![Quote](images/BP-Light/misc/quote_icon.png)
Originally Posted by
cougarmeat
Something to bear in mind when the, "DCF is used for boat sails so it should withstand the wind" thoughts enter is ... They are not holding the sailboat back against the wind. They are not anchored to the ground, a tree, etc. holding the wind back. On a sail boat, they are filling the shape of the sail and going with the wind. That's not to say too much sail won't have problems in a storm - it's that the dynamics are different.
How does a sailboat move? Most people picture it being pushed by the wind in the sail. Sometimes, yes, when the wind is at the stern (back). But usually - the boat is "pulled". Imagine an airplane wing. The air over the top creates a pressure difference that causes lift - pulling the plane up. Now imagine that horizontal wing in a vertical position - that's a sail. The shape of the sail causes that same pressure difference but instead of pulling a horizontal wing up, it's pulling vertical wing forward. The DCF sail is moving with the wind.
So I'm not saying DCF isn't strong. I'm just suggesting that thinking a DCF sail on a boat is the same dynamic as an anchored down tarp, could be a little off.
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