Tape-Drive Cruise

The sails you can count on to last AND get you to the next anchorage quickly

The secret of Tape-Drive’s strength is the web of load tapes, made Glass Fibers or Carbon Fiber yarns, which are placed on primary and secondary load paths in the sail. Putting strength in the sail right where it’s needed. The tapes radiate throughout the sail with a more tapes in the high load areas like the corners and along the leech. Because the loads in a sail are borne by tapes, the base sail cloth can a much lighter material than would be otherwise required on its own.  Because the tapes carry the load right to the corners it further reduces the weight of the sail by eliminating the need for large, stiff, multi-layered corner patches. By saving weight aloft, heeling and pitching are reduced, which makes sailing more comfortable. Lighter sails fold into smaller bundles, are easier stow and will fill in a lighter breeze.

Not only are Tape-Drive sails stronger and lighter than traditional woven sails, but the tapes create a unique “damage control” structure that keeps accidental rips from becoming major problems. With the high strength tapes running up and down the leech and luff, damage to the base fabric can only migrate to the nearest seam or tape, not across the sail. Another benefit to those cruising afar is repairs can be so minor that they can be done on the boat with sail tape or even duct tape. And when your repairs are less extensive, they are less expensive.

Most cruisers are against laminate sails because they feel they will not last as long as traditional woven sails. In most cases that feeling would be correct, but what most people fail to realize is a sail has three stages in its life. The first part of its life is where it has an airfoil shape and is considered “sail.” In the second stage it is considered a “scenery blocker” because it is one piece and still has three corners and is more or less a white colour but no longer has an efficient foil shape. And the third stage where it starts to literally fall apart and becomes a “tarp.” Woven sails have the longest total lifespan before they become “tarps” although they also lose their airfoil shape the quickest. Tape drive sails may become tarps a little sooner than a woven sail but stay a sail MUCH longer and spend less of their life cycle as a scenery blocker.

Click the “Get a Quote” tab on the left to get more information about this type of sail for your boat.