I first became a sailmaker in the spring of 1994. My son and I had been active in building and racing soapbox derby cars in Indianapolis during his junior high years, but it had become painfully obvious that his high school growth spurt and changing interests were soon going to bring an end to his soapbox racing career. Already a tight fit, his feet, his butt, and even his head had grown too large to fit inside the last of his streamlined derby cars and funding another was not open to question. In not much more than a year he would be looking forward to driving his own car, and all our mutual building projects would likely be put to rest. Knowing the inevitable was just months away, I was desperately searching for one last project that might capture his interest and take advantage of our recently acquired building and woodworking skills. It was sheer luck that a glance at the supermarket magazine rack fell upon a small sailboat gracing the cover of Family Handyman. The magazine, I read, was running a monthly series by a salty old New Englander named Harold “Dynamite” Payson on building a little sailing skiff called a  Cartopper. Perfect! I thought. I had always wanted to learn to sail. Soon after, I showed the article to Ryan and I thought I saw just the slightest glimmer of teenage interest in his tolerant smile. I could imagine him thinking–“Hmmm…. What better way to attract a certain freshman cheerleader than to take her sailing?” By late March we had finished the three-part series as well as the tack and tape hull of our little 11’ 6” Bolger/Payson Cartopper.

It was a sidebar on the next to last page of the series that contained the final shopping list that caught me by surprise – $300 for the Family Handyman hardware kit, $170 more for the Dacron sail from Dynamite. Either one of those options would cost me more than I had invested in building the boat itself, and they weren’t exactly a part of our family budget on an educator’s salary. Fortunately, Fishers, Indiana was a bedroom community to Indianapolis, and the growing suburb was rife with both big box stores and local hardware merchants. So, thinking that there might be alternative materials that would still allow us to set sail, we headed to the local Do-It-Center Hardware, Menard’s, Harbor Freight, Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s to see what other options might get us onto the water for our first test sail. Somehow, we managed to scrape together the necessary “alternative” hardware and latch onto a green 12’ x 16’ polytarp that held promise as a sail. A few days later we were headed for Eagle Creek Reservoir with the Cartopper strapped onto our Ford Probe for our much anticipated first-ever sail. Little did we know then all the ramifications of that grand homemade boat launch.

Over 20 years have now passed since the launch of Cartopper and my first efforts to construct sails. After high school, Ryan became a Navy “nuke” and much later a supervisor of a nuclear power unit here in Florida. He’s also directly responsible for his mom and dad moving here to Florida from the Midwest. Our son married his high school cheerleader girlfriend and together they made my wife and me the proud grandparents of two wonderful grandchildren, now 4 and 6, both of whom have their own “bookcase” sailboats built by their proud grandpa. (The sailboats double as bookcases when not being “sailed” by the grandchildren in their pool.) Meanwhile, “Pee-pa” and “GG” are not quite retired as they supplement their social security and small pensions operating the growing firm known as PolySail International which offers up sails and sailmaking kits to others who want access to sailing but might not have the budget for professionally made Dacron sails. In the interval between the launch of Cartopper and today, I’ve constructed well over 1000 PolySails and probably sold an equal number of kits both here and abroad - perhaps enough to gain a very small foothold in the industry.  Over that period of time I’ve done a couple of surveys and interacted with countless potential customers and returning customers by email and on the phone, and I think that I’ve gained some insights into what has attracted both groups to polyethylene laminate (commonly known as polytarp) as a sail material.

Listed below are some of the factors that seem to appeal to first time users the most:

• Cost. Poly laminate sails cost very little compared to most sails and sail materials.
• Appearance. Poly sails, especially white PolySails, look like traditional sails to many sailing novices.
• Individualization. For others who might not want a “traditional” look, poly sails come in a variety of colors and trim options that appeal to those with a creative bent. On another level, the idea of flying a poly laminate sail just seems to appeal to some people who are still hippies or anti-establishment at heart.
• Simplicity and ease of construction. The idea of making a sail from a single sheet of material without having to panel the sail appeals to many do-it-yourselfers. So does the idea that these sails can just be taped together long enough to get out on the water to see if one enjoys sailing. Finally, there are some in this category who like the idea that these sails can be stitched up at home either by hand or with a home sewing machine.
• Options. First timers can choose among finished sails, sailmaking kits, or simple online instructions for making a sail entirely on their own in true do-it-yourself fashion.
• Simple logic. Many have said that making a sail from an “alternative” material like poly laminate just makes sense. This seems to be true especially for those who have been given a sailboat or who have purchased a used sailboat for very little money and don’t want to invest too much in trying out their acquisitions.
• Ease of access. There is little wait time between the decision to purchase or construct a poly sail and actually going sailing. No great amount of nautical language must be mastered, and many simple poly laminate sails like the leg o’ mutton can be constructed in one day, zip tied onto a mast and stored that way when finished.
• Pride of ownership One survey revealed that a number of professionals from all walks of life had purchased poly sail kits because, once they had built their first boats themselves, they also wanted to build their sails in order to make the entire project “theirs”.

