by GreenLake » Sat May 25, 2013 5:13 pm
I'm not a sailmaker or expert on this, but the following seems to happen:
The weave has warp and weft threads cross at 90°. If you pull at the sail fabric along either of these directions the threads can (and will) resist that pull easily. The problem comes with load at an angle, or on the bias. The fabric will easily distort, more easily after any added fillers or stiffeners have worn off. The result is a blown sail that doesn't hold shape. Letting sails flog is damaging, presumably because of the way it loosens up the fabric. It might be the case that very strong winds also stretch the threads over time, in addition to other effects.
So your question boils down to "what is the value added" by getting a sail from a particular sail maker.
First off, the sail fabrics used, even though they are all using fibers with similar, if not identical chemistry are not identical. Some incorporate reinforced threads that form a visible grid pattern on the sail. Then there are differences in the way the sail cloth is finished. Finally, not all the sails may be made from the same weight of cloth.
Once you got beyond the fabric, there are details in finishing, such as the quality and construction of the seams, and all the other elements of the sail (batten pockets, head board, tack, reef points, clew and windows). I'm not enough of an expert to be able to tell you in detail what to look for, all I know is that there are differences in the way these things are done, and that this will have some effect on longevity, use etc.
Finally, you get to the finer details of the cut of the sail. Sails are not flat, but cut to assume a particular curved shape. This is done by the way the panels are cut. Given that the DS has several mast configuration of different bendiness. When a mast bends, the distance between leech and luff increases for the middle of the sail, flattening it. You get the best results if the sailmaker knows the different masts and can cut a sail for the specific characteristics of the one you have.
If sails are ordered in bulk, it would seem difficult to get this kind of "fit".
~ green ~ lake ~ ~