Furling Mainsail Replacement

Jul 25, 2007
38
Catalina 310 Middle River, MD
Has anyone replaced their furling mainsail with one of lighter weight material? I think the OEM spec. is 7 oz. Dacron. I continually have difficultly getting the entire sail to fit inside the mast when furling (in spite of technique) and am thinking a slighter lighter weight sail would give just a little more room? Also, recommended sailmaker on the east coast, Maryland area?
 
May 17, 2004
6,145
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Last winter we replaced our 10 year old Dacron sails with Palma Tec cruising laminate. We’re very happy with the new cloth. Our old sails weren’t stretched enough to cause problems furling yet, but the boat wasn’t able to point as well as new. The first few furls with the new sails were a little tough while the sailcloth was very stiff, but since then they’ve been perfect.

We used Chesapeake Sailmakers in Annapolis. I’ve used them before for sail and dodger repairs and have been very happy with their work quality. For new sails they just take measurements and send them off to Asia for manufacturing, so there’s not so much to distinguish them from other sailmakers in that regard, but their support is still good. Their pricing was better than most of the others in the Annapolis area I talked to.