Are Laminate Sails worth it for cruisers

[Chiara’s slave]

No need to weep! I meant that all sails should be stowed properly and not stuffed into bag.
The pain in the bum is that it's beautifully rolled in a proper sausage bag... but with a 7ft foot that's quite a big sausage to accommodate (ooh matron...)

For quick drops I flake it into an open bag on deck.

7ft? Even the XOD is 11ft, the Dragonfly is 12 on the jib, 13 on the main. Fortunately my X sailing partner is a boatbuilder and has a Hilux with a long box for sail carrying externally. No difficulty in accommodating the sausage, so to speak.

 

[samfieldhouse]

Maybe 8ft? It's designed as a #3 so only just covers the fore triangle. Same cut as used on the Sonatas.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

All the same, 8ft is easy to store, and carry crease free. Will fit in an ordinary car, and short enough not to flop at the ends with a 1 person carry.

 

[dunedin]

IMHO laminate sails are not worth it for a cruising boat. If you are racing or you are the type of person who always wants to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of your boat, then yes, but the average cruising boat is overweight, has a dirty bottom, a fixed prop, and other things that slow it down more than slightly stretched sails. Also, on the basis of the additional cost, I can replace my dacron sails every 5 years, for the same cost as replacing laminates every 10 years, so I just but cross-cut dacron with a reasonable quality cloth.

Well our boat we use for cruising has plenty of weight on board, but not “a dirty bottom” or a “fixed prop” - but we like sailing, and enjoy sailing efficiently upwind, in both very light winds (can go upwind well in 5 knots true) and breezier.
If you just put the motor on to get upwind good sails are indeed a waste.

PS aid you think stowing some jobs is an effort, try a jib with vertical battens. Sets very well though.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We have vertical jib battens. Sets well, and sits on the furler nicely, but a pain in the arse on deck. Hence we have a cover, as well as a uv strip, and put the cover on when we leave the boat. If its more than a few weeks, we’ll take it down, remove the battens, roll it and slide it down the hatch. Its a bastard to re hoist.

 

[Supertramp]

7ft? Even the XOD is 11ft, the Dragonfly is 12 on the jib, 13 on the main. Fortunately my X sailing partner is a boatbuilder and has a Hilux with a long box for sail carrying externally. No difficulty in accommodating the sausage, so to speak.

Where do you put 10ft rolls of sail when cruising? Although you do have the deck space.

I have limited experience of laminate sails but they do offer a speed advantage racing (Sigma 33's).

I wouldn't want to be dropping sails in or out of luff grooves singlehanded, but with the right boat (and crew) they would be a possibility.

All down to how and why you sail.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Where do you put 10ft rolls of sail when cruising? Although you do have the deck space.

I have limited experience of laminate sails but they do offer a speed advantage racing (Sigma 33's).

I wouldn't want to be dropping sails in or out of luff grooves singlehanded, but with the right boat (and crew) they would be a possibility.

All down to how and why you sail.

They’re always bent on when cruising. Never on deck unless we bust something.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I think overall longevity might be less, but usable longevity for those that like their sails to be, well, sail shaped. The more performance your boat has, the greater the benefit, or of course if you also race. Furling is fine, likewise stack packs. Our main was made in 2011, it's still very good. Just had a new jib. You’ll feel a difference for sure. How much does it matter to you?

Thanks for the response.
How much does it matter to you?
A fair bit I think. My current boat is a 3/4 rig, swept back spreaders. Bendy top mast, with a just a backstay to flatten mainsail as necessary. It has a S.A./Displ of 22.31 so quite sporty.

I'm single handed so enjoy tweaking . Because of family commitments, I'm largely day sails with some sprinkled two days coastal sailing. I don't race.

The mainsail is still pretty good (thank heaven for battened mainsails) , the genoa is poor and now is a good time to renew. I'm not particularly worried about cost but better windward performance is tempting.

 

[Stemar]

If you have a fixed prop and half-decent Dactron sails, I reckon you'd be far better off spending the money on a folding prop and keeping the Dacron.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Thanks for the response.
A fair bit I think. My current boat is a 3/4 rig, swept back spreaders. Bendy top must, with a just a backstay to
flatten mainsail as necessary. It has a S.A./Displ of 22.31 so quite sporty.

I'm single handed so enjoy tweaking . Because of family commitments, I'm largely day sails with some sprinkled 2 days coastal sailing. I don't race.

The mainsail is still pretty good (thank heaven for battened mainsails) , the genoa is poor and now is a good time to renew. I'm not particularly worried about cost but better windward performance is tempting.

