X-Drive Taffeta
UK Sailmakers’ X-Drive® sails are the preferred choice for sailors who are looking for the performance of continuous yarn sails yet also want sails that are durable and affordable. Because they deliver on all three points, X-Drive sails have proven to be the ideal choice for club racers and performance cruisers.
Holds Its Shape
X-Drive sails are created using a two-part construction method. The first step starts with a lightweight laminated sail cloth that’s cut into cross-cut panels with shaped seams. Once the broad-seamed panels are assembled, the sail will have the exact aerodynamic shape the sail designer created.
Then UK Sailmakers uses proprietary machines to lay down a grid of continuous yarns that span the sail. These yarns run continuously from corner to corner following the sail’s primary load paths. These yarns are high-strength and low -stretch and they serve the same purpose as the steel skeleton in a tall building – the yarns carry the highest loads in the sail while the paneled skin defines the aerodynamic shape.
And since the continuous, high-strength yarns cross over the seams between the cross-cut panels, seam creep and catastrophic sail failures are eliminated.
Depending on your specific needs and which X-Drive sail you select, these yarns can be carbon fiber, Endumax or S-Glass. A grid of carbon fiber yarns on a laminate with a black aramid scrim gives the sail an all-black appearance. For those who prefer sails that are all-white, X-Drive Silver and X-Drive Endure sails look like traditional, all-white sails.
Cost Effective
The cost of the sail is also controlled because the sail surface can be made out of a less expensive, lightweight laminated material, whose only job is to give the sail its 3-D shape. All the sail‘s strength comes from the dense grid of continuous, high-strength yarns that are bonded to the sail‘s surface. Since the yarns run across the shaping seams, the seams are locked in place and stay smooth. Due to the dense coverage of fibers, the sail is completely supported, which results in a smooth sail without distortion.
X-Drive Taffeta Cruising Mainsail
X-Drive Carbon
Description:
Load path fiber-reinforced sail construction for performance cruising and club racing.
Construction:
Extra lightweight cross-cut laminate panels reinforced with continuous corner-to-corner single fiber strands.
Material:
Carbon fiber load path yarns were applied up to 11 at a time along the sail’s computer-predicted load paths. Carbon fiber is the strongest and least stretchy fiber used in sailmaking.
Shape Stability:
★★★★
Durability:
★★★★
Shape after 500 hours:
Circa 80%
Price:
$$$$
X-Drive Endure
Description:
Load path fiber-reinforced sail construction for performance cruising and club racing. Allows for an all-white appearance.
Construction:
Extra lightweight cross-cut laminate panels reinforced with continuous single fiber strands.
Material:
Endumax (UHMWPE) fibers run continuously across the sail in all directions to lock in sail shape. Nearly the same performance as carbon, with all the benefits of Spectra and Dyneema.
Shape Stability:
★★★★
Durability:
★★★★
Shape after 500 hours:
Circa 80%
Price:
$$$$
X-Drive Silver
Description:
Load path fiber-reinforced sail construction for performance cruising and club racing. Allows for an all-white appearance.
Construction:
Extra lightweight cross-cut laminate panels reinforced with continuous corner-to-corner single fiber strands.
Material:
Glass fiber load path yarns are applied up to 11 at a time along the sail’s computer-predicted load paths. Glass fiber yarns have more stretch than carbon but are less expensive.
Shape Stability:
★★★
Durability:
★★★★
Shape after 500 hours:
Circa 70%
Price:
$$$