably to flogging or abrasion. If you have an overlapping jib (one that sweeps the mast and rigging as you tack) it is better to go with a dacron jib. Unless money is a problem, I would go with a mylar main and a dacron jib. I've never heard of a difference between the two downwind - they should be comparable in this respect.

Concentrate first on finding a quality loft having expertise with the 5.2. They should be best suited to sort out materials with you based upon your sailing priorities.

Regardless, a poorly cut/designed sail will perform poorly no matter what material it is made from.

If you have the interest in reading all about materials check out the cloth manufacturer and loft sites below:

http://www.quantumsails.com/products/tech.asp?PLID=1

http://www.contendersailcloth.com/index1.asp?Sid=3&SHid=612&SWid=1004

http://www.dimension-polyant.com/e_docs/home/home_fr.htm

http://www.epsails.com./

http://www.sabresails.com/article2-1.htm

There are others. I have found all of the material have trade offs. Just a matter of what you consider to be your top priorities.

Sail fast, Tom G

In my conversations with Skip Elliot (EP Sails) when we discussed sail design for the SC20, he suggested Pentex for the main, and dacron for the jib (even though it's now self tacking). His reasoning on the jib, based on his Tornado sailing, was that he could perceive the luff breaking sooner with dacron than laminates, which gave him advance warning that he was pinching. This is probably most noticable in lighter airs.
This will be the 4th season on the Pentex main, and it's in very good condition, but I do handle it very carefully, alway rolling it up immediately and never crushing the sailbag.
The advice to find a loft that knows the 5.2 seems sound.

Dave

I have ordered a jib from Skip Elliot made out of dacron. The main will have to wait about 4 months. What would be the best main with a dacron jib?

Thanks airborne