Genua
Headsails typical from 105 to 150%
Jib
Normally up to max 110%
Gennaker
Gennaker, assymetric spinnaker, code sail

Sail types

A ruff listing of types of sails

Sail types introduction

There are many sail types on a sailboat, but in generally for modern sailing boats we say they have mainsail and a head sail and flying sails for some, wich means a sail not attached too the head stay.

The mainsail and mizzen sail on a two master is what it is in enerally, however they can be short batten, full batten, in-mast furling, in-boom furling, fat-head etc.

Headsails is generally categorized as jib’s when they are max 100% of the front triangle and genua’s above, but there are many crossover types especially after the rigging bot angled spreaders.

Flying sails was in the old days symmetric spinnakers that had to be hold to windward with a spinnaker poole. But then some starts making a asymmetric spinnaker, where the tack (front sheeting point) where set in the bow and then both sheets in clew (sheet corner). Those types have then being developed to a wide range of flying sails from code zero to gennakers with different efficiencies.

👉 Contact us for a chat about your new sails

Sails types in pinpoints

  • Mainsail
  • Mizzen sail
  • Jibs
  • Genuas
  • Code zero
  • Cable free code zero
  • Gennaker
  • Spinnaker
  • Blue water runner

By head sails and flying sails there are a lot of crossovers and several names for the same sail, which we will try to explain below. 

Sail types in details

👉 Mainsails

The sail you always use when sailing, no matter if you sail upwind or downwind. By that it has to cover a wide spectre of wind angles and forces. The shape in the main sail consists of three main elements: A designed shape, the stretch of the material and the shape of the mast. Combining these three elements makes the finished product. The designed shape is both the curve in the sail and the projected profile specific at the top and aft leech, By Elvstrøm Sails we have 12 types called SHORT (conventional), FATHEAD, PINHEAD, RACE, INBOOM, ZERO INMAST, EMSBASE, EMS, EMSMAX, FATFURL and FATFURLXL. You can read much more about the types and see the shapes here>>> 

Headsails are normally attached to the headstay and mainly split up in two types separated by the mast position, which means its normally called a jib when its not overlapping the mast and a genoa when it does. But there are crossovers where jibs can have a 106% overlap. Which means, if the J-measure is 5 m. then the Jib “LP” = perpendicular length from the clew (sheet corner) to 90° on the head stay is 0,3 m longer than J. To make the confusion complete, then there are also sailmakers that makes 105% genuas.

Jib’s are normally sheeted in front of the shrouds and by overlapping jibs in between the stays or even between the inner stay and the mast, which is the reason to the overlap is only at the bottom clew part. This allow very narrow sheeting angles and very good tacking angles. By Elvstrøm Sails the jibs are called C1,2,3,4 where C1 is the lightest and fuller and the other gets heavier and flatter. Jibs can be traditional with negativ aft leech curve, attached to the head stay or inner jib stay with foil, metal or plastic hooks or furling and with positiv aft leech curve by use of long battens parallel with the head stay, also called FATFURL.

Flying jibs A new jib type has entered the sail family called a flying jib. But its actually just a reuse of old classic boats jib topsail / Ballooner in family with Fore topsail, Fishermans staysail and Main topsail.

Genua’s are large headsail overlapping up to 150% longer LP than the J-measure. Since the sail are passing the rig, then battens are not a option, so genuas has a negativ aft leech curve. Race boats with genuas do normally have light, medium and heavy max size genuas and genua 2 and 3 for stronger winds that they often change between with use of double head-foil. Cruising boats are normally equipped with a furling allround genua that they reef in depending of force of wind.

Staysail’s also called J3 is a smaller, heavy-weather jib used for upwind work in strong winds or as a secondary staysail paired with larger gennakers downwind. They can be permanent hoisted or hoisted on at detachable inner stay. 

Read more about the different Elvstrøm design types here>>>  

Downwind sails are a even larger chapter than the two sail types above, and that is because they can even be made as a allround sail or sails optimized for specified conditions and wind angles. At Elvstrøm sails there are 12 different basic design types that we will try to list below after wind angles.

Code zero sails can be masthed zero (MH0) or fractional zero (FR0) and delivered in various materials, from EPEX via radial laminated to radial woven materials. The higher Apparent Wind Speed they will be exposed for, the more you wish to have material that does not stretch. Code zero sails with a Anti-torxion cable sewn into the luff, then the front is very stable and the sail can be used as close as 45° depending of type and force of wind. But the normal is from 60° to 120° for cabled code zero’s and 65° to 135° for cable free code zero’s, that both can be furled. A cable free code zero is typical 35% larger than a cabled code zero. Off course code zeros can also be used to go even 180° but in light / medium wind they are not so efficient as the larger gennaker’s and spinnaker’s. The Elvstrøm Sails code zeros are also available as UV protected permanent hoist versions. Which means you can leave them up even for weeks. 

Gennaker’s are the general name for large asymmetric flying sails typical made of radial woven materials and can be hoisted free, in sock, from Deckshute or attached to a Anti-torxion cable on a furling system. They can in light wind conditions be use as close to 75° to apparent windand are for the XL types efficient down to 165°. New to the family is the “BLUE WATER RUNNER” that is a woven material made twin furling sail that in up to 10 knots wind folded together can be used as a light wind genua / reacher between 60° and 135° and unfolded down to 180° even in wind forces up to 30 knots.

Spinnaker’s are available in two configurations – asymmetric and symmetric and normally all made of woven materials.

Asymmetric spinnakers which can also be called a gennaker is a all round asymmetric downwind sail that in light conditions can be used up to 90° TWA, but in other conditions they have their best efficiency between 120° to 160° TWA which depending of boat speed and windspeed 80-90° to 140-150° AWA. Asymmetric spinnakers does not demand a person on deck while gybing and are therefore also short hand friendly.

Symmetric spinnakers are used with one sheet corner on a spinnaker pole that you move from one side to the other when gybing which demands a person on deck. These sails are less commonly used these days, but Elvstrøm Sails do offer a wide range when it comes to be used on wind angles from 75° to 180° TWA and for different wind forces.

Both spinnaker types can be used with spinnaker-sock or Deckshute for easier handling.

TWA is true wind angle and AWA is apparent wind angle.