Laminate genoa or not ?

[mhouse]

Has antyone experience of the Crusader Laminate Genoa?

I am looking to replace my old 140 % dacron one with something I can use for the occasional club race . when cruising I normally change to a blade jib when over f4 so it wont be used in a blow unless im caught out.

They also suggest a bi-radial cut., just to throw another unknown at me.
With the winter discount the price is the same as Ive been quoted for Dacron from other lofts.



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Robin]

As long as you have told them YOUR requirements from the new genoa, I would heed their advice IMHO. All choices are compromises of course, in terms of cost, performance and how long a useful life you can expect. I have had many sails from Crusader over 20 years and over that time my priorites changed from club racing (Elizabethan 30) to cruising (Westerly 33 ketch) to wanting more cruising performance (Westerly 33 Ketch still) and now fast cruising (Sun Legende 41). In each case the design parameters were different. Our latest sail is a tri-radial cut roller headsail made from 'Hydranet' which is a very tight weave Dacron with a woven in net of Spectra/Dyneema. In simple terms we were advised that a straight Dacron sail would last many years but be out of shape in a few, a laminate would keep it's shape but fall apart sooner and (for our specific requirements) the best compromise was a re-inforced Dacron, able to keep it's shape well under very high loads and to last many years before needing replacement. Needless to say we are well pleased after 2 seasons so far with the new genoa, good advice from knowledgeable people at a sensible price.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[alan]

I bought a tri-radial laminate genoa from Kemp about 18 months ago, for cruising use, and am very pleased with it. The shape is much better than with the old (4 years) dacron. I was advised by Kemp not to have a UV strip as it affects the shape of the sail but to have a cover (like e genaker sock) which you haul up and down using the spi halyard. Also these laminates are (apparently) attacked by the sun much more than dacron, so a cover also helps in this respect. Kemp make their laminate sails using Contender Astro Cruising Laminates. Have a look at the Bainbridge and Contender web sites, they give useful information on sail cloths.
Overall I would say the new generation of laminates perform well, however how long they last I still have to find out!!! Also, one has to ask: can you justify the extra cost?? That last one of course is a personal decision.

I've had three sails from Crusader, and happy with the quality of all of them; however, their delivery time promised and actual was a lot different!!!

<hr width=100% size=1>Alan Cloke

 

[duckmanton]

My turn to dribble, you asked re - furling genoa or fixed as you go on to say chang e to blade. please quainify(where is the spell check )could everyone be more precise and then there would be less needless opinions, which then could be answered with fewer posts.
And then how about filling out your personals with some half thruths.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[AndCur]

If you are not using roller reefing changing a laminate sail at sea will be a real pain as they are really stiff and very hard to work with at sea. I recently bought a new Tri-Radial No1 Genoa in Dacron for my own boat. As they will last longer and are easier to handle. Just to explain a we bit about sail design. Cross cut is made up of panels running from top to bottom, Bi-radial the sections run from the head and the tack joining some where in the middle of the sail, Tri-radial the panels run from each corner.

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by AndCur on 29/10/2003 19:07 (server time).</FONT></P>