Who Makes the Best Racing Sails?

[savageseadog]

or which is the best religion. I'm talking about modern fractionally rigged yachts in the 35-45ft range.

I've met sailors that swear by various makers and an almost equal number that will have had bad sails from those makers. The only maker that seems to escape criticism is North. We have a number of boats that are using Doyle and seem to do well.

 

[Judders]

Doyle for me.

All the technology but without the daft price and particularly good aftercare.

 

[Woodlouse]

Not a lot to choose between north and Doyle. Slightly different technologies but they both get the job done.

Sailing a boat with 3Di sails is a revelation I have to say. The effect on trim is so pronounced you could almost sail just by watching the speed instead of the sails.

 

[Mark Taylor]

I have had Goacher and Hyde on a fractional 3/4 tonner and Norths (not 3DL) and Hood (when they did racing sails!) on a smaller one-design class.

I don't think any of them were bad sails but I am also certain I probably never got the most from them.......what I did realise was the value of having someone come aboard and explain the sail, what the sail designer was trying to achieve etc. He also gave me some clues about how to change the shape of the sail, how to use the traveller and the effect that back stay was having. For the last part of the previous sentence I was actually not on my boat, the coach had me in a rib first of all dead astern and then off on the leeward quarter. I learnt more that day than in many years!!!

Thinking back, I think the North was the hardest for me to work out as it was very much flatter than the others but once I changed the rig (after being told!) it was good. At my skill level the Goacher was the easiest for me to feel I had it fast....but I probably never got it as fast as he would have had it!

When I next buy sails I would love to try some 3DL, but unlikely I can afford them so it will be what is the best deal I can get in the whatever Autumn it is ............

 

[Ingwe]

I don't think that there is a single answer as to who makes the best sails. There will however be a best sail loft for your particular boat and for you.

If your are racing any of the relatively more common designs and especially any one design, one of the big lofts will have put more effort into developing the sail plan for that particular boat than all the other lofts and this is normally pretty apparent in the results so it is easy enough to look at what the top boats are using and just copy them - and the loft will probably be able to give you set up numbers for everything to get you up to speed.

If you have a less common boat then it is unlikely that the sailmakers will have sailed that particular type of boat enough to be able to tell you exactly what you need so unfortunately they then become very reliant on the boats owner giving them the information to design the best sail possible, they will be able to produce a "good" sail without this but it will not be the best possible sail for your boat. To give some idea on this on my previous boat for the first set of sails I had made I hadn't sailed it enough to give much design input and just let the loft design the sails that they thought would be best, then for the subsequent two sets I ordered I was able to give them progressively more input into the sail design, by the final set we were noticeably faster in all conditions (apart from sub 4 knots of breeze) and we had managed to reduce our IRC rating from 1.045 to 1.023. So you do need to work with a sail maker over time to evolve your sail plan to get close to having the best sails possible for you.

 

[Judders]

If your are racing any of the relatively more common designs and especially any one design, one of the big lofts will have put more effort into developing the sail plan for that particular boat than all the other lofts and this is normally pretty apparent in the results so it is easy enough to look at what the top boats are using and just copy them - and the loft will probably be able to give you set up numbers for everything to get you up to speed.

I think often the reverse can be true. Smaller lofts often have an insight on a particular class. For example, Steve Goacher has won big championships in Sontas, Squibs and Flying Fifteen. That said, most of the big lofts will have multiple National, European and World Champions on the books as well.