III. SPECIALTY SAILCLOTH
Cuben Fiber
A specialty Spectra laminate sailcloth produced by the company of the same name, Cuben Fiber laminates use unidirectional prepreg tapes of in-line plasma treated Allied Signal’s Spectra 2000 fibers spread to mono-filament level films. The Cuben Fiber process involves neither twisted filaments nor weaves and reduces “creep” and “crimp” to levels undetectable with standard sailmakers testing equipment. The result is excellent sail shape holding. Sails made with Cuben Fiber are also significantly lighter and thinner than similarly performing substitutes. Although the jury is still out on Cuben Fiber, physical shrinkage is widely believed to be a problem. Also problematic is the often prohibitive cost of these high tech sails for all but the most well funded programs.
In summary, laminates are gaining popularity in building everything from boats to planes, primarily because it is proving to be the most efficient way to utilize the latest materials. However, multi-layered materials that rely on glue for structural stability constantly battle delamination of the various layers. Also, although all sails mildew, it has proven much trickier to remove mildew between laminate layers than on the surface of Dacron sails. Although new chemicals have been produced that make this possible, there is an added time and monetary investment.
