Polytarp sails
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Polytarp sails refer to sails constructed from rectangular polyethylene tarpaulins. Home boat builders often favor these synthetic sheet sails because the materials are inexpensive and easy to assemble into functional, durable sails.[1]
The usual construction method involves
- laying out the tarp material,
- measuring the sail dimensions,
- creating baselines from corner to corner,
- placing double-faced carpet tape around the sail outline with sufficient rounding on selected edges to shape the sail,
- placing a reinforcing rope along the inner edge of the tape, and
- folding the taped overlap back over the rope to create the sail shape.
The sail can be strengthened by adding reinforcing material to the corners and stitching around the edges of the sail. Adding grommets to the corners and edges will allow the sail to be attached to the mast and spars. Because these grommets are placed through doubled material and behind the reinforcing line inside the sail edge, the resulting attachment points have tremendous strength.