Texan Mark Belanger sails his Hunter 430 out of Houston’s Lakewood Yacht Club on Galveston Bay. Mark is a cruiser who single-hands his boat regularly and has been sailing for years with a set of old Dacron sails. Ask Mark and he’ll tell you that he’s had it when it comes to lugging around, hoisting, furling and generally dealing with old, heavy Dacron sails.
Mark also races on his friend’s Hanse 455. Not a racing boat, per se, but since UK Sailmakers Houston suited-up the Hanse with a new set of Carbon X-Drive® sails, the Hanse has been having its way with most of the more traditional racer/cruisers.
Back to Mark. So, you’re the guy crewing on an OPB that has a brand-spanking new set of X-Drive sails. All you can say to yourself is how envious you are of those sails. They are light; their shape is beautiful; they are known for durability, and they are affordable. Sail envy!
But, when it comes to his boat and his pocketbook, Mark is still a single-handed cruiser. He talked to the folks at UK Sailmakers Houston about his options. Mark was in luck. The Loft Manager explained that UK now offers X-Drive Endure® performance cruising sails made with narrow Endumax® ribbons instead of carbon yarns as on his friend’s Hanse. X-Drive Endure sails have tested nearly as well as carbon in strength and stretch resistance is much better than Dacron, which means cruising sails can be made with the same performance as racing sails while having a clean, classic white appearance.
In addition to providing great-looking performance sails that are light and extremely easy to handle, UK Houston also redesigned the Hunter 430’s sail plan balancing the boat for Mark. He no longer has to fight weather helm every time he goes sailing…and that’s another real plus.
Summing it all up, Mark said, “I wanted something from my boat that gives me performance, is easy to manage, and is nice and light. For me, buying X-Drive Endure sails was a no brainer. Unless you’re trying to save money by buying the cheaper Dacron sails, X-Drive Endure is the solution.”
