Continuous Fiber Technology

The Problem with Panels

For over a century, sails have been made by cutting flat cloth into panels and sewing them together. Whether it’s Cross-cut (horizontal) or Tri-radial (radiating form corners), this method has fundamental flaws.

Shape Distortion & Seam Creep

A sail is an airfoil that generates lift. Its performance depends entirely on its shape. In a panel sail, the load paths (stress lines) are interrupted at every seam.

• Seam Creep: Under load, the stitching holes stretch and the adhesive layers shift.
• Result: The sail permanently distorts, getting deeper and moving the draft aft. This increases heeling (tipping) and reduces speed.

What is Crimp?

Crimp acts like a microscopic spring. In woven cloth, yarns go “over and under” each other. When you pull on the cloth, these yarns try to straighten out (the “crimp” pulls out), causing the fabric to stretch.

LoadX Technology eliminates crimp by laying fibers completely flat and straight.

The LoadX Solution

LoadX® Continuous Fiber Membrane technology abandons the panel concept entirely. instead of sewing cloth pieces, we build a single, monolithic structure.

Fibers follow the force. Our proprietary algorithm calculates the exact stress map of the sail for a given wind range. We then instruct our robotic gantry to lay continuous yarns from corner to corner (Head to Clew, Tack to Clew), aligning perfectly with these load paths.

Anatomy of a LoadX Sail

A LoadX membrane is a composite sandwich fused under high pressure:

1. Outer Skins: Ultra-thin, UV-resistant films (Polyester or UHMWPE) that protect the fibers and make the sail airtight.
2. The Grid (The Muscle): Continuous strands of Carbon Fiber or Aramid, carrying 100% of the primary loads.
3. The Resin: A thermoset, cross-linked adhesive matrix that chemically bonds the layers. Unlike thermoplastic glues that can melt or creep in heat, our resin cures into a permanent solid state.

Comparison: Traditional vs. LoadX

Feature	Traditional Panel Sail	LoadX Membrane
Structure	Discontinuous panels sewn together	Continuous fibers from corner to corner
Load Paths	Approx. aligned (Tri-radial) or ignored (Cross-cut)	100% aligned with stress lines
Weight	Heavy due to overlapping seams & patches	30-40% lighter (Fibers are the patch)
Shape Stability	Degrades quickly due to crimp & seam creep	Locked in. Zero crimp.
Durability	Stitching fails first	No structural stitching to fail

Lighter

By eliminating heavy corner patches, reinforcements, and seam overlaps, LoadX sails are significantly lighter than their panel equivalents.

Shape Holding

The “Flying Shape” is the “Designed Shape”. Because there is no crimp and no seam creep, the sail retains its aerodynamic profile for its entire lifespan.