New sails advice

Not sure a fully battened sail will work with the mast on the Centaur. Think it is the same mast section as on my GH and Kemps said that there is not a fitting that will run well in the groove so have stuck with a 3/4 batten. Not had a chance to use it yet.
 
Boathook said:
Whether you require a foam luff on the headsail depends upon the type of furling system. Mine is a furlex and I was told that a foam luff wasn't required as when you start to furl, the center part rolls in before the foot and head so removing the 'fullness' of the sail.
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Eh? Precisely how would that work without a complex rod drive from the furler drum to the middle of the foil - plus disconnecting the drum from the foil.
Certainly not how our Furlex works. And I suspect North Sails are a bit more informed about these things when they fitted a foam luff to our sail.
If you want an actual bit of science, the reason the foam luff IS needed on cruising sails is partly due to the UV strip round the foot and leech. As this makes the sailcloth thicker at the edges, without the foam luff the centre of the sail rolls more slowly so will go very baggy. The foam luff is tapered precisely to match and offset the effect of the thicker cloth at the edges. Precisely the opposite of what you suggested.
 
My Furlex does one and a half turns at the foot before the foil turns. I’m not sure if this affects sail shape, other than for the short section before the feed, but I think it makes furling easier.

My first experience with a foam luff was when I changed from a plain Dacron sail on our then Sadler 29 to one with a foam luff. On the first occasion that I tried part-furling going to windward in a blow you could have seen my smile stretch from ear to ear as I saw the sail make a half decent shape compared to the scrotal shape of its predecessor. My current laminate 110% jib has a padded luff, but it is padded with rope rather than foam, which is reputed to be prone to mildew.

Certainly not four reefs, but when was the last time you used even three reefs. My last two mains have had two deep reefs instead, which has been much handier for our local, Channel, and North Sea sailing. I haven’t owned a Centaur, though I have sailed one briefly, but I think that two reefs might be appropriate, cheaper, and less complicated.
 
Ok, as a mathematical type person the foam luff makes sense. Uv, no idea but advice seems it makes sense to extend the life of the sail. 135% sounds more usable and durable. I like the idea of bigger spacing between reefs on the mainsail. As for materials, has anyone had any experience of contender supercruise? And far east suppliers do seem to offer better value. As for batterns, I'm not sure full batterns offer more performance over ease.

Comments will be welcomed if I'm off course
 
Full battens are fab if they are do-able. They keep the sail under control when hoisting and lowering, give you better, more stable sail shape, prevent the sail from flogging excessively and extend its life. However, if the fittings dont work well with your mast as suggested, then best not to. I have never set foot on a Centaur, so could not say.
 
Gareth j said:
Ok, as a mathematical type person the foam luff makes sense. Uv, no idea but advice seems it makes sense to extend the life of the sail. 135% sounds more usable and durable. I like the idea of bigger spacing between reefs on the mainsail. As for materials, has anyone had any experience of contender supercruise? And far east suppliers do seem to offer better value. As for batterns, I'm not sure full batterns offer more performance over ease.

Comments will be welcomed if I'm off course
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With regards to materials, Supercruise is Contender's premium Dacron (or Fibrercon in their speak) so expect to pay more for it than the AP range. It is aimed at long term cruisers for longer life and greater stability over time - in between the standard and Vectran cloths. Whether it is worth the extra on a Centaur is perhaps debatable. As already mention even basic new sails will be a vast improvement on the existing, and indeed on basic sails made 10 or 15 years ago. I considered it but decided to stick with the basic AP on the advice of the sailmaker given that my sailing is in light conditions and my boat is not performance orientated.
 
Sail for a season with the existing sails and you will be better placed to know what you want. From my own experience
1. A 150% Genoa can be a bugger to sheet in but may be OK on a Centaur.
2. UV protection is essential. Even in sunny Scotland. For example Bavarias seem to come with unprotected sails as standard and need extensive repairs after on season.
3. I like full battens but they are heavier to handle, which may be no problem on a Centaur.
4. Ordinary Dacron sails can last well. On my last Westerly Renown the 10 year old Jeckels sails were given another 10 years when inspected by a sailmaker before I sold her. My current 6 year old Kemp Genoa is currently in for a minor repair and was described by the sailmaker as "barely worn" by him.
 
