Attn. San Francisco sailors on sail size

[Patrick17430]

OK... Some of you have said to ditch my Texas Jib. So I want to have my head sail cut down from a 140 to a good size for the Bay Area and coastal cruising. It's a 32' Bene w/ a furler, so reefing is a snap. I want to make sure I end up with a good shaped sail. Help me out I'm coming from Texas and Ive never sailed in the bay before. I appreciate your input.

PK

 

[Steve Dion]

Don't cut down your sail. Look around for a used one to complement your inventory.

Summer - Little Sail
Winter - Big Sail

 

[Johnb]

Aye to what Steve Dion said - we sail all year round and sometimes you can really be wishing for wind. I am looking for a second hand genoa for my cutter 37.

John Brecher

 

[Johnb]

SF Bay Sailing

Here's a picture from back in January 2000 of Alcatraz with the Golden Gate in the background. This would be a high wind area in the summer.

 

[Liamla]

140% is good

I have a Beneteau 331 with 140% Genoa on furler. No problem on the SF Bay, Delta and the California coast. There will be lots of days that you will want a 140 and pleanty of days that you will go from 140 to a rolled up 85 and then back to a 140 before sunset. What you've got is just fine. If you call the Beneteau dealer (PASSAGE YACHTS) they will tell you that they commission their boats for the SF Bay with 140% Genoa as standard.
If anything you might want an asymetrical cruising chute.

 

[Ted]

Attm. San Francisco sailors on sail size

Cutting down a sail is not a good idea for a couple of reasons. A sail is designed for a particular wind range. If you cut down a larger headsail that was designed for true wind speeds lets say up to 15 knots and you use it in winds of up to 25 knots, you will probably damage the sail material. Some laminates will never recover to their designed shape after being used in excessive wind speeds, even if it only happens once. Also, if you cut down a larger headsail to something smaller, the draft will not be in the correct location unless you remove material from both the luff and leech. This brings other problems as you should now alter the reinforcing patches on the tack, head and clew. Just keep what you have and look for another sail if you need something smaller and heavier.

What is the highest true wind speed your boat can comfortably handle with the 140% headsail? The design of your boat has a lot to do with its sail carrying ability. Some boats will be able to carry more area, under control, than others.

 

[John]

I sail on the SF Bay on a Catalina 36 (with roller furling). We have a 135% (apx.) jib. Lots of times I roll it up about half way. Of course, it helps stay upright a little more, but I notice that the boat points really poorly with it rolled up so much. I think that the ideal would be to have a jib of this size and one that's about 90-100%. If I had only one, I'd go for a 100% or so jib for sailing on the SF Bay.

 

[Alan]

I guess this all comes down to a question of convenience. A partially furled 140 is no match for a dedicated 100 in a good breeze. The partially furled sail can't begin to produce the proper shape. Likewise a 100 will be grossly underpowered in light air.
You have to make a choice whether you are willing to spend a couple of minutes and change headsails or not. As I said, a matter of conviniense.

 

[Joe]

It is perfectly acceptable to carry more than one headsail on a sailboat.... with or without roller furling. I would not cut the sail down..... I would either keep it or sell it... and buy a smaller sail. But first.... I would wait till I got the boat out on the water before I decided what to do with the sail.

 

[Patrick17430]

After I get done dropping 9 large to move the boat out of Texas I'm really not going to have the cash to pop for a new head sail. I got a quote for $1800. I can have it totally rebuilt here for $500 .Its also a deck sweeper and not being able to see under the sail has always been irritating and unsafe. I have no idea what a used one in good shape would cost in the bay area but after reading all the replies I'm sure as heck going to be looking around when I get there. So for now I'm going to hold off on the chop job and I guess ill be able to use my 140 during winter and buy some time. I wont move permanently to California for another 6 months, so I can always bring back to Texas if I change my mind about having it altered. Thank for all your feedback, PK