New Genoa questions

[Richard19068]

I am considering a new genoa for my O'Day 31and have some general questions.

I currently have a very old 150 and am thinking of moving down a bit to a 135 or so.

This is going to be "dacron" material for local cruising and day sail use only in the Santa Monica bay out to Catalina island where the wind is generally on the light side but sometimes does pipe up.

I have been looking at Doyle and UK. Both companies have reps in my area. UK has an actual loft very close to home where they do repairs and I have had good experiences with them maintaining my old Genoa. Doyle's closest facility seems to be about 125 miles away. Not sure that is an issue but a closer loft might make adjustments and repairs more convenient. I know neither of the sails would be "made in America".

UK has a foam luff reefing flattener where Doyle apparently uses some kind of rope for their luff flattening pads. Does anyone have experience with one over the other?

I am not overly particular but haven't bought a new sail in about 15 years so am not really up on how to compare the quality of the companies (or the specific materials they use).

I know it's a pretty open area but any input would be interesting to hear.

 

[dlochner]

I think for the kind of sailing you plan to do and the type of sail you are planning on buying, there isn't a lot of difference. It is entirely possible that both sails would be made in the same loft overseas. I would base my decision on price and service.

A smaller headsail will cost a bit in the performance in light airs and delay reefing in heavier air. In between, the larger sail will have a bit more power which can help to punch through chop. The smaller sail will be easier to tack.

 

[Richard19068]

I think for the kind of sailing you plan to do and the type of sail you are planning on buying, there isn't a lot of difference. It is entirely possible that both sails would be made in the same loft overseas. I would base my decision on price and service.

Thanks for that observation. That's likely true.

I do understand the tradeoffs between the larger and smaller sails.

 

[jssailem]

UK makes great sails. The fact that the loft will be close to you is a major plus. I woudl not hesitate to use UK for a 135 genoa. The foam luff is a good system to deal with the sail shape as you reef the genoa.

I used Norh Sails because of the local loft and the support. They proved to be everything I wanted.

The 135 will be a good sail on your boat for the area you plan to sail. The dacron product is a price sensitive option for a solid sail that will last a cruiser for 5-10 years and maintian it's shape. If you had said you want to race, want to have the optimum sail performance, and are willing to spend the big bucks then one of the high tech cloth sails might be a better option.

 

[Calif. Ted]

I have been using Ullman, the Newport Loft (Santa Ana actually) for repairs. Last 2 have been purchased from Catalina Direct winter sail which is 15% discount for purchase in fall with a spring (April) delivery. I've been told this order is done thru the Ventura loft, before that (15 years ago) I was getting the sails from Ullman thru Newport. I suspect sails are made offshore and repairs done domestic, last couple times I've been on the sewing floor it really looked like a couple people doing repairs and various piles of repaired sails and those awaiting repair.
Last sail was a dacron 150 genny with foam luff and it furls perfect, the foam is more of a flat batten shape not so round as a rope luff. I wondered if foam would break done with some age but so far seems fine.

 

[Tally Ho]

I have an O’Day 322 and I sail on Lake Michigan. My boat had a 155 Genoa on it when I bought it.

When it came time to replace it, I conferred with North Sail and we discussed my sailing needs.One question they asked me was how often do I reef the 155. Since I reefed the Genoa pretty often in strong winds, we decided to go with a 135. I have sailed it one season….so far so good. I can run the 135 in winds that I would have had to reef the 155, and I don’t normally miss the extra size in light winds. I do have an a-sym that I can fly if I am in really light winds and am going to be on one tack for a while.

So, I would ask you how often you reef your 150 and use that to help guide you.

Greg

 

[Richard19068]

Thanks for the comments

 

[PaulK]

Greg's question about how often you reef the 150 you have is a good one. Our boat came with a 135% Genoa, and in the light air we usually have around here it was a real downer. The boat was sluggish and dull to sail much of the time, though when the wind picked up to 18 knots it was OK. When we got a new 150% Genoa it was like night and day. We have really enjoyed the performance the bigger sail provides.
Your situation may be similar. A smaller sail will mean slower sailing and more motoring when the wind is light. If you are planning on getting a foam luff so you can use the sail partially furled anyway, why not get a 150% sail that will improve the sailing you do most of the time (Unlike SFO, So Cal is known for lighter wind.) and when the breeze picks up furl it to 135% -- or maybe even to just 100%. The 150% might cost a bit more, but gives you a full range of options so you can enjoy your boat more.

 

[Richard19068]

Thanks Paul. Good observations. I know my sail size options and tradeoffs. I'm really looking for info on the questions I posed about the lofts and materials..

 

[dlochner]

When we replaced our 150 with a 135 we decided to go with a higher tech cloth and design to off set some of the loss @PaulK notes. We used a triradial design in Contender cloth, a Dacron laminate. The main was also replaced at the time with a triradial design in Contender. This resulted in acceptable performance in winds down to about 6 knots and no need to reef until the sailing in the high teens/low twenties depending on point of sail. Downwind we can carry the 135 alone into the high twenties.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I can report a very positive and affordable experience with my local UK loft. They're extremely honest. When I brought my sail in to be modified for
The couple that runs it are partners of all UK loft locations