Custom Code Zero Sails on Furlers for Cruising Boats

Rip-stop nylon is the cloth for most cruising code zeros: monohulls up to 45 ft, and catamarans and trimarans up to 35 ft. It is the lightest option, furls softly and stows compactly in a bag or locker. A nylon code zero works best from about 50° to 110° apparent wind, in true wind mostly under 15 knots, giving you an easily handled sail on a continuous-line furler and the power to keep moving when the genoa falls short.

Monohulls over 45 ft, and catamarans and trimarans over 35 ft, put higher loads on the tack, sheets and furler drum, so on these boats we build the code zero in woven IYU Dacron, which holds its shape where nylon would stretch. You choose cross-cut or radial panels, in white or black Dacron. A Dacron code zero is heavier and takes more locker space, but it keeps a stable shape across a wider wind range and stands up to the loads of a bigger boat.

Every code zero we build is set up for a continuous-line furler. The sail flies free of the forestay on its own anti-twist luff rope, which carries the torque from the furler drum up to the head swivel so the whole sail rolls evenly; an undersized rope lets the foot furl while the head is still flogging. We use 10 mm rope as standard and 12 mm on larger sails, and match the luff length and corner fittings to your furler. The tack is usually set ahead of the forestay, on a bowsprit or a dedicated fitting.

Cruising catamarans sail at higher apparent wind speeds than monohulls of a similar length, so the loads on the tack fitting, sheets and furler build quickly. That is why catamarans and trimarans over 35 ft get a Dacron code zero, with extra-strong corner patches and an anti-twist rope sized for multihull loads, while smaller multihulls get nylon. Common tack points are a bowsprit or the forward crossbeam, and the furler lets a short-handed crew set and stow the sail from the cockpit.

Every code zero comes with extra-strong corner patches, leech and foot lines and a sail bag. When you price your boat you can add a UV strip on the leech and foot, so the sail can stay furled between sails, and Helios PTFE thread on the UV strip, which resists sun damage where ordinary polyester thread fails first. A sock, a turtle bag, sail numbers and class insignia are also available. If you bag the sail after each use you can skip the UV strip; if it stays rigged, fit both the strip and the Helios thread.