Hello Chris, We built a roller furling genoa the same size as the
standard genoa on the sailplan. This measures as a 140% I believe. It
worked well.
When you order a genoa do not be tempted to buy the least expensive
option. Sailmakers generally have two choices in polyster sailcloth. A
cruising cloth and a performance cruising cloth. The difference is
longevity in performance. The actual life of the sail will be the
same. Over the years you will get better performance from a good
cloth. Choose the best quality cloth you can afford for the roller
genoa. It will roll up better as it will stretch out less. The
sailmaker can afford to cut it a bit fuller for light wind use. A high
end cloth is usually 50 % more expensive which translates to a sail
that is 15 to 25 % more expensive. How do you tell the difference?
Well, you have to trust your sailmaker. High thread count is an
indication, also in lighter weights the good fabrics are only
availible in 36" panels.
Cruising laminates fabrics cost about the same as performance
polyester. The difference in price is from the labour in construction.
They are built to orient the yarns with the loads.The familar
triradial construction.
Contender sailcloth, Dimension and Bainbridge are working furiously to
develop new laminate fabrics that can be used in cross cut
construction. These sails will sell just above the price of
performance polyester cloth.
Alan Critchlow
