UV cloth on Genoa: Sunbrella or WeatherMax 80?

[Ben4195]

Hi folks, hoping for more education/advice for the purchase of a new RF 150 Genoa. When I mentioned to the sailmaker that we are using this sail for the regular Wednesday night races, he recommended Weathermax 80 instead of the customary Sunbrella sacrificial cloth on the genoa. I've no experience with Weathermax 80. He says the Weathermax 80 is much lighter than the Sunbrella, and therefore better for racing.

So is the Weathermax 80 acceptable?

And is the weight difference really that big a deal? It seems like the difference in weight wouldn't really make any difference in how fast we go. Am I wrong?

 

[Rick D]

I had a light sun cover put on mine eight years ago when I had the new sail made. It flies MUCH better than the old one with the Sunbrella cover. However, it started showing it's age at about 30 months and I had it replaced. I later decided that was too often, so I purchased (through this site) a sock. Now I leave the sock on unless I know I will be using the boat frequently and then if it's off, I know I still have sun protection.

 

[Ben4195]

Thanks Rick!

 

[Ron20324]

The heavier the sail, the more wind you need to get the sail to take it's highest-performing shape. That's why sails made for lighter wind are lighter materials.

 

[Ben4195]

Gotcha Ron, makes perfect sense.

 

[SailormanDan]

I sew boat canvas and get my supplies through Sailrite and your post got me to thinking, so I searched on what they might suggest: http://www.sailrite.com/Fabrics/Mar...e/Products?order=custitem_popularity&show=100
Although they sell Top Notch vinyl, not Weathermax, they show it as usable for sacrificial sail covers. The weights didn't seem that much different, but I didn't look really closely.
I'm a cruiser, not a racer, if weight really is an issue then lighter is better, the downside seems like the limited colors to choose from. (The Top Notch vinyl is actually listed under RV fabrics).
You could also Google Sunbrella vs. Weathermax and see what pops out.

 

[Ben4195]

Thanks Sailorman! I did indeed do that google search you recommended. most (all maybe?) of the posts were powerboats using the materials for biminis and what not.

 

[Ron20324]

I just now got an email from Sailrite.com that they will have a BIG online sale starting Thursday. No details.