Supercruise will hold its shape for longer than a cheap IYE cloth, so if its not a lot more money it is worth having
 
Having sailed on a centaur for many years from 1976 to late 1990s when you had Hank on headsails made by Ratsey with boom rotating reefing a few thoughts.
1 I would spend more on headsail in terms of quality ie vectran as opposed to Dacron unless you propose to trade up from centaur in say 5 to 8 years when Dacron will be fine. Stack pack with lazy jacks is way to go but look at the track and cars as well.
2personally don’t think full length battens are worth it but ask your local sailmaker or on westerly owners assoc website;
3 look at posts and videos by concerto -while he sails a different westerly there’s lots of useful knowledge ther;
4 you don’t say what crew you have but that might influence ease of sail drop - heading into wind and being able to drop into stack pack makes matters much easier;
5 always have a uv strip unless you want the hassle of a cover you pull down over the headsail after each trip;
6 on a single headsail I would go for foam but don’t oversize the headsail- we invariably sailed out with the jib in reality pottering around Solent- if going downwind get a secondhand crusing chute;
7 enjoy your current sails for say 6 months though as there might be other matters arising to spend your budget on -ideally find a local sailmaker though I would say -you don’t need to have North priced sails though. What make of sails do have currently and how old?
 
dunedin said:
Eh? Precisely how would that work without a complex rod drive from the furler drum to the middle of the foil - plus disconnecting the drum from the foil.
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Furlex do actually state this in their literature. It’s not as clever as you think though; the tack attaches to a swivel that permits one full turn of the foil itself, before the tack starts to rotate with the foil. I don’t know if this is common to all Furlex systems though.
https://support.seldenmast.com/files/1426855958/595-102-E.pdf

That said, I agree 100% with the rest of your post. I too would opt for a foam luff as it helps to prevent the sail from creasing as it rolls, which has got to be good for the life of the sail.
 
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bignick said:
Furlex do actually state this in their literature. It’s not as clever as you think though; the tack attaches to a swivel that permits one full turn of the foil itself, before the tack starts to rotate with the foil. I don’t know if this is common to all Furlex systems though.
https://support.seldenmast.com/files/1426855958/595-102-E.pdf

That said, I agree 100% with the rest of your post. I too would opt for a foam luff as it helps to prevent the sail from creasing as it rolls, which has got to be good for the life of the sail.
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I had one like this, it worked quite well. As you say, the foil tuned before the swivels, taking up the body of the sail first.
 
Friend of mine has a 28 ft bilge keeler & like me sails SH. He has dacron sails from Contender. He likes them, but he made the decision to buy 2 jibs. One larger than the other. He can change them over very quickly, on the pontoon, or mooring & always flakes them carefully before stowing. He studies the forecasts & decides what sail to hoist prior to each trip. I only takes 15 minutes to swop & fold
As a result one rarely sees him sailing with furled sails & they are lasting very well. Apart from covid years he clocks up 1800 miles PA & often catches heavy weather.
I think that one can ruin a sail by incorrect halyard & sheet tension plus leaving them up over winter etc. Sailing with the sail furled cannot be an efficient way to have a sail & I see many sails with the leech jammed tight with the sail billowing out in the middle.
If I was the OP I would go for the smaller jib. He will probably end up motoring in light winds anyway.
 
dunedin said:
Eh? Precisely how would that work without a complex rod drive from the furler drum to the middle of the foil - plus disconnecting the drum from the foil.
Certainly not how our Furlex works. And I suspect North Sails are a bit more informed about these things when they fitted a foam luff to our sail.
If you want an actual bit of science, the reason the foam luff IS needed on cruising sails is partly due to the UV strip round the foot and leech. As this makes the sailcloth thicker at the edges, without the foam luff the centre of the sail rolls more slowly so will go very baggy. The foam luff is tapered precisely to match and offset the effect of the thicker cloth at the edges. Precisely the opposite of what you suggested.
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......and to provide an acceptable shape in the sail when well reefed.
 
Ashtead, I intend single handing so I guess a stackpack is the way to go, one question though, why not uv protect the mainsail?
 
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