Colour in Sails

[grantmc]

The attached picture is of one of the posters of the 1974 film The Dove. The film was about the circumnavigation by Robin Lee Graham. At that time, the youngest person’s voyage. And according to Wikipedia, Mr Graham is still happily alive and residing in Montana. Dove was the name of the sail boat.

But look carefully at the picture and you’ll notice that Dove’s foresail is stripped white and pale blue (much more evident in the film proper). And I wonder why we don’t see colour in sail today? Is it like the Model T Ford, any colour so long as it’s black?

Sure you occasionally see traditional boats out there with sails in red or tan. And of course modern fabrics such as mylar or carbon in nothing but black. But predominantly, just like Granddad’s undies, there's no choice; sails are white or black based on the fabric. What are your thoughts?

And I would very much like to colour my old dacron sails. Has anyone tried with success? What did you use?

Also Mr Graham if you get to read this it would be wonderful if you’d share a few words on your thoughts of sailing, the film and what you’re up to these days on the forum.

[barnakiel]

It is a nylon sail perhaps.

Or perhaps it is a light small dinghy dacron. I have seen pink, blue and green dacron. Common on beachhats and other such boats. It is low tenacity material, not good for a serious hard working sail.

Like this:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...or_sailing.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...1gH8ww8D2MZkOg

b.

[barnakiel]

Looks like nylon:

http://www.natgeocreative.com/comp/Y0/182/618995.jpg

b.

[Robertkwfl]

My boat originally came with a genoa that had a blue stripe in it. When ordering new sails, I tried to get one with a blue stripe, but the sailmaker talked me out of it. The only blue Dacron available today would have different properties than the white cloth resulting in a distorted sail shape.

[Stumble]

There are a few ways to color sails, each with various advanatages and disadvantages. For nylon sails (most spinnakers) you can just sew in different colored nylon fabric. But for Dacron sails you basically dye the material after the sail is made, adding cost and weight.

https://www.quantumsails.com/resourc...cheaper-than-y

[roverhi]

Can't see die working on a Dacron sail. Dacron isn't like cotton, the threads won't suck in the dye and doubt if it would hold the color for very long. The sail in the Dove ad is probably a light air nylon reaching sail. The probably filmed much of the movie around LA which is notorious for light winds. If you look closely, the boat is probably under power with the sails sheeted in and not drawing well. Typically Hollywood reality.

You can get a few colors in dacron sail cloth but it's a lower quality material. Wanted Tanbark sails for my Westsail but only material I could find it in was about the lowest quality material that the mills made. Same went for offwhite and don't remember finding any other color though that may have been my research that was lacking.

[Stumble]

Rover,

Did you read the link? I don't claim to be an expert, but if Quantum says it can be done, and that's how they do it, I am going to trust their word on it.

[boatman61]

Just find a good sailmaker.. but then I'm weird.. I like black boats..

[Cheechako]

Colored sail cloth is not that readily available, but it is in Nylon. That Dove sail looks like a nylon drifter or etc. TanBark color was avail for some time. I would imagine the plastic itself has to be colored when made, not dyed.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by grantmc

Also Mr Graham if you get to read this it would be wonderful if you’d share a few words on your thoughts of sailing, the film and what you’re up to these days on the forum.

Last I read, he and Patti found religion.

Also, he barely completed the voyage. They finally talked him into completing it but part of that was him getting another larger boat, a Luders 33, to replace Little Dove his Lapworth 24 which had about had it

Long story short he moved to Montana and built a cabin which was another adventure all together.

You need to read his second book. The one that tells the story after he returned.

It was tough for him to rejoin society. (his circumnav lasted about 5 years) I believe he received a new car, a Maverick, I think it was and had to learn to drive. He may have wrecked the car. One way or another he sold it.

He tried college and dropped out.

Then they moved to Montana and built that cabin and had a baby. Then another.

I think he did one more long distance sail to Hawaii and back but that was about it