Fancy Sails and material

AIDY

AIDY

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www.ybw.com
Well it's coming upto boat show time again, and on the shopping list is a new set of sails. Currently got a set of Hood sail, which am really very pleased with. The genoa 130% is starting to blow out and loose shape though.

I would like to replace with some of this new fancy sail materials as we do a bit of racing and like a nice shaped / set sail. Has anyone got any experience of what I should look for and can any of these fancy materials be furled round my furlex drum or are they just designed to be hanked on

TIA

<hr width=100% size=1>/forums/images/icons/wink.gif <font color=blue> Regards Andy </font color=blue>
 
I've been researching this and there was a good thread recently on SKBT. If you're going for serious racing, then you'll be better off with hanked on sails. Laminate sails can be designed to furl on conventional furling systems and there is an opinion that they have a better shape when furled in stronger winds. i had a chat with a local sail maker recently who was still advocating a heavier duty dacron for a combination of cruising and club racing. For predominantly racing with full crew, most would advocate hanked on separate sails.
Dacron will give you good sail shpae initially, but gradually stretch. He was saying that modern good dacrons withstand stretch far better than previous ones due to advances in construction. they also don't bother with tri radial cuts, but do a special cross cut in dacron. For my boat, a new genoa with luff length 12m was working out at about £1100 for good dacron and about 1600 for cruising laminate.

I still can't make my mind up. What sort of discounts can you get on sails at the boatshow?

<hr width=100% size=1>Life's too short- do it now./forums/images/icons/wink.gif
 
PBO has just done a report on the new materials for sails - they do seem to have advantages but are more expensive....

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
I'd rather be sailing... :-) /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
 
The message in a recent talk to Port Solent YC by Arun Sails was that, while laminar construction resists distortion beautifully, even small injuries to the sails are difficult or impossible to repair satisfactorily, and hence the short life and unsuitability for cruising.

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I think that's true for pure racing laminates- the cruising laminates are heavier duty and withstand chafe and minor damage fairly well. The impression I got is that when laminates blow, they really blow in style and as you say, are difficult or impossible to repair. Dacron will last forever, but gradually lose shape and performance.

<hr width=100% size=1>Life's too short- do it now./forums/images/icons/wink.gif
 
I can confirm that!!. My Doyle "Cruislam" genoa did excellant sevice for 6yrs including a passage from S. Africa/USA. Two returns Florida/New England and one ret trip Florida/Grenada. The first clue that all was not well were tiny tiny pinholes only visible when looking toward the sun through the sail. Anyway, on a run in about 20knts it flogged and split luff to leach.

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Tho\' the Makers of

Genesis sails, my sailmaker said that laminate sails aren't worth it for cruising - they give about 3 years use as opposed to 15 and cost 50% more.

They're OK on a roller reefer, highly UV resistant but can't stand chafe. Once the reinforcing is damaged they're nearly impossible to repair.

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Go back to Hood and ask for Vectran. Still "soft" and easy to handle, very stretch resistant and long life, as used by Global Challenge Yachts.

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Best of luck, I'll be at the show along with loads of other sailmakers.

I would suggest talking to them all, seeing whom you trust and looking at samples/technical info.

There is no right or wrong answer, it's just a case of what's best for your boat and type of sailing.

See you at the show.....

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