Need experts advise about new mainsail

[ParaSail]

Hello everyone,
I need an advise about new mainsail. I bought 1981 Hunter 33 recently. This boat in great shape and I love it. The genoa sail is in good condition just need a minor repair that I will do during the winter. But mainsail needs a major repair and I decided to buy a new one. I requested a price quote from few companies and got a different offers. Some offered mainsail made of 7 oz 4800 Dacron, the other 8 oz 4800 Dacron and 8 oz 5200 Dacron. The price is pretty much the same.
The question, what is difference between these sail cloth and which one is better. Someone told me that 5200 series dacron is better, someone said oposite, that 5200 is too sturdy and not easy to fold and 4800 series is better for 33 foot boat. I am confused.
What is your opinion?
Thanks in advance.
Victoria

 

[Sailm8]

I would pose these questions to the sailmakers. When I need new sails I went to the Miami boat show and spoke to each sailmaker and asked for a quote. Some would brush me off since it was a small boat (Cal 27) some would give me a number and move on. And a few took the time to explain why their sails were best. I think deloping a relationship with the sailmaker is as important as the price. My wife who sews, made the final decision by examining the stitching on sample sails and pronounced the sailmaker we chose as superior. Talking with these guys for a few minutes will tell you just how interested they are in making your sails.

 

[Warren Milberg]

I think the advice from Sailm8 is good: discuss your specific needs with a qualified sailmaker. I would guess that since you are talking about various Dacron sailcloths, your primary interest is not racing. I think that the quality of the cloths you mention will be about the same, but the performance under various conditions may vary. The heavier material will be stiffer and may be better suited to coastal and ocean cruising than would the lighter material. But perhaps the key factor to discuss with your sailmaker is just how much draft you want, or don't want, built into the sail. A flatter sail would stand up to higher wind conditions, for example. You may also need to adjust the size of the leech if you have a bimini. Discussing all these factors with your sailmaker will be very worthwhile as "one size does not fit all" when it comes to having a sail built. Good luck with the boat and sails....