Returning builders and customers often mention one or more of the factors above for their affection for poly sails but also cite these additional factors as reasons for their second and later poly sails:

• Experimentation. Poly sails allow sailors and boat builders to explore many options and types of sails for a single boat design, or create an entirely unique experimental sail.
• Performance. Some sailors feel that because of their one-piece construction and slippery film surface, that their PolySails perform as well as or better than sails made with Dacron and other materials.

   

• Durability. Sailors are often pleasantly surprised at how well and how long their polyethylene laminate sails last. PolySail International, for example, offers a 3-year limited warranty on nearly all of their custom made sails that compares favorably with warranties of most large sailmaking houses.
• Functionality. Quality poly laminate sails live up to their hype. At PolySail International we regularly get feedback  from customers expressing pleasure and surprise at their PolySail’s performance. Many traditionalists who have only seen poorly made sails constructed from lightweight, non UV-protected, blue utility tarps associate all poly laminate sails with these poly tarp sails while trumpeting the great advantages of Dacron sails. Not many people know the chemistry of these two synthetics or they would know that they are both related polymers beginning as polyethylenes—low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). One yields poly films and strands, the other polyester strands. For more on this subject, check out this URL. Most of the recent advancements in sailmaking today appear to be in the areas of laminated sails rather than woven fabric sails.
• Replication. Often, builders and sailors are involved with cash-strapped organizations such as schools, scout troops, or community sailing organizations that need multiple sails. It sometimes makes sense to purchase a large kit that allows members to make several sails from one large piece of material.

Our own research and experimentation have turned up some additional factors that may not be known even to the more experienced sailors:

• Safety. Poly laminate sails are less dense than water. They float and so offer a safety factor in helping to prevent a capsized boat from turtling or turning completely over. Dacron, on the other hand, is between 30 and 40 percent denser than water and usually requires top of the sail or top of the mast flotation to prevent further rotation when the boat turns on its side.
• Advancements. Competition among suppliers for the greenhouse and canopy markets is rapidly improving poly laminate materials. Greenhouse users now expect 5 to 6 years from their poly laminate coverings. Some material is now sold “weldless,” in widths up to 12,’ in other words, without the joining overlaps that occur every 6’ in most tarps. The number of colors offered is already considerable and growing. Different weights of materials offer sailors many more choices for racing, cruising, and just “messing about.”
• Stretch and resiliency. Polyethylene laminates vary widely in terms of thickness in mils, weight per square yard in ounces, scrim count for warp and weft per square inch, and durability of U-V protective coatings. All these factors can affect the stretch and resiliency of the material and its suitability for a sail of a certain size and purpose. One very distinct way that a well-made poly laminate sail differs from sails made from other materials or inferior lightweight "hardware store or big box store" polytarps is that the heavier poly laminate material is very resilient requiring very high loads per square foot before it will fail to recover its original shape. It is this same stretch and recovery that allows a PolySail to be constructed from a single sheet of material, instead of having to be paneled to achieve shape.

   

  The author's early method for testing sail strength, stretch, and resiliency.

   

  Today poly laminate sails are being tested to their limits here in Florida and in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. On the west coast of Florida a 642 sq, ft, gaff main and jib set of PolySails recently powered a 36â_T 5-ton Civil War replica scow on a 60 mile voyage from its home port at the Crystal River State Park to Cedar Key and back clocking over 8 knots on the return trip. We believe that the 507 sq. ft. gaff mainsail is the largest poly laminate sail ever constructed.

Meanwhile in the poverty-stricken country of Haiti, PolySails are playing their part in helping to rebuild the waterfront economy of the city of Cap Haitien. Under the leadership of Patrick Beliard and the Alfred Beliard Foundation, the fishermen/sailors of the beachfront fishing villages are gradually having their ragged sails replaced with new, colorful PolySails with the local sponsorsâ_T names and logos prominently displayed on each large sail. Used daily in the heat of the tropics and subject to occasional hurricanes, this testing ground would be a challenge for any modern or traditional sail material. As part of this project, the foundation has already begun ridding the beach areas of trash, providing fresh paint for the fishing boats, and holding races and parades for the newly-equipped fishing boats. I was witness to the first of these events which drew nearly 1000 spectators to the waterfront.

The use of poly laminate sails has largely been limited to the Do-It-Yourselfers of the English speaking sailing community for the last 15 to 20 years. But, as these inexpensive, one-piece sails continue to prove viable around the globe, we expect greatly expanded use by those seeking high performance at a low cost wherever they might live.

www.polysail.com

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