Why Are Sailboat Sails White?
If you’ve ever looked across the horizon on a sunny day to see a fleet of sailboats out on the water, you’ve probably noticed that most, if not all of the sails are white.
These huge white triangles that float across the skyline often conjure images of peace and freedom, and seeing these white sails out at sea is probably a great sign that the weather is calm.
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But have you ever stopped to wonder why sailboat sails are white? Is there a reason we don’t see multicoloured main sails or genoas?
Why Do Sailboats Have White Sails?
When we see the white sails on a sailboat we are usually looking at the main wardrobes of sails – mainsail, genoas, staysail, etc. We’ll take a little look at sails that are often different colours further on.
There are a few key reasons why most sailboats have white sails, let’s dive into them below.
Sail Material
The main reason you’ll find the majority of sailboat sails are white is down to the sailcloth material colour. Dacron is one of the most popular sail fabrics around. It is a fibre that is spun into yarns that are then used to weave sailcloth fabric and they are naturally white or slightly translucent in colour.
It is possible to dye Dacron, but it requires a special dye that is bad for the environment, costs more, and uses high temperatures to work. There is also a belief that dying the fibres weakens them, though there are differing opinions on this.
If you want new sails to last then white is the safest colour option.
White Sails Cost Less
The cost of the actual sail cloth per sail is usually only about 15-20% of the cost of the whole sail itself, so you would have thought that choosing a more expensive coloured sail wouldn’t add too much of a margin. But it does, in fact, usually cost quite a lot less to buy a white sail.
To colour a sail you will need to dye it and to do that you will need a dyeing machine and the appropriate colours. For this reason, most sail manufacturers will only stock a few of the most popular colours and weights of sailcloth.
It would cost a huge amount of money and time for these specialist companies to dye sails a specific colour just for your boat, so they are likely to charge a large premium for anything specialist. White sails are the most popular, and therefore usually much cheaper.
Night Vision
A great reason for having white sails as a cruiser is that they reflect the light well. When you’re on a night passage, being able to see the sails, even if you can’t see them that clearly, is a huge advantage.
After several very dark night passages, we were thankful for our white sails, that we could still see from the light of the stars alone. We were able to trim the sails effectively even in the dark, and we didn’t have to ruin our night vision by turning on our torches.
It also meant Adam could sleep while sailing safe in the knowledge that I could see what I was doing without his help!
This alone might not be a good reason to stick to white sails, but as a cruiser putting in many miles under darkness, it is certainly a benefit.
Does Sail Colour Matter?
There are various reasons why the colour of your sails might matter, but there is little evidence to suggest the colour of your sails actually affects performance, so if you’re wondering how long it will take to cross the Atlantic sails of a different colour, don’t panic!
A few reasons why you might want to choose the colour of your sails are because of visibility, identification, and style.
White sails might be harder for passing ships to spot in storm conditions or fog. This is why storm sails are often a bright colour like orange or yellow so that they stand out in bad visibility. On the flip side, white sails are usually easy to see at night, so that you can adjust trim without using a bright torch that will ruin your night vision.
You might use the colour of your sails for identification purposes, or simply like how a certain sail colour looks.
Which Sails Aren’t White?
There are some sails that aren’t traditionally white in colour.
Light wind sails such as spinnakers are usually fun and brightly coloured, often in various shades and sometimes with a logo or picture depicted on them. Light wind sails are made from a different material to standard sails, a material that is easier and cheaper to dye.
Storm sails are another example of sails that aren’t often white. Again, they are made from different materials and for different purposes.
When you’re flying a storm sail the chances are you’re in bad weather, so it is even more important than usual that you’re very visible to any passing ships. Having a bright-coloured sail in dark weather will help you to stand out on the horizon.
Conclusion: Why Are Sailboat Sails White?
As you can see, there are a few key reasons why the majority of sailboat sails are white. If you’re wondering what coloured sails to buy for your sailboat the best thing to do is to talk to a specialist sailmaker, who will be able to advise you on the best colour to go for, tailored to your individual needs.
You might also want to find out how the colour will affect the price of new sails.
We can highly recommend Precision Sails, who have an extremely knowledgeable staff and will be happy to help you out with any queries you might have.
