sail number

[Bodach na mara]

I have whatever sail number my 2nd hand sails come with

My first keelboat was an ancient sort of 6 metre built in 1912 by Anker and Jensen. It had no number on its cotton mainsail. When I could afford it I bought a used Dragon main and sailed for the next few years with the number DK194. My next boat, a Commando, had a symbol on one sail but no number on either main.
I then bought a Westerly Renown, again with no number on either of the worn out mains so when I bought a new main i asked for the Westerly symbol to be put on together with RNxyz where xyz was a number I found one the builders plaque.
My latest boat is the only one that has come with a number, SK80 and can be found in the list maintained by the Westerly Owners Association.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Production boats have a standardised HIN/CIN which is nothing to do with class sail numbers. The latter are rarely used these days and the norm if you want an identification number on your sail to buy one of those already suggested.

Actually that depends on the class. My hull number and sail number are the same, allocated by the builder, with the model number as a prefix, 92075. It seems to suffice.

 

[Lightwave395]

I bought my sail number in 1999 in a 'tender your offer' bidding process organised by RORC, with all monies going to the John Merricks Sailing Trust. I even have a certificate !

 

[Tranona]

Actually that depends on the class. My hull number and sail number are the same, allocated by the builder, with the model number as a prefix, 92075. It seems to suffice.

No doubt that was long before the standard was introduced and designers/builders/class associations had their own rules. I had a boat made in 1963 and the designer sold sets of plans identified by a sequential sail number system that was the licence to build one boat. Mine was 634 but the boat was one of the first 3 built at the same time by the builder so unrelated to "hull" number. Other yards used "yard numbers" to identify hulls and designer sail numbers on the sail.

However this is little to do with the subject of the thread which was about national or organiser sail numbers primarily for identification for racing.