CONTENDER FIBERCON HYBRID – THE ULTIMATE TOP-END SAILCLOTH FOR BLUEWATER CRUISING

Our global HQ in Phuket, Thailand, is often visited by voyaging yachtspeople who pass through this global cruising hub with their yachts. And we have seen an increasing demand by these ocean cruisers for the very best in sails that money can buy. At Rolly Tasker Sails, we are strongly committed to offering best value for money sails. But should you value only the very best, then you might choose our top-shelf Ocean Cruising Sails made of Fibercon Hybrid woven fabric by Contender Sailcloth. This very special cloth offers the best resistance to UV and high humidity and is ideal for extended voyaging in the tropics. It is woven with a mixture of 70% highest quality polyester yarns and 30% Dyneema fibres, which have four times the strength of Polyester. This woven cloth will last a very long time and certainly much longer than laminate or membrane sails that come at a comparable cost.

This is a woven sailcloth that combines extremely strong Dyneema yarns with Contender’s exclusive Fibercon polyester fibres to take advantage of the best of both. Impregnated and stabilised with a special coating, this cloth is extremely durable, with a high diagonal stability of the fabric.

The combination of Dyneema and top-quality polyester also ensures a good flexibility of the sailcloth, making it easier to handle. A woven cloth has the best resistance to impact damage and general wear and tear and stand up best to the tough conditions encountered while ocean cruising. This cloth is ideal for a radial sail design. Matching the sail to high load areas will make it lighter overall an easier to handle.

The diagonal strength of the fabric is especially important for cruising, where sails are often reefed for longer periods of time. When the sail is deeply reefed the radial cut will be effectively reduced and the loads will be mainly on the strengthening points at the luff and leech of the sail. This will stress the cloth but in this case it will stand up to this easily and will also always resume its original shape when the reefs are shaken out. This is also valid for furling foresails and of great importance for in-mast furling sails which have to keep their shape without becoming baggy or developing creases which will seriously hinder the smooth working of the furling system.

Finally, but possibly best of all is this cloth’s superb resistance to UV and the growth of unsightly mildew, two of the most common problems in the tropics. And as this is a woven cloth, there also will be no problems with delamination, which often occurs with laminate or membrane sails in areas of high UV intensity.

The production of this bluewater cruising sailcloth is quite elaborate and thus expensive, but the product will be very durable due to the high quality and therefore sustainable – these sails can last up to 15 years. The cloth itself is woven in Germany to highest environmental standards of production.

This ultimate to quality sailcloth naturally has its price which can be more than twice or even triple as much as that of other fabrics. With regards to best value for money, sails made from quality cruising Dacron cloth remain unbeatable. Our popular Cruising Laminate also offers high quality and increased performance at a reasonable cost. However, for anyone demanding the best of the best and nothing less in terms of durability, Fibercon Hybrid woven fabric will be the material of choice.