Advice on Competitive Sail

[C Smith]

I want to get a competition mainsail for my H269. I have several questions that those of you who have gone thru this process before may be able to answer. The current sail, which came with the boat, is still servicable and I will use the new sail only for club races and such. All the races I compete in are either on lakes or inland waters and mostly in winds of less than 15 knots. First, should it have battens? Second, what material and what weight? Price is a factor as well as durability. I would expect to be able to use this sail for several years and would not want to spend much more than $1000.00. Third, should it be loose footed? Fourth, what sailmaker would you choose? I know the answer to most of these questions will be 'It depends... ' , but I would like your input regardless. Thanks!

 

[Mark Burrows]

Keep the battens

Given the big leech, the battens will help hold the shape. I'd also go with loose footed. I like having the ability to open up the bottom of the sail to give it shape in light air.I don't have a recommendation on materials. That's really dependent on your budget.Markdb

 

[Peter Milne]

Info on Sails

Practical Sailor ran a series on sails (materials, design, cost etc) in its last three issues.

 

[Frank Ladd]

At least two full battens

Three or four full battens are even better. Consider adding roach if you can make the boat balance well with it. It you are racing and the gusts peak at 15 knots then you wont be reefing much and will want all the sail you can get to win the light air races in which the 260 should excel. For material I'd stick with A high quality dacron with better strength than the standard cloth. I'd would also be sure and tell the sail maiker the winds you'll be sailing in so he can choose the lightest cloth that will meet those needs. A loose foot improves you adjustability some but you also pay in losses caused by air moving off the bottom of the sail. A shelf foot is a better option for racing if you can aford it. Also keep in mind that a loose foot will really change to continuous load on your boom to a boom loaded the tack and clew. These two point loads combined with the mid boom sheet attachment may break the boom. I'd contact Hunter or a good rigger to determine if your boom can handle the loads. A single mid boom attachment for a loose footed sail is poor practise and may cause a boom failure, but it can be easily prevented by spreading attachment blocks along the length of the boom. Or you can convert to end boom sheeting. If you want to do class racing then I'd find out what the 260 class rules were before I bought a loose footed sail and changed my boom rigging.For $1000 for just the main you'll be streching the limit of what is available. You defintely need the full battens for racing so if you need to save for another year, wait and get just the sail you want. I try to order sails in December or January and I usually get a better price by ordering during the slow season.I like Sabre Sails in FL, Pineapple sails in CA, and North Sails for racing sails. For racing sail you definately don't want to buy the cheapest thing because the difference between 1st and last is a tiny bit of boat speed. I think you could get a decent cruising sail for a 260 for $1000 that would be durable strong and not to slow. For about $1500 you should be able to get a lighter, faster, race sail that is about as durable as the cruiser.

 

[Mark]

What speeds

do you hope to achieve with the 260??I would be interested to read how fast 260 owners have had them going and in what type of wind conditions and reach.

 

[Calvin]

7.6 knots

I have gotten to 7.6 knots on a lake in about 20 knots of wind on a broad reach - according to the GPS max speed. I race with a number of 22 to 25 foot boats that have slower ratings then the 260. I can generally beat them over the line but they correct over me. Either I am not sailing the boat correctly or the ratings are wrong. - more likely the first. I have noticed that in light air the 260 has trouble maneuvering and accelerating which leave it at the back of the pack.