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Knowledge from the workshop
This page is what we would otherwise explain to you on the phone. It helps you ask the right question — and helps us calculate a suitable quote faster.
Beilken SMM®
The overview matrix shows where each material has its strengths. There is no best cloth, only a suitable one.
Material
Shape stability
Service life
Weight
Recommended for
Price level
Dacron, woven
Good
8–12 seasons
High
Cruising yacht, Baltic and North Sea, furling mainsail
€
Dacron, premium
Very good
10–14 seasons
High
Blue water cruising, owners with high mileage
€€
Laminate (polyester)
Very good
5–8 seasons
Medium
Ambitious cruising yacht, club racing
€€
Laminate (aramid)
Excellent
4–7 seasons
Low
Racing, one design, pointing ability
€€€
Membrane, continuous fibre
Excellent
4–6 seasons
Very low
Racing sailors with result ambitions, megayacht
€€€€
Classic cloth, cream white
Good
8–12 seasons
High
Traditional yacht, wooden boat, historic design
€€
Price level as a guide from € to €€€€. Final price after measuring. Not a binding statement; the data are based on experience.
Cloth construction
Woven, laminate or membrane — the construction determines shape stability, service life and price. Four types in cross-section.
Warp and weft cross alternately. Robust, easy to repair and good-natured when furling — but it gives most on the diagonal.
Individual Dyneema yarns take the main load. Considerably more shape-stable than pure Dacron, but still a woven fabric.
A grid of threads lies straight between two films. Hardly any stretch, but more sensitive to creasing and ageing.
The fibres follow the load lines in the finished sail. The lightest and most shape-stable construction — and the most expensive.
Sail cuts
Every cut distributes the load differently. These five variants cover everything — from cruising sail to racing sail.
Panels run horizontally from leech to luff. Easy to shape, and the leech can be controlled effectively.
Upright panels from foot to head. Excellent for battenless mainsails with in-mast furling, good for small to medium boats.
Two radial fields meet at a cross seam: the head radiates above, the clew below. For sails used across changing wind ranges, such as furling genoas.
Head, tack and clew radiate out and fill the entire area. The strongest cloth sits where the loads are highest — less stretch, longer-lasting shape.
Like tri-radial, but every panel is additionally divided into short segments. For small, sporty boats — and for battenless furling mainsails.
Trim
Before you invest, check these. Lost pointing ability often lies not in the cloth but in the trim.
01
A sagging forestay makes the headsail full and costs pointing ability. Tension it until the telltale on the luff behaves the same in gusts and lulls.
02
Pulled too tight, the leech closes and slows the boat. Set it so that the top telltale streams freely about 70 per cent of the time.
03
Battens should hold the profile, not push it. If there are creases across the batten it is too tight — a quarter turn is often enough.
We take a look at your boat. During the trim appointment we go through the settings with you and note what can still be improved on the sail itself.
Request adviceService & value retention
A well-maintained sail lasts years longer. Small damage costs little to repair and saves a lot of substance.
Tears, torn-out corners, defective fittings, new reef rows.
Salt, algae and mould removed without damaging the cloth. Including seam inspection and dry storage.
Appointment on board: check the profile, note the settings, brief the crew. Also available as a start-of-season check.
Used sails checked, measured and honestly described — sell yours or get started affordably.
Please register your repair in advance.
Every repair gets a fixed slot in production. So please ask first via the form or by phone on +49 421 6753120 — we will confirm an appointment. Only then send or bring us your sail.
Area calculation
With these formulas you can arrive at a reliable area yourself. For a quote we ultimately need the measured dimensions.
(P × E) ÷ 2 without roach, P × E × 0.585 with roach. P is the luff along the mast, E the foot along the boom.
(LP × I) ÷ 2. LP divided by J gives the overlap by which genoas and jibs are designated.
SL × (SMW + SF) ÷ 2 × 0.95. Symmetrical, calculated from leech length, maximum width and foot.
SL × SF × 0.8. Asymmetrical, calculated from luff and foot — the factor represents the camber.
Measuring points
What is measured is not the seam but the notional intersection of the edges. Only then are measurements comparable between two sails.
The extended luff intersected with the line through the highest point of the sail, at right angles to the luff (ERS G.4.2).
Intersection of luff and foot. Rounding and fittings are not taken into account.
Intersection of leech and foot — regardless of how the corner is finished.
Frequently asked questions
We usually get back to you within 2 working days. If your measurements are available, you will receive a binding quote straight away. Without measurements, we will contact you.
For a custom-made mainsail allow four to six weeks from approval of the drawing. In winter it is usually faster; shortly before the start of the season we need more lead time.
That is decided by condition, not age. We inspect the sail and assess cloth, seams and corners. Then we tell you what a repair is still worth.
By arrangement.
Since 1919. For many designs, historic patterns are in our archive. If documents are missing, we reconstruct the suit of sails from photographs, old sails and measurements taken on the boat.
