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Hey All, I have yet another question...
I was wondering if nylon ripstop cloth can be used as sail cloth, my wife who can sew quite good has offerd to help me sew my Sails and she asked me if nylon ripstop could be used, I think I am going with dacron or even tarp but She raised my curiosity.
Any and all oppinions will be most appreciated,
Thank y'all in advance

Brian.

My sail is nylon, not ripstop, but high quality, regular old nylon. Like the stuff they make tents out of. I haven't had any problem with it. I mention this because it's a step down from ripstop nylon. So, if mine work, then sails made from ripstop nylon "should" work. There is an article on the Polysails website that compares ripstop, Dacron, and polytarp. Polytarp came out better than ripstop nylon.


Just my 2¢.

From what I know about it, nylon will stretch too much for a working sail. You could do a light winds sail, maybe a spinnaker but I wouldn't use it for a main or working jib. I hope to replace my tarp sails soon as they too are beginning to show some stretch marks, like a pregnant womans belly. I'd be nice to have real dacron sails on her instead of the "hybrid laminated racing sails" some folks have mistaken my tarps for. Maybe thats the direction I should go for my next sails.

Keith

Keith is right, nylon, including rip stop is a pretty stretchy fabric. Rip stop was used on light wind reaching sails and several famous production boats came with a nylon spinnaker. It's not a material that can hold it's shape for long.

For general working sails, you want the best setting rags you can hang, for the average wind strengths you expect to encounter. These are the sails that will be left up a touch longer then desirable in building winds, before a reef is tucked in. They'll get put away wet and not neatly folded, so they need to be the blue collar fellas in the sail locker. Light air additions to the locker are a good option, especially if your area has much fluky weather. A rip stop topsail or spinnaker (or both) would be handy improvements in anyone's sail inventory.

Rip stop is a good fabric if you're playing with experimental sail shapes. You can get a fair idea about sail plan changes by using rip stop, but I suspect poly tarp may be less expensive for this task. Both materials are a cheap way to find out, what a longer bow sprit and jib foot would do for the boat or possibly what a main with fatter roach and longer foot would do.

Thank Y'all for Your replies, so what I am gathering is I should bite the bullet and go with dacron for My Main and Jib sails, and use the ripstop for my spinnaker. I should also get a little extra ripstop for when I epoxy the boat, I can use it to lay over the glass and epoxy to get a smooth finnish?
Again Thank You.



Brian.

Bingo Brian. There are a few alternatives to Dacron, but each is more expensive, though some look and feel very close to the old fashioned natural fiber fabrics used at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. Sail making is a lot of work. Just developing a shape that works well, sets clean and neat, plus can hold up after several seasons of hard use is demanding. The SailRite kits do save you a little, but not as much as you'd think and after all the machine and hand work is done, you'll understand why they cost so much.

A nice cut and well constructed sail will provide many years of good performance. Rip stop can offer down wind, light air options, but the fabric doesn't last very long. UV and stretch will kill it, in a few years of reasonable use or after one good, healthy blow the sail is permitted to stand in, will stretch it beyond usefulness. Tarp sails have similar difficulties, though can stand more UV usually.

Rip stop will not leave an epoxied surface mirror smooth, but will leave a slight weave pattern that is easily sanded or ready to accept another coating, with minimum prep. It will keep bugs from committing suicide and dust or leaves from settling on your nicely prepared surface. I'm a Visqueen and Mylar kind of guy myself, but rip stop does an effective job, particularly on compound surfaces, where its stretchiness can be beneficial.

I have been exploring heat shrink alternatives. Model airplane builders have been using a plastic film (for many years) that is draped over the model frame, then relatively low heat is applied. This shrinks the plastic around compound curves and makes it drum head tight. There are also other materials, similar in nature, many that will not stick to epoxy (I've learned this the hard way) that can "suck down" with heat. I've used them for very high 'glass to resin content laminates, instead of vacuum bagging or my personal invention, water pressure bagging (I'm likely not the only one doing this). Vacuum bagging can produce the lightest laminates with the best resin/'glass ratios, but you need a dedicated pump (a shop vac will die a quick and smoky death, don't ask why I know, I'm still in therapy) You can save huge amounts of resin and fabrics with tight, light and strong laminates, but there are several other materials and gadgets you must use when vacuum bagging. My heat shrink or water pressure methods eliminate much of the complication, but is still quite experimental. How light can these laminates be? Try a Weekender hull that comes in under at 200 pounds (complete, decks, cabin sides, roof, etc.) which is a huge boost to performance potential (probably permitting her to plane easily). Yep, the goo factor is much higher on these types of builds and the costs jump considerably as well, but light and strong are the off shoots, which ain't a bad trade.

I wonder how meny Yards of ripstop I would need to do the epoxy on my vacationer?
Anyone have an idea?
thank y'all fer the help I am a complete novice at this

Brian.

Paul, You mentioned Mylar instead of rip stop to smooth over the epoxy.
Would it be easier to lay out than ripstop?
Brian.

Brian, if mylar will work for you I have a huge roll of it taking up space in my house, it's about 4' wide and a million feet long....it should be enough. Let me know if your interested.

Keith

Hey Keith I am definetly interested, I'll give you a call tomorow I'm sittin' here drinking some leinenpiugrt's sunset wheat beer it's pretty good I may have to get another
I'm back on my feet again thank god. gonna start back on the boat here pretty quick been away too long, I did make a mahogony pully block for my lazzerete I still have to rub it with linseed oil and rope strop it though.
Brian.