X-Drive Taffeta – Cruising Genoa
An Italia 13.98 with X-Drive taffeta carbon cruising sails. Click to enlarge.
X-Drive® is the ideal sail construction process for cruising sailors who appreciate a well shaped sail, but who also need to keep control of cost.
Holds Its Shape
X-Drive is a two-part construction system. As the diagram shows, the sail is made from a light weight material cut into cross-cut panels that, when put together, has the 3-D shape created by the sail designer. Next, the sail is reinforced with a grid of narrow high-strength, low-stretch tapes that are bonded to the sail 11 at a time in an 8-inch wide path.
UK Sailmakers’ X-Drive construction system uses continuous high-strength low-stretch yarns to support the sail’s flying shape. Hundreds of closely-spaced yarns are bonded to the sail’s surface for maximum strength and shape-holding. UK Sailmakers’ innovative tape laying machine allows up to 11 narrow single-yarn tapes to be applied at once in a 20 cm wide path. With so many tapes running across the sail, the sail has incredible strength and stretch resistance.
Cost Effective
The cost of the sail is also controlled because the sail surface can be made out of an inexpensive, lightweight laminated material, whose only job is to give the sail its 3-D shape. All the sail‘s strength comes from the dense grid of continuous high-strength yarns that are bonded to the sail‘s surface. Since the yarns run across the shaping seams, the seams are locked in place and cannot distort. Due to the dense coverage of fibers, the sail is completely supported, which results in a smooth sail without distortion.
Construction Options
X-Drive Taffeta Carbon
Description:
Loadpath tape-reinforced sail construction for performance cruising and club racing.
Construction:
Extra lightweight cross-cut laminate panels reinforced with continous corner-to-corner single yarn tapes.
Material:
Carbon fiber loadpath yarns applied 11 at a time along the sail’s computer predicted loadpaths. Carbon fiber is the strongest and least stretchy yarn used in sailmaking.
Shape Stability:
★★★★
Durability:
★★★★
Shape after 500 hours:
Circa 80%
Price:
$$$$
X-Drive Taffeta Endure
Description:
Loadpath tape-reinforced sail construction for performance cruising and club racing. Allows for an all white appearance.
Construction:
Extra lightweight cross-cut laminate panels reinforced with continuous single ribbon tapes.
Material:
Tapes with Endumax (UHMWPE) ribbons run continuously across the sail in all directions to lock in sail shape. Nearly the same performance as carbon, with all benefits of Spectra & Dyneema.
Shape Stability:
★★★★
Durability:
★★★★
Shape after 500 hours:
Circa 80%
Price:
$$$$
X-Drive Taffeta Silver
Description:
Loadpath tape-reinforced sail construction for performance cruising and club racing. Allows for an all white appearance.
Construction:
Extra lightweight cross-cut laminate panels reinforced with continous corner-to-corner single yarn tapes.
Material:
Glass fiber loadpath yarns applied 11 at a time along the sail’s computer predicted loadpaths. Fiber glass yarns have more stretch than carbon but are less expensive.
Shape Stability:
★★★
Durability:
★★★★
Shape after 500 hours:
Circa 70%
Price:
$$$$