A Sail Study isolates a single decision — one sail changed, everything else held constant — and shows the result across the wind range. No noise. No confounding variables. Just the answer to the question you’re actually asking.
Try a Sail Study ← Back to Edge MapPhoto: Don Ramey Logan / Wikimedia Commons
A full Edge Map compares your entire inventory against the ORC baseline. That’s powerful — but sometimes the question is simpler: “What happens if I swap just this one sail?”
A Sail Study narrows the focus. It defines a wind regime — a specific range of wind angles and speeds — and isolates one variable: the sail you’re evaluating. Everything outside the study regime shows zero delta. Everything inside shows the impact of that one change, measured against your baseline.
The result is a focused answer. Not “how does my whole inventory compare” but “does this specific sail help, in these specific conditions, on my boat.”
The classic inventory question. Your Number 1 genoa covers light air; your Number 2 handles the breeze. But where’s the crossover? A headsail study maps the upwind wind range — TWA 30–60°, TWS 4–14 knots — and shows exactly where the J2 starts earning its keep and where the J1 still wins. The crossover point, in knots, on your boat.
Is a Code Zero worth the investment? This study covers the reaching band — TWA 60–120°, TWS 4–14 knots — where Code sails live. It shows where the Code Zero adds drive that the genoa can’t match, and where the genoa is still the better sail. For boats considering their first Code sail, this is the study that answers “when does it actually help?”
Two kites, one budget. The transition zone — TWA 110–150° — is where kite choice gets interesting. An A1.5 reaches higher; an A2 runs deeper. This study maps the overlap zone and shows which kite covers more cells with meaningful delta. Same boat, same wind, one choice.
Does flying a staysail under your asymmetric help downwind? TWA 120–180°, TWS 14+ knots. Some boats gain from the added drive; others just add heel and drag. The model now calculates the combined aerodynamic contribution of both sails simultaneously — so the answer reflects real interaction, not just stacked numbers. This study isolates the question and gives you numbers instead of opinions.
Sail lofts run pre-purchase comparisons and campaign presets for their clients. Naval architects use study outputs to augment ORC cert reviews and evaluate appendage configurations. Those studies live in the workflow pages built for each audience.
Every Sail Study aligns its wind regime to the TWA and TWS grid points on your ORC polar. No arbitrary bins. No generic “light / medium / heavy” buckets. The study boundaries match the exact conditions your certificate defines, so the results map directly to the performance data your rating already provides.
This means a study on one boat isn’t a copy-paste from another. The wind regime is specific to your hull, your rig, and your certificate.
SailEdge™ comes with pre-loaded Sail Studies covering the questions racing sailors ask most — upwind headsail crossovers, Code Zero evaluation, kite selection, staysail under kite. Pick one from the dropdown, and the study runs on your boat with your ORC polar. One click. One answer.
Partner sail lofts can design their own regime packs — curated sets of Sail Studies built around the sails they make and the conditions their fleet sails in. When a loft publishes a regime pack, every customer on that loft’s roster can load it with one click. The studies run on each boat’s own ORC polar, so the results are specific even when the study design is shared. See Loft Workflow for how it works.
Want something specific? Build your own study — choose your baseline sails, your test sails, and define the wind regime. For custom analysis beyond what the builder offers, get in touch.