| Aramid |
A manufactured polyamide fibre that exhibits high strength and high modulus. Commercially known as Kevlar®, Technora®, Twaron® ect. Or an Arabian pub.
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| Bias |
The 45 degree direction to the warp or fill. Also called diagonal. Or which end of the line is favoured.
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| Calender or calendering |
A finishing step where the cloth is subject to heat and pressure to improve bias stability. Or when you plan your sailing! :)
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Count Number (no. of yarns in fill or warp direction)
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Usually expressed in yarns per inch or cm. And usually started at the ten minute gun.
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| Crimp |
Woven yarns bend up and down as they pass over and under one another. Crimped yarns are shortened due to this bending and tend to exhibit more stretch. Or, a hairstyle that is not sailing friendly.
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| Denier |
The weight in grams of 9.000 metres of a given yarn.
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| Detox |
Necessary after a regatta.
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| DPI |
Denier Per Inch.
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| Dtex Decitex |
The weight in grams of 10.000 meters of a given yarn.
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| Elongation |
Deformation made by a tensile force. In sailcloth measured in 'units'. Or how your boat or the wind strength grows in yachting stories.
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| Ends |
Used for expressing the amount of warp yarns in a fabric. Or what you have to go around when you stuff up the start.
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| Fill |
The 90 degree direction to the edge of the cloth. Also the name of yarn running from one edge to the other. Also what the breeze usually does just after you finish.
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| Film |
Most films used in sailcloth is polyester. Best known brand name are Mylar® and Tedlar®. Films are also lasting memories of round-ups, broaches, wine glasses, and other general-chaos situations.
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| Finish |
A material or process applied to a fabric to alter its characteristics. In sailcloth a finish can be applied by coating, saturating (impregnating) or laminating. Or Yippee! It's time for a beer!
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| Flex resistance |
The cloths ability to resist flex. Normally measured in terms of remaining tensile strength after a 50 to 60 cycle flex.
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| Flutter Test |
A laboratory test designed to simulate a sail luffing when not being trimmed. This test determines the fabrics ability to resist degradation. Useful for testing the level of nerves in your crew at the start.
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| Hand |
The feel of a fabric. Not a scientific measurement. Something that is araldited to the tiller once applied.
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| Impact flutter |
Where the test strip hits a board when flutter tested. Also the technical term for a T-bone collision.
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| Inch |
1" (Inch) = 2.54 cm. A foredeck term to describe how far you were over the start.
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| Knit |
A type of fabric construction where fill and warp yarns are not woven together but are tied together with a small polyester knit yarn. Knits tend to have less crimp. Sometimes delivery crews have knits in their hair.
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| Lab Test |
A stretch test done by elongating the fabric at various loads before fluttering. Also something used by deck gear suppliers to determine the length of a warranty.
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| Lot |
One unit of production of one style. Or a crew can be known as a motley lot.
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| Mil |
1 mil=1/1000 inch.
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| ML |
Multi layer.
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| MLL |
Multi layer with polyester taffeta on one side.
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| Peel strength |
A measure of the force required to separate or peel apart two layers in a laminate. Usually expressed as a force per width (being peeled). Or how much force is required to change a head sail. Fore deckies have enormous peel strength.
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| Pick |
A yarn running in the fill direction.
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| PSA |
Pressure Sensitive Adhesive.
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| Scouring |
The cleaning process of a fabric before further finishing. Also cleaning the bottom of the boat.
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| Scrim |
Very light open-weave construction. Only usable with film or other fabrics.
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| Sley |
Number of warp yarns per inch in a fabric. Or what you do to your opponents.
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| Sm-oz |
Sailmakers square yards. The weight in ounces for a piece of fabric 28.5" by 36". 1Sm-oz=42.83 g/m2.
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| Specs |
The units of stretch the fabric stretches when loaded in the warp, fill and bias before and after flutter.
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| Strength |
The ability to resist breaking or permanent deformation during elongation. What you need on the water and in the bar.
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| Substrate |
Any non-film layer in a laminate.
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| Taffeta |
A plain woven fabric where both the warp and fill interweave in an over and under pattern. Traditional woven sailcloth is a taffeta. The Scots first used taffeta for their kilts.
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| Tensile strength |
The level of stress where a fabric or yarn breaks under tension. Owners and skippers have nerves of low tensile strength.
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| Warp |
The 0 degree direction to the edge of the cloth.
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| Yarn |
A bundle of individual filament drawn together to be used in a textile fabric. Also a yachting conversation after a race. Usually gets better with time and a few rums.
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