Five sail types, each with its own boat interface, working range, dimensions and build choices. Start with the sail’s job; the guide then takes you through the information the configurator and sailmaker need.
Upwind sails
- Mainsails — identify the mainsail system first: slides, cars, battens, reefs and the rig interface all follow from the boat.
- Headsails — identify the luff system first: furler, foil or hanks determine how the sail fits and is handled.
Light air and downwind
- Code Zero — a tight-angle reaching sail set on an anti-torsion cable and furler; its cloth is laminate, not downwind nylon.
- Gennakers — asymmetric, free-flying or top-down furled, with nylon chosen for the intended angles and wind range.
- Spinnakers — symmetric, pole-set and recovered with a sock or bag; nylon weight follows the working range.
Heavy weather
Storm sails are documented with the sail they replace, because that is how they are set up and stowed.
Shared references
- Sailcloth — how woven cloth, laminate, membrane and nylon carry load and preserve sail shape.
- How Our Sails Are Built — the construction principles shared across sail types, including Standard and Heavy-Duty builds.
Not sure which sail you need
If the question is which downwind sail: a Code Zero reaches at tight angles in light air, a gennaker covers most of the range without a pole, and a spinnaker goes deepest but needs a pole and people. Each of those three pages opens by saying when it is not the right answer.