Variations in fuff ropes, batten cars and sliders, reef non-friction rings or cringles, cunningham and reef luff attachment points are all accounted for and covered in the price.
$7,500.00 – $15,994.00
Whether you’re racing inshore or heading offshore, your boat deserves sails tailored to your program. This guide walks you through the different sail materials, finishes, and construction types available — so you can make an informed choice based on performance, durability, and value.
We’ve picked the usual suspects for most campaigns, and of course if you’d like to make changes you can.
| Material Name | Best Use | Key Features | Base Price | Racing Lifespan | Performance | Inshore/Offshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dimension-Polyant Black Film PX 20 (Black Glossy Appearance) | Competitive inshore racing where weight matters most | Clear film for crisp, responsive sail with minimal stretch. Sleek black aesthetic, no added abrasion layer for pure performance. | $ | ★★ | ★★ | Inshore |
Dimension-Polyant LiteSkin PX 20 (Mottled Grey Matte Appearance) | Club racing or light offshore use | LiteSkin adds lightweight surface protection without major weight gain. A smart middle ground between Film and Taffeta. | $$ | ★★★ | ★★ | Inshore & Light Offshore |
Dimension-Polyant Black Taffeta PX 20 (Black cloth, not quite matte, not glossy) | Offshore or high-wear coastal racing | Taffeta layer offers superior abrasion and UV protection. Slightly heavier but much longer lifespan, ideal for serious offshore racers. | $$ | ★★★ | ★★ | Offshore |
Dimension-Polyant Carbon-Sport LiteSkin 20 (Mottled Grey Matte Appearance) | Inshore/coastal racers wanting better shape-holding. Carbon internals instead of the polyester for the PX range. | Carbon internals reduce stretch and improve responsiveness. LiteSkin finish keeps things light and race-ready. | $$$ | ★★★★ | ★★★ | Inshore & Performance Offshore |
♻️Challenge Palma-Tec 24 ♻️ (Very lights grey with internal dark grey strands) | Tough offshore work with a green focus. A blend of polyester and dyneema internals all post-consumer waste | Heavier base cloth with a track record of reliability. Great for delivery sails, long passages, or when durability outweighs weight. | $$$ | ★★★★ | ★★★ | Offshore |
Kraken Apex Shadow – Carbon Technora + LiteSkin (Your choice Matte Black, Grey, White) | Offshore racers wanting custom membrane performance | Fiber layout engineered for your rig and reef points, using Carbon and Technora. LiteSkin adds abrasion and UV resistance without compromising weight. | $$$$ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | Offshore |
Kraken Apex Phantom – Carbon + Clear Film (Your Choice of Clear Film, or opaque gloss black) | Elite inshore racers chasing every tenth of a knot | Crystal-clear film over custom-laid carbon fibers for maximum efficiency. Featherweight, ultra-fast, designed for performance purists. | $$$$ | ★★ | ★★★★★ | Inshore |
You won’t find standard Dacron mainsails on this list — and there’s a reason. For the same price point, we can offer you a high-performance laminate sail that will outperform a Dacron in racing applications. Dacron is tough, but it stretches over time and struggles to hold its shape under load — which is critical in race performance. We do love Dacron, but not in this application.
Laminates are made by bonding multiple layers of materials together, forming a “sandwich” that places strength along key load paths. Instead of relying on woven fibers, laminates use layers of film and reinforcing materials — such as polyester, aramid (e.g., Kevlar), carbon, or Dyneema — to resist stretch and optimize performance.
These laminates are purchased from the industry leaders like Dimension-Polyant and Challenge, and then laser cut, and then sewn into panels. It’s a traditional sail type with a modern material.
Key Traits:
You won’t often find us providing laminates in exotic internal materials like Aramids or Carbons, because we can offer better performance, tailored strength placement, and the same pricing in a Kraken Apex membrane.
The most advanced sail construction available today, membranes are engineered from the ground up for your specific boat and how you sail it.
Instead of cutting and sewing standard panels, we use a high-precision lamination process that prints threads (fibers) directly onto a facing fabric. These fibers include Carbon, Aramid, Dyneema, or Vectran, in custom blends that account for both full hoist and reefed conditions.
What makes membranes better?
