Monofilm has been the go-to material for windsurfing sails since the early nineties when it replaced laminated dacron/mylar. Advantages over dacron/mylar were obvious, monofilm doesn't stretch or delaminate. The disadvantages are also obvious, monofilm is heavy, degrades with exposure to UV and is easily creased, cracked, torn and or locally deformed from impact. All my monofilm sails have had multiple panels either replaced or repaired with mylar tape. Scrim lamination partly solves the latter issue but adds weight and still subject to UV degradation.
This is all not a problem if you are lucky enough to be able to replace sails each season or two. But is monofilm a suitable material for long term use? Dingy and yatch sails are rarely made out of monofilm. Neither are wings. Does the windsurfing industry use monofilm because of it's inbuilt obsolescence?
Two years ago I replaced my Windfoil sails with North 3DI Wave sails. So far so good. What, if any, are the alternatives?
My most used sails have been repaired using xply instead of monofilm. The Koncept 5.8 has done 110 sessions and 4141 kms over 10 years. My sailmaker is tired to work on it and told me it's time I buy a new one !
This thread - benefits of x-ply and monofilm, without the drawbacks:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Monofilm-sail-life-#2859849
It also depends on were you live and sail.
I have plenty of sails that are 10-15years old and I have never had any problems with UV-degradation of the monofilm (I live and sail mostly in Sweden).
I used to get through sales every year or two and they it would upset me how much they cost and how quickly they look rough. Now I use as ezzy sails and difference is incredible. Although I do have some simmer legacy sails that are going strong.
Select to expand quoteonshoreroy said..
I used to get through sales every year or two and they it would upset me how much they cost and how quickly they look rough. Now I use as ezzy sails and difference is incredible. Although I do have some simmer legacy sails that are going strong.
Have seen ezzy sails having issues with mono in the past ..warranty claims etc ..
Agree tho that they are better than some brands for longevity but that's more about material choice from the brands .. any sails that use thicker mono or longer lasting materials will last longer ..
As you point out, Simmers a great example of sails that go the distance but there is also Goya, hot sails and others.
Ezzy have somehow managed to convince people their sails last longer when in reality they don't have access to materials that others can't access. So anyone using similar materials gets the same lifespan. Materials have known lifespan and sail designer get to make the choice when piecing together the sail.
As users we just need to understand how the materials last when making choices about what we are buying..
Me personally I ditched bigger slalom gear and switched to wave based gear because I wanted more longevity from my gear... Less mono.
Same with hardware. I ditched any brand that broke.. I ended up with heavy gear, indestructible but not really as much fun to use.
So swings and roundabouts.. am I ever going to buy a monofilm sail again .. I have some still so yes but my preference is for more hybrid longer lasting, lighter materials in most cases.
The problem with xply, it stretches..... Overtime sails loose their crispness. I've got simmer sails that are 7 years old, heavily used, have mono windows and xply elsewhere but they have lost their shape in places and are slower to react .
Swings and roundabouts.....