In that case, as others too have said, your new laminate genoa will put a smile on your face. there remains the simple matter of choosing a sailmaker

 

[Snowgoose-1]

The Dacron sails that came with the boat lasted two and three years and were rubbish for half that time. The replacement laminate jib was still holding a good shape when wear made its replacement necessary after more than ten years, including three-month summer cruises. Not only that but its shape remained good when part-furled and could be sheeted flat whatever the wind. This made going to windward in a blow much more effective, maybe ten degrees. A laminate jib needs taking care of, of course, and I take care never to let it flog, but it furls neatly and I have had a lot of satisfaction from the two that I fitted.

Thanks. Couple of questions please.
Did your laminate jib still have a foam luff for reefing and a sacrificial strip ?
Ta

 

[Tranona]

There is more choice than jumping straight from Dacron to laminates so worth doing some research and talking to sailmakers.

While a folding prop gives the best value for money in terms of speed through the water, it does not give the extra pleasure some derive from being able to work with the sails to enhance sailing performance, which may not actually result in better speed through the water but through VMG

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Thanks. Couple of questions please.
Did your laminate jib still have a foam luff for reefing and a sacrificial strip ?
Ta

My jib being very flat cut it has no need of a foam luff, but they are routinely fitted to laminate sails that need them. We do have a sacrificial strip. We also have a zip on cover hoisted on the spinnaker halyard. As the sail is so expensive, and is left on the foil, anything to extend it’s life.

 

[HenrikH]

In the everyday racing we cruisers are taking on with other boats heading our way, black sails signal ambition perhaps a bit agression. White sails are are low key.

 

[johnalison]

Thanks. Couple of questions please.
Did your laminate jib still have a foam luff for reefing and a sacrificial strip ?
Ta

My two laminates have different tales to tell. The first came with a foam luff, partly because I had experienced the advantages of this on a previous boat, but without a sacrificial strip, at the sailmaker's suggestion. This meant that I had to use a jib cover. Not only was this a troublesome chore but the friction when raising and lowering started to chafe the sail, which may be why one seldom sees them these days. I had a strip added, which prolonged the life of the sail a few years. The second sail came with a sacrificial strip but with a rope insert at the luff instead of foam, as the sailmaker suggested that they reckoned it was less prone to mildew. If anything, it furls better than the first.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

In the everyday racing we cruisers are taking on with other boats heading our way, black sails signal ambition perhaps a bit agression. White sails are are low key.

My laminate sails are white. Don‘t think for a moment that I wouldn’t assert my rights though.

 

[Daydream believer]

, which may be why one seldom sees them these days.

Loads on Dutch boats. Seem to be very popular with them. Seem to me to be a total pain.But if one was leaving a sail for a couple of weeks, rather then being on a daily cruise, then I can see the benefit.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Loads on Dutch boats. Seem to be very popular with them. Seem to me to be a total pain.But if one was leaving a sail for a couple of weeks, rather then being on a daily cruise, then I can see the benefit.

Obviously it's harder than just yanking the furling line. But we have it done pat now. The cover won’t slide over the sheets and clew, so the bit you zip has to stay above that. So we fit the spi halyard, zip a foot or so of cover, and attached to the zip slider is a line long enough to half hitch to the pulpit. one in the cockpit can pull steadily to hoist it, zipping itself as you go, one on the foredeck opens it out and feeds it. Manually finish zipping at the end, 2 mins. I can do it on my own a bit more slowly, by getting old of the halyard between the mast foot and the organiser turning blocks on the coachroof, and alternately feeding and hoisting. I have tried flaking it all out up front, but there just always seems to be a snag, and you risk dropping it in the water. Obviously it's tied on, but a bucket full of muddy water on your jib isn’t optimal. It would add 5 mins to your packing up routine as you’re a solo sailor.

 

[johnalison]

Loads on Dutch boats. Seem to be very popular with them. Seem to me to be a total pain.But if one was leaving a sail for a couple of weeks, rather then being on a daily cruise, then I can see the benefit.

They seemed to be very common when we had ours about fifteen years ago, but then I started seeing fewer, but it was always a Continental thing. It s not unduly hard to do, even in a wind, but it is hard to release the necessary tension fully before lowering. Mine had eyelets for the line but I have seen them with rollers that no doubt work better.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

They seemed to be very common when we had ours about fifteen years ago, but then I started seeing fewer, but it was always a Continental thing. It s not unduly hard to do, even in a wind, but it is hard to release the necessary tension fully before lowering. Mine had eyelets for the line but I have seen them with rollers that no doubt work better.

Ours has rollers. It’s a brand new one, the cover makers wanted to get the new ones just like on the old cover. I think Kayospruce do them.