Compared to a laminate, a membrane has no wasted weight, and is much more refined in how it delivers strength and stretch resistance. It’s the gold standard for performance racing sails — and no longer just for grand prix programs.
These affect the durability, UV protection, abrasion resistance, and look of your sail. Each option can be combined with various internals (carbon, aramid, etc.).
Choose film if you want maximum performance and minimal weight — and don’t need to worry about chafing or long-term UV exposure.
LiteSkin is made from a non-woven array of nylon filaments, laminated into a composite facing. It protects against scuffing and sunlight while remaining flexible and light. It doesn’t shrink like films and holds up better when the sail is folded or flogged. You might consider LiteSkin sails when racing with an experienced crew offshore who take care of equipment.
Taffeta is a woven polyester fabric that’s laminated onto the sail’s surface to protect it from the elements. It won’t add shape-holding power, but it greatly extends the lifespan of your membrane or laminate sail. Taffeta is the go-to choice for offshore mainsails where durability matters most.
The “engine room” of the sail. This is what gives the sail its ability to hold shape under load.
At Kraken, we don’t expect you to choose the internal fiber type yourself — we’ll recommend the right mix based on your race goals, reefing setup, and budget.
For heavier-duty and offshore mainsails, we always recommend full-length battens. They offer:
If you’d prefer partial (leech) battens for inshore racing or lighter sails, we can accommodate that — just let us know during the design phase.
Every mainsail comes with:
Colour Matching:
All reinforcement patches (luff, leech, foot, reef reinforcements) will be colour-matched to your facing fabric — black sails get black corners, white sails get white, etc. It’s subtle, sleek, and professional.
Many booms only accommodate two reefs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t optimise your setup:
Every Kraken mainsail is custom-built, so reef height, shape, and spacing is entirely up to you. If you prefer to run 3 reefs we can absolutely set that up for you.
We know sail materials can be overwhelming — especially when people throw around words like “carbon” or “aramid” without explaining what they really mean, or being clear whether they’re talking about a top end membrane or a regular radial cut laminate. Kraken Sails is here to make the complex simple. If you’re unsure which sail is right for your Sydney 38, get in touch for a no-pressure chat. We’ll walk you through the options and build something that suits your boat, your racing, and your budget.
Every mainsail comes with;
We will check in with you to make sure that all the things you need to be compatible are handled in the design, from fitting dog bones to the reefs, to the side you dress your cunningham, to ensuring that headboard and clue widths will accomodate the current hardware.
Colour Matching:
All reinforcement patches (luff, leech, foot, reef reinforcements) will be colour-matched to your facing fabric — black sails get black corners, white sails get white. It’s subtle, sleek, and professional.
If you have a preference on sail number and draft stripe colours please just let us know.
Many booms only accommodate two reefs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t optimise your setup:
Every Kraken mainsail is custom-built, so reef height, shape, and spacing is entirely up to you. If you prefer to run 3 reefs we can absolutely set that up for you. Don’t worry about reef heights, that’s handled during the design stage.
For heavier-duty and offshore mainsails, we always recommend full-length battens. They offer:
If you’d prefer partial (leech) battens for inshore racing or lighter sails, we can accommodate that — just let us know during the design phase.
We know sail materials can be overwhelming — especially when people throw around words like “carbon” or “aramid” without explaining what they really mean, or being clear whether they’re talking about a top end membrane or a regular radial cut laminate.
Kraken Sails is here to make the complex simple. If you’re unsure which sail is right for your program, get in touch for a no-pressure chat. We’ll walk you through the options and build something that suits your boat, your racing, and your budget.
8 – 10 Weeks for a Laminate
10-12 Weeks for a Membrane
Every sail starts with a design chat and a measure to ensure we’re building you want you expect, and what you need.
Once we receive your measurements, we’ll send you a 50% invoice, build your 3D rig model and design your sail.
When design is finalised, we’ll move your sail into production and send you the invoice for the balance which is due before we begin manufacturing.
From Measurements, design takes 1 week for Laminate sails, and 2 weeks for Membranes (to map fibre design).
Laminate sails take 4 weeks for an average build, (can be expedited for an additional charge).
Membrane sails take a 6 weeks, because they take time to cure, however we can expedite to 5 weeks.
Finally, QA takes 3 days, and then shipping via FedEx typically takes 3-10 days, depending on where you are in the world.
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