Draft stripes / camber lines

[Yngmar]

So apparently this is a thing I can have on my new main sail. Supposedly they are horizontal stripes on the sail that let me see the sail shape better from below. Racer people I ask say I must have them, but they also think sitting on a toerail for hours while your legs go numb is fun.

Do I want stripes on my sail? Are they worth having? It sounds like a good thing in theory, but having never sailed on a boat with stripes, I have no idea how useful they are in practice. I'm no racer, but neither do I ignore sail trim entirely. I mostly just squint at the sail for a bit and go "meh, bit more on the kicker perhaps" and then I go "ok, that was too much" and then "meh, good enough".

Thoughts on stripes please!

 

[Lucky Duck]

Do you mean horizontal by any chance? Not going do much harm even if you don't use them

 

[Yngmar]

Do you mean horizontal by any chance? Not going do much harm even if you don't use them

Yes, indeed horizontal. Sorry Editing post!

 

[johnalison]

I've had sails with stripes, but to be honest, I don't find them much more use than looking at the seams.

 

[Venus1]

Absolutely get the stripes. It's true you can get the same information from the seams, but the stripes are so much easier, quicker (and for me, more enjoyable) to assess - especially in dark, twilight, or rainy days.
For me, they're a low cost improvement to sailing enjoyment, even for a cruiser.

 

[Binman]

Do they have to be stitched on by sailmaker?

 

[Lucky Duck]

I suspect they are stuck on like sail numbers, class insignia, etc

 

[mr_average]

Can I just say I love he description of how the OP trims his sails That must be so true of most of us.

 

[Daydream believer]

When I got my first car as a teenager, stripes were the first thing that i bought to attract the lassies as it definitely made the car go faster ---so it must work for yachts as well ( speed that is, not crumpet anymore :nonchalance

After that it was a Peco exhaust booster but these days i do not really want that racket so I would just stick with the stripes