INNOVATION
NORTH SAILCLOTH
NORTH CLOTH
THE BEST SAILS USE THE BEST MATERIALS
Building high quality sails means using the best materials. Since our inception, North Sails has consistently delivered industry-changing advances in sailmaking technology, developing new materials to fit the needs of a wide range of boats and types of sailing. These innovations have created an exclusive line of sail materials ranging from woven polyester, racing, and cruising laminates to 3Di composites. Explore our paneled sail materials to learn more, and talk to a North Sails expert about which technology will best suit your needs.
SAIL MATERIALS
NORTH PANELED LAMINATES
INDUSTRY LEADING PANELED SAIL PERFORMANCE
North Panel Laminate sailcloth is produced using the most advanced laminator in the world. Our machine was designed by our own materials engineers and purpose-built for laminating sailcloth. North Sails has been manufacturing exclusive cloth in our Sri Lanka facility since 2010. A fully integrated and powerful computer code controls the entire laminating process. Our perfectionist level of control ensures the highest possible quality laminated materials.
The magic of North Paneled Laminates is found in our Exact x-ply machine, which we introduced in 2014. A rotating creel unique to North Sails, it allows on-the-fly application of variable-angle x-scrims, enabling laminate constructions that cannot be copied elsewhere for an entirely new generation of scrim-style sails.
Our proprietary construction process allows for exceptional laminate bonding with minimal use of adhesives. The resulting product is functionally superior sails; lighter weight, higher strength, and increased durability compared to non-North laminates.
NPL TOUR
NPL Tour is the ultimate sailcloth for 2D paneled cruising sails. Sails cut from NPL Tour are highly resistant to chafe, fatigue, and UV. These cruising sails feature eXact reinforcement for superior shape holding.
NPL SPORT
NPL Sport is woven by North Sails, and it’s the market’s highest performance laminate race sailcloth. A proprietary polyester resin system resists heat, water, and UV at a level unmatched by any string sail. Sails cut from NPL are stronger, lower stretch, and lighter.
NPL DOWNWIND
Modern asymmetric reaching sails require low stretch, lightweight, and highly durable materials. NPL DOWNWIND sails meet these requirements because they’re cut from purpose-built materials produced on the North Cloth laminator.
SAIL MATERIALS
NORTH PANELED CLOTH
HIGH-QUALITY WOVEN SAILS
NPC is the North Sails woven polyester product family. North Sails has a long tradition of making dacron sails since the fiber was first introduced as a sailcloth in the 1950’s. Today we control every aspect of the cloth manufacturing processes – using our experience to ensure the highest quality products for both cruising and racing applications. Our North Sails’ materials engineering team focuses on developing and producing sailcloth that will enhance your sailing experience while maximizing the value of your new sail purchase. High-quality weaving and finishing of the perfect combination of yards for the intended purpose, results in high performance with exceptional durability.
NPC CROSS-CUT
NPC CROSS-CUT is a quality-leading dacron sailcloth for simple, easy sailing. Sails constructed with CROSS-CUT offer excellent shape holding through a wide range of conditions. Designed and constructed to the North Sail quality standards, CROSS-CUT strikes a balance of high quality and affordability.
NPC RADIAN
Patented NPC RADIAN warp-oriented sailcloth is a unique non-laminated polyester material suitable for radial panel construction. Uncrimped warp yarns are interwoven with specially shaped fill yarns, allowing a more sophisticated radial panel construction than a traditional cross-cut layout. With NPC Radian, sailors enjoy lower stretch radial performance without films and glues.
NPC DOWNWIND
North Sails offers a wide variety of spinnakers made using the NPC DOWNWIND. Each of our sail types is designed for a specific range of wind speeds and angles. Every North sail is custom designed to suit each customer’s needs and maximize VMG/VMC. NPC DOWNWIND sails provide higher boatspeeds, deeper angles, and faster acceleration with consistent and predictable trimming characteristics.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
3Di vs. PANELED SAILS
Anything that’s not 3Di is a paneled sail. Paneled sails are put together on a flat 2D surface and shaped through broad seaming; the edges of each panel are tapered to be narrower at the edges than in the middle and then seamed to the next panel, creating depth. Paneled sails include everything from a woven Dacron sail to a string sail made from materials like carbon and Mylar.
Anything that’s not 3Di is a paneled sail. Paneled sails are put together on a flat 2D surface and shaped through broad seaming; the edges of each panel are tapered to be narrower at the edges than in the middle and then seamed to the next panel, creating depth. Paneled sails include everything from a woven Dacron sail to a string sail made from materials like carbon and Mylar.
