Mainsail sailcloth weight choice

affinite

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After a trawl around the boat show I've had a few quotes to replace the working sails on my Moody 44
Having explained to the sail makers that I want sails for coastal cruising in the Med (140% furling Genoa and in-mast furling batten-less Main) I've had different sailcloth weights offered
8.3 oz - 9.55oz
What are the pros and cons of the different cloth weights (apart from the obvious weight of the sail itself)?
Will the heavier cloth be appreciably more difficult to wind onto a furling system?
I do recall one of the sail makers telling me about the high resin content in some cloths and their poor resistance to UV but cant remember which cloth he was actually promoting
I will go back to the sail makers with my questions and to refresh my memory on the UV issue but they will inevtitably have a somewhat biased view so Id appreciate independent views from the panel
Thanks as ever
Steve
 
For a long lasting cloth,I would chose Fibrecon .We offer long guarantees with it as it's stable and durable .

Ideally for your boat size your fabric weight should be 9oz , but to roll well into the mast, going too heavy can increase the bulk ..8.7 oz should be a good compromise.
Cindy
 
I don't know about weight choice, but when I replaced my in mast furling main sail back in 2009 I had chosen the "square 310" cloth from dimension polylant and the sail cut is bi-radical. After 5 full sessions, the sail is still in very good condition. I believe the strong point of that specific cloth was the "ripstops". It's these little boxes that seem to add durability and performance. There's no need to be dimension polylant; other sail-clothes have these ripstops too (eg the ocean premium plus from Brainbridge).
 
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