Since the 1950s, synthetic fibres have replaced natural fibres in the production of yacht sails. Until recently sails were made almost exclusively of woven polyester often known under the Dupont trade name Dacron. Polyester sails are relatively cheap and durable and most sails are still made of polyester cloth.
Driven by demand from racing yachts we’ve now seen the development of laminated sails. Laminated sailcloth is a loose weave of yarns known as scrim which is sandwiched between layers of polyester film, most commonly Mylar. This produces a very low stretch sail cloth. The scrim can be made of Pentex, which is a low stretch polyester or various exotic fibres like kevlar or carbon fibre.
