Cross-cut vs tri-radial

[kingfisher]

I'm about to invest a small capital in a new headsail, a hanked on genoa 2. It's the most used sail of the inventory. I'm strictly cruising, not racing.

I think sail makers bite down on a lemon before they quote you a price. I would burst out laughing if I had to tell a customer a 26m2 piece of dacron costs 700£.

Anyway: the tri-radial costs just 70£ more than the regular version. Aside from the performance aspect, are they worth their price from a cruising point of view (boat can point higher ? shape lasts longer?).

Obi-Wan

 

[charles_reed]

I had two radials before the cross-cut.

They do set better in light airs but only last about 6-7 years before bulging in all sorts of unlikely places. The big problem with them is leech flutter which involve tightening up the line which results in hooking.

The crosscut is heavier, but keeps its shape better and lasts about twice as long providing you have the uv strip on the correct side and renew it on a regular basis.

I'd definitely go for the crosscut and consider a lightweight reaching sail as an addition to the wardrobe.

 

[Guest]

How long do you expect your sails to last? Remember dacron never dies, it just goes out of shape.

As a racing sailor, I'm pleased if the most used sails in the wardrobe hold up for 3 seasons, on cruiser-racers. In racing dinghies the life of sails can be measured in regattas. In the case of Laser sails the life span is in hours.

Don't whinge about the price, your not buying a tarpaulin! Even the most unwhetherly bilge keeler can be transformed with decent laundry. Think how the performance of a petrol engine is improved with new spark plugs.

As to cloth I would advise the use of Pentex. Marginally more expensive than dacron, say £50.00 on a 30' genoa. Half the stretch of dacron and lasts longer. albeit slightly more difficult to handle if on hanks, but as most of you are on furlers this shouldn't be a problem.

Talk to the sailmaker, he's the man in the know.

 

[ccscott49]

Go for cross cut and have a word with southern sails at poole, £700 sounds a little expensive! Charles knows a thing or two about sails!
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ccscott49 on Tue Nov 27 20:33:13 2001 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[vyv_cox]

A tri-radial may be a better choice when hanked on, because all halyard and sheet loads run along the length of the cloth. In a cross-cut the halyard loads run directly across the cloth, but are carried by the luff tape/bolt rope, but sheet loads are largely along the cloth. However, with a furling foresail the advantage of the tri-radial is lost as soon as a couple of rolls are put on the forestay and the full sheet loads are applied across the cloth. A small amount of stretch in the luff will become very apparent when the sail is used full size.

Having looked at this in some detail, my choice for a furling system was a cross-cut. I confirm that the tri-radial fitted previously had gone a very funny shape. I also invested in one of the high-performance cloths, in my case Hood's Vectran. After two seasons of hard use I can see no shape deterioration at all.