time for new sails

[dnickj]

Hi
opinion sought

I have a SO40 with the original sails
I am looking at a new Genoa and probably a 95% blade jib that will fly in windier conditions hanked to a removable fore stay

so far I have been quoted
either Bainbridge Ocean Premium Plus or Challenger Marblehead
does any one have an opinion on either of these

the weights are 7.5 oz for the Genoa and 8.5 oz for the blade
does this sound sensible

I do not need these for racing but for more extensive cruising in the UK and Europe

thanks for your thoughts

 

[smth448]

I have no experience of either cloth types but the weights seem about right.
Have any of the sailmakers suggested a laminate for the blade. In my experience with these sails the leech tension is very high which starts to cause problems very quickly with Dacron and you can end up with a sail that gets very full, which is not what you want with a heavy weather sail, as the cloth stretches. A cruising laminate with a taffetta finish will last just as well as a cloth but will stretch much less.

 

[PeterGibbs]

Hi
opinion sought

I have a SO40 with the original sails
I am looking at a new Genoa and probably a 95% blade jib that will fly in windier conditions hanked to a removable fore stay

I do not need these for racing but for more extensive cruising in the UK and Europe

thanks for your thoughts

I take it the removable 4stay can be tuned pretty taut? Otherwise considerations of sail quality will be secondary to luff sag and inefficient flow.

PWG

 

[wilkinsonsails]

Both Bainbridge premium and Challenge Marblehead are excellent cruising sail cloth.
If Im making sails for lasting quality and performance,I consider the marblehead is the better of the two.
Most of the cruising laminates are still limited lifespan no matter whose, they still show deterioration inside of two to three seasons use.
Cindy

 

[Twister_Ken]

Had a Marblehead No 1 (by Jeckells) on the old boat. Still going well 6 years later, and loads of life left, barring accidents.

 

[cmedsailor]

Just a small suggestion: since you are looking at Bainbridge Ocean Premium Plus why don't you also have a look at the Dimension Polylant's SQUARE. It is also one of the best quality dacron available.
If I remember well there was an article in YM some months ago (cannot remember when exactly) that described a few dacrons, such as the "square", as the gap between "simple" dacron and cruising laminates.

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From their site:

DIMENSION-POLYANT’s SQUARE® was designed for use in performance-oriented crosscut or radial sails. These premium polyester styles deliver top performance for off-threadline loads. SQUARE® styles, unique in several respects, are easily identified by the ripstop pattern woven into the substrate, using either 500 or 1,000 denier yarns paired in both the warp and fill direction. The ripstop yarns create an extremely rugged fabric, even in the lightweight styles with the very firm HTP® Plus finish. Larger sails can come with a HMT or MT finish and a more pleasant hand. All the SQUARE® styles feature fairly balanced construction, woven with very tightly packed small denier yarns. Combied with larger size SQUARE® yarns, it makes these styles low stretch in all three directions and suitable for both vertical and crosscut construction in racing and cruising headsails, as well as in small mainsails

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I DON'T HAVE ANY CONNECTION with them (besides it's the sail's manufacturer who makes the sail and too many buy the same cloth from the same source). I just have a "square" in mast furling main sail made from Quantum which is very good.

 

[Robin]

Hi
opinion sought

I have a SO40 with the original sails
I am looking at a new Genoa and probably a 95% blade jib that will fly in windier conditions hanked to a removable fore stay

so far I have been quoted
either Bainbridge Ocean Premium Plus or Challenger Marblehead
does any one have an opinion on either of these

the weights are 7.5 oz for the Genoa and 8.5 oz for the blade
does this sound sensible

I do not need these for racing but for more extensive cruising in the UK and Europe

thanks for your thoughts

We had a 41ft Jeanneau Sun Legende cruiser/racer from 1988 with a powerful rig and therefore high sail loadings. After much discussion of the various options with our sailmaker we opted for Dimension Polyant Hydranet which is a woven Dacron with an included woven in mesh of Dyneema to prevent the sail loads stretching it out of shape, as well as making the sails very much tougher. The options we had were a cruising laminate, plain Dacron or the Hydranet. Laminates are super resistant to stretch but have a finite life after which they can self destruct, plus they are susceptible to mildew in between the layers. Plain Dacron can last many many years but under load lose their shape and efficiency quite quickly on big boats with high sail loads. Hydranet gives (IMO) the best cruising compromise for this size of boat and the use proposed, we did nearly 20,000 miles on our genoa and 18,000 on the main before we sold the boat last December and the sails were still like new, both material and shape set.

All the above notwithstanding, the best people to advise you properly are the expert sailmakers, rather than us armchair experts, after a full discussion with them as to what your expectations of performance, lifetime and budget are. Like most things, sails are a compromise and choice has to be tailored to you.

 

[gardenshed]

I'd second the hydranet, or equivalent, recommendation (in the correct cloth weight for your boat) and I suggest that you get it tri-radial cut to make best use of the cloth stiffness.
For the genoa, get a foam luff that gives a flatter sail when rolled.
The 95% blade jib is a good idea too. Consider having it cut with the clew quite high off the deck like a storm jib as it sounds like you'll only use it when there is quite a lot of breeze, and the high clew will give you good visibility and keep the sail clear of any big waves that you may plough into.
I've had hydranet sails for 3 years and they still look ike new and have held their shape brilliantly (med displacement 40' sloop, mast head rig). I wanted the shape, performance and stability of laminate sails but the look and handling of dacron. I eventually chose hydranet radial (http://www.dimension-polyant.com/en/Hydranet_2_2_1.php) and have been delighted with the results.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Along the same lines as Hydranet (but achieved differently) is North's Radian cloth.

So far, working brilliantly, but very early days in my case.