100% vs 135% fore sail

[Bob Peters]

The 100% jib on my 1995 336 is no more. I am thinking of replacing it with a 135. I would appreciate comments on performance differences, reefing with the furling, etc., as well as comments or caveats from anyone who has made this change . Can I assume the roller furling will accomodate the bigger sail?thank you

 

[captain A]

135 vs 100

I would highly recommend the change, but alot will depend on your primary/preferred sailing conditions. The 135 will definately provide better performance -- up to the point where it needs to be furled. A furled 135 (IMHO) will not give as good as a performance as the 100 because it's difficult to get the proper, or perfect, shape. So, while it can be a compromise, I'd go for the sail where it's applicable "most" of the time for your regular sailing conditions.Personally, I use the 100 when sailing offshore under conditions where I would have the 135 furled. Your furler should be able to accommodate the larger sail.Good luck and happy sailing.

 

[Doug]

We keep a 150

on the Harken furler/reefer on our 33.5. We find it most useful up to 15 kts. We reef it as needed to balance helm and reduce the heel. It is the kevlar taped tape drive sail by UK and with the foam luff pad, we find it to be useful rolled up to about 120 (keep in mind we don't race and by the time we have enough wind to want to roll it up that small, we are going to get hull speed anyway).We also have a 120 and our original dacron 100% that we had a luff tape put in to work with new harken unit. We have not pulled off our 150 to put on a smaller sail all this last season. We sail in area where light air can be the standard and the 150 makes the difference between auxilary and sailing.Doug

 

[Jim Rice]

100% in light airs

My wife and I sail with our 100-110% jib (not sure--original jib, but not overlapping). Having sailed on our prior boat with a 125% and raced with a 150% we think a big headsail is a pain in the tush. Granted we are a little slow in less than 10 kts wind, I have to feel a cruising chute would rule for downwind and light conditions. The smaller sail makes tacking easier, and you *could* sheet a non-overlapping jib inside the shrouds (ala J-24's). You can roller-reef a 100% to a 75% and have a sail for higher-wind conditions, or use the reef points in your 100% to handle blustery conditions with the same sail (ie, no changes).