Mainsail

[ean_p]

Just had a quote for a new main from Jeckels to be made of Marblehead cloth....they also quoted for lazyjacks and a boom bag......questions.....
1 is that a good brand of cloth?
2 what are the pros and cons of lazyjacks and boom bags?
3 Jeckels anyone for or against?

the boat is basicly a sleek cruiser with a ketch rig.....sails with standard short batterns...

cheers
Ian P.

 

[Skyva_2]

Not heard of Marblehead except as a a design of model yacht, but it seems to come well recommended - see http://macksails.com/sailclth.htm, or try a Google search.

Lazyjacks very useful for a fully battened main especially if shorthanded, certainly of some use for you, depends if you often sail two up. Helps to keep the sail under control in a breeze. Boom bag is convenient but not essential, I've been against them because of windage.

Jeckels is a long established firm, never heard anything against them.
Is this the only quote you have, you may be surprised by the range of prices you may get?

Keith

 

[neil_s]

I had a Jeckells Genoa on my last boat. It was a really nice sail, well made and set beautifully.

I bought a new main for her from Crusader. That was also well made and transformed her performance, but I didn't specify the material and ended up with something a bit stiff for the average cruiser. Good price, though!

Neil

 

[3reefs]

Had a genoa and main from Jeckells about 2 years ago. Extremely well made and they draw well. Competitively priced and I think they are the only firm offering 5 years unconditional warranty for cruising sails.

Less happily, they were having staffing problems when my sails were made, so delivery times slipped a bit.

 

[dickh]

Spoke to Kemps at the boat show and if I remember correctly, marblehead if fine for a sail that you need to handle like a mainsail or a hanked on jib/genoa.
Speak to Kemp sails, they are very knowledgeable and my friends ended up buying a genoa from them. It would be good for you to get a comparison - they were a similar price to Kemps.
Saying that, Jeckells are good sails.
definately go for the 'boom bag' and lazyjacks as it catches the sail as you lower it - but I don't suppose the Racing boys like them.

dickh
I'd rather be sailing... /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Twister_Ken]

Marblehead is just about the mutts nuts at the moment in plain vanilla dacron.

Jeckells is using it to build me a new genny.

 

[seaesta]

The original sails on my 1966 Westerley were Jeckyls and two of them are still in good nick. I have had two new sails from Jeckyls in recent years - a main and a genoa and they are very strong, well made, set really well and suppied in good big bags . I cannot recommend them highly enough and would be reluctant to buy other makes.
Martin

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

My mainsail comes down into a boom bag that is held up by lazyjacks. The bag then zips up along the top. The whole affair is homemade and would be the first addition that I would make in any possible (improbable!) next boat. Most of my sailing is single-handed cruising and I appreciate the total absence of slippery dacron underfoot that I had before. Proper flaking and final zipping is done when all is made fast at the marina or at anchor. I have not noticed any loss of speed but then my boat is a Centaur. Racing types might not agree.
I thought that a good sailcloth is the Contender; I don't know about the Marblehead. The easy test is for you to get hold of a sample and then crush it in your hand to get a feel for the 'hand' (stiffness). You then put it through two or three cycles through the washing mashine as with a normal domestic wash and see what difference this makes. I know that you'ld never do that to your sails but I find that it is a good way of simulating a couple of seasons of flapping, wetting and drying in a short time. In general, much depends on how tight the weave is (not much difference in the hand) and how much filler has been sealed into the weave during finishing (fabric goes very limp after 'my' treatment). Tight weave = more expensive, longer life; more filling = lower price and lower life expectancy.
Fair winds!

Wally

 

[philwebb]

I have just ordered the same as your quote from Jeckells for my Kelt 8. They made me a roller furling
genoa last year, the cut was good and it performed well. I liked Jeckells 5 year guarantee. The marblehead
looked to be a better cloth than Contender when viewed under a magnifier, time will tell. My sail cover
was nackered so I put in a bit more money to get the lazy jacks and bag. I have used this system on
charter boats and it is so much easier to get the main down.
I talked to several people and have ordered a loose- footed sail as this apparently sets better at the
bottom and the fullness can be controlled more easily.
Regards,
Phil