1. Symmetrical spinnakers: great for downwind
A symmetrical spinnaker is the ‘classic spinnaker’. It is a multi-purpose sail, handling broad reach to full run.
- For a given boat, symmetrical spinnakers have a larger sail area than asymmetrical spinnakers; they catch more wind due to the spinnaker pole which offsets the sail’s tack to windward, well outside the wind shadow created by the main sail.
- Symmetrical spinnakers require the use of additional equipment (spinnaker pole and its attendant hardware).
- Maneuvering of symmetrical spinnakers requires a bit more skills than with an asymmetrical spinnaker (for gibing in particular).
If you are considering buying a spinnaker for the first time, check our top tips to choose a spinnaker. We also offer help with spinnaker sizing, often seen as the main question by our customers.
Use with or without a sock or on a furler
Best wind conditions for a symmetrical cruising spinnaker are for apparent wind angles between 110 deg. and 180 deg.
2. Symmetrical spinnaker design – cut, cloth and specs
Our standardized symmetrical spinnaker sizes are designed so that one specific size can fit a range of boats. We can build a custom designed spinnaker for your boat, which will maximize its square footage, allow specific cloth selection for your cruising conditions, provide custom finishes etc.
- Our standardized symmetrical spinnaker sails have an S2 Tri-Radial cut. They are broad shouldered, with a mid girth longer than the foot girth to offer a more spherical shape and maximize the projected area.
- We use Contender cloth (a Dutch company) as our standard cloth, and also use Challenge cloth (a US company) depending on the color needed :
- Contender Nylite NL 90 (48gr/m2 actual weight) or Challenge NFS 44 for spinnaker size 1 (484 sq ft) to size 9 (1248 sq ft)
- Contender Maxilite 150 (75gr/m2 actual weight) or Challenge NFS 64 for spinnaker size 10 (1399 sq ft) to size 18 (3099 sq ft)
- Our sails are double taped to ensure the panels are exactly where they need to be, then triple stitched, 50mm wide (we do not do so called ‘French seaming’, a cost saving practice). Triple stitch allows the seam to stretch with the fabric rather than snap under heavy loads.
- We use webbed rings at the corners, (no pressed rings, another cost saving practice…)
- Our panel size has a maximum width of 40 cm (smaller sails) or 50 cm (larger sails)
- Our sails have radial corner reinforcements with underlying Dacron patches, which distribute the load better than round patches
- The horizontal and vertical seams (between the 3 radial zones) have a width of 25 / 35 /38 mm depending on the sails size
- Clearly labeled head, foot and clew for ease of hoist and packing; you can choose your colors
- Color coded edge tapes; you can choose your colors
- Please see dimensions for each size at the bottom of this page
Details of tack, clew and head finishes
Details of seams
3.Symmetrical Spinnaker – panel layout
Each spinnaker size is cut with a number of panels that ensures a solid “construction”. The number of panels affects the strength of the spinnaker; more panels means better resistance to the stress the sail undergoes when flown. This number of panels is specific to each sailmaker. Our panel size has a maximum width of 40 cm (smaller sails) or 50 cm (larger sails)
4. Choose the colors of your symmetrical spinnaker
Our standard spinnakers come at the same price for 4 basic choices of colors: tricolor, all blue, all red, or all white. Select “standard symmetrical spinnakers” in our online store.
You can also create your own color theme. Choose a color for each panel; 13 colors available.
Build your own symmetrical spinnaker
Choose from 13 colors and personalize your spinnaker
Add a logo!
5. Symmetrical spinnakers dimensions
Symmetrical spinnakers come in 18 sizes. Custom sizes are available through our “fully custom” option.
For help with size you need for your boat, visit our “sizing page” or our “find your boat page”. You are welcome to contact us too.
| Area (sq ft) | Luff (ft) | Leech (ft) | Foot (ft) | |
| Sym 1 | 484 | 30.2 | 30.2 | 17.1 |
| Sym 2 | 549 | 32.2 | 32.2 | 18.1 |
| Sym 3 | 624 | 34.4 | 34.4 | 19.4 |
| Sym 4 | 699 | 36.7 | 36.7 | 20.0 |
| Sym 5 | 785 | 39.0 | 39.0 | 21.2 |
| Sym 6 | 882 | 41.3 | 41.3 | 22.6 |
| Sym 7 | 990 | 44.0 | 44.0 | 24.0 |
| Sym 8 | 1108 | 46.6 | 46.6 | 25.3 |
| Sym 9 | 1248 | 49.2 | 49.2 | 26.8 |
| Sym 10 | 1399 | 52.2 | 52.2 | 28.4 |
| Sym 11 | 1560 | 55.1 | 55.1 | 30.1 |
| Sym 12 | 1743 | 58.4 | 58.4 | 31.8 |
| Sym 13 | 1958 | 61.7 | 61.7 | 33.6 |
| Sym 14 | 2141 | 64.6 | 64.6 | 35.1 |
| Sym 15 | 2367 | 67.9 | 67.9 | 37.0 |
| Sym 16 | 2593 | 71.2 | 71.2 | 38.7 |
| Sym 17 | 2851 | 74.5 | 74.5 | 40.6 |
| Sym 18 | 3099 | 77.8 | 77.8 | 42.3 |
| Area (m2) | Luff (m) | Leech (m) | Foot (m) | |
| Sym 1 | 45 m2 | 9,2 | 9,2 | 5,2 |
| Sym 2 | 51 m2 | 9,8 | 9,8 | 5,5 |
| Sym 3 | 58 m2 | 10,5 | 10,5 | 5,9 |
| Sym 4 | 65 m2 | 11,2 | 11,2 | 6,1 |
| Sym 5 | 73 m2 | 11,9 | 11,9 | 6,5 |
| Sym 6 | 82 m2 | 12,6 | 12,6 | 6,9 |
| Sym 7 | 92 m2 | 13,4 | 13,4 | 7,3 |
| Sym 8 | 103 m2 | 14,2 | 14,2 | 7,7 |
| Sym 9 | 116 m2 | 15,0 | 15,0 | 8,2 |
| Sym 10 | 130 m2 | 15,9 | 15,9 | 8,7 |
| Sym 11 | 145 m2 | 16,8 | 16,8 | 9,2 |
| Sym 12 | 162 m2 | 17,8 | 17,8 | 9,7 |
| Sym 13 | 182 m2 | 18,8 | 18,8 | 10,3 |
| Sym 14 | 199 m2 | 19,7 | 19,7 | 10,7 |
| Sym 15 | 220 m2 | 20,7 | 20,7 | 11,3 |
| Sym 16 | 241 m2 | 21,7 | 21,7 | 11,8 |
| Sym 17 | 265 m2 | 22,7 | 22,7 | 12,4 |
| Sym 18 | 288 m2 | 23,7 | 23,7 | 12,9 |