I am ging to purchase a new headsail for my 1980 h27 deep draft. I have the 110 and I would like to know if anybody has had beter luck with the 150% over the 135%. I am thinking the 150% may be too big for the boat.
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Consider Neither?
Is the 110 still in good shape? Or would the 135/150 be in lieu of the 110? I'm not familiar with the wind conditions in your area, that is, if there are long periods of light wind, or what chanels or bays you sail in and what the typical wind angles are, but if you don't have any other headsails and the 110 is still in good condition, and if it was my boat in my area sailing the way I like to sail, I'd bypass the 135/150 for now and opt for an asymetrical. The asymetrical provides more sail area for the buck for the really light wind days when sailing off the wind and you see a lot of air blowing past you, and, one doesn't have to do a foredeck jib sail change. The sail change is work that unless there is a significant period of use one might forgo, either leaving the 135/150 in the bag or flying the 135/150 in higher winds than it should be thereby blowing it out. This isn't to say that dousing an asymetrical isn't work but it's not as much work as a jib sail change. In our area we have a couple months of very light winds and I can put the 150 on for weeks at a time but I always have to be looking out for possibly overloading it. The 150 is more work for the person running the jib sheets so I standardly let my mate take the helm while I do the tacking work. To find out what wind ranges the 150 and the 135 are good for (depends on sail cloth and to some degree the cut) I'd recommend talking to a couple sailmakers. Knowing the wind ranges the sail can be flown in without hurting it would help a lot with decision making.
Is the 110 still in good shape? Or would the 135/150 be in lieu of the 110? I'm not familiar with the wind conditions in your area, that is, if there are long periods of light wind, or what chanels or bays you sail in and what the typical wind angles are, but if you don't have any other headsails and the 110 is still in good condition, and if it was my boat in my area sailing the way I like to sail, I'd bypass the 135/150 for now and opt for an asymetrical. The asymetrical provides more sail area for the buck for the really light wind days when sailing off the wind and you see a lot of air blowing past you, and, one doesn't have to do a foredeck jib sail change. The sail change is work that unless there is a significant period of use one might forgo, either leaving the 135/150 in the bag or flying the 135/150 in higher winds than it should be thereby blowing it out. This isn't to say that dousing an asymetrical isn't work but it's not as much work as a jib sail change. In our area we have a couple months of very light winds and I can put the 150 on for weeks at a time but I always have to be looking out for possibly overloading it. The 150 is more work for the person running the jib sheets so I standardly let my mate take the helm while I do the tacking work. To find out what wind ranges the 150 and the 135 are good for (depends on sail cloth and to some degree the cut) I'd recommend talking to a couple sailmakers. Knowing the wind ranges the sail can be flown in without hurting it would help a lot with decision making.
Sail sizes:
The size description of a headsail relates to the size of the boat it's being made for. Remember, it's a percentage of the fore triangle. A 150% head sail for a much larger boat, say an Irwin 37, would dwarf the 150% for a Hunter 27. The decision on what size to go for has to take into account how you sail, and prevailing conditions WHERE you sail. Here on Barnegat Bay where I sail there is more often than not so much wind that a Cherubini Hunter can't handle a 150%. You spend your day rounding up or reefed to the point where the sail is near useless. I went for a 135% when I went for new sails and it's more than enough in our normal conditions, yet is plenty to make the 33 go better than 95% of the boats out there in the lightest air. (Even that Irwin with the 150%!) Once you figure your conditions and how you want to sail you'll have your answer. PS: When you see him tell your father that the grommets pulled out 3 of the corners of his chintsy boom tent and it is now stuffed into the cockpit. Ask if he want me to do anything?
The size description of a headsail relates to the size of the boat it's being made for. Remember, it's a percentage of the fore triangle. A 150% head sail for a much larger boat, say an Irwin 37, would dwarf the 150% for a Hunter 27. The decision on what size to go for has to take into account how you sail, and prevailing conditions WHERE you sail. Here on Barnegat Bay where I sail there is more often than not so much wind that a Cherubini Hunter can't handle a 150%. You spend your day rounding up or reefed to the point where the sail is near useless. I went for a 135% when I went for new sails and it's more than enough in our normal conditions, yet is plenty to make the 33 go better than 95% of the boats out there in the lightest air. (Even that Irwin with the 150%!) Once you figure your conditions and how you want to sail you'll have your answer. PS: When you see him tell your father that the grommets pulled out 3 of the corners of his chintsy boom tent and it is now stuffed into the cockpit. Ask if he want me to do anything?
Asymetric and 110 for Cruising
The big advantage of this set-up is that you can deploy the asymetric in its sock while you are sailing on the 110 - then just roll up the 110, and pull the sock off the asymetric. If the winds pick up, reversing the process is just as easy. Switching from the 150 to the 110 involves dropping your headsail, and storing it, bringing up the other sail, and hoisting it. OK with a racing crew, but I seldom hear of it while day sailing or cruising. With a 110 up on a roller furler, you can easily reef the main and jib to trim the boat from 12 to 30+ knots of wind. The 150 is useless if reefed beyond 120, and that is too much sail at around 15 knots of wind. The only advantages of the 150 over an asymetric are the ability to point to weather in light air, and the racing rules allow it as a genny instead of a spinnaker. Cruising into the wind in light air usually means running the engine. Further, in light air, I have carried our Doyle APC asymetric effectively 50 degrees off the true wind! Because of the sheeting of the genny outside the stays (at angles over 20 degrees from the centerline) that is about as good as I can run with our 135 genny. The asymetric works better than a 150 on a reach (it has much more sail area) and is far superior on a broad reach. Tacking downwind is preferable to a dead run in winds below 15 knots with any kind of sail - but this is great fun with an asymetric. Oh yeah, a spinnaker looks great. And deploying ours is easy enough to use on day sails, and switch around in the shifty, variable winds of summer on the lake. In summary, the 150 deserves serious consideration only if you are racing. Otherwise, the asymetric is the better option. We figure ours reduces engine usage by about one day on a typical 1 week summer cruise. Finally, I really advise you to find a local sailmaker, and have him/her look at your sails and advise you on what to do given local conditions and your sailing plans. This is a free service, and helped us to set up a multi-year plan to update our sails. And we still talk about how to best use, our sails, or plan further improvements in sails or rigging. Enjoy your h27 - we love ours. David Lady Lillie
The big advantage of this set-up is that you can deploy the asymetric in its sock while you are sailing on the 110 - then just roll up the 110, and pull the sock off the asymetric. If the winds pick up, reversing the process is just as easy. Switching from the 150 to the 110 involves dropping your headsail, and storing it, bringing up the other sail, and hoisting it. OK with a racing crew, but I seldom hear of it while day sailing or cruising. With a 110 up on a roller furler, you can easily reef the main and jib to trim the boat from 12 to 30+ knots of wind. The 150 is useless if reefed beyond 120, and that is too much sail at around 15 knots of wind. The only advantages of the 150 over an asymetric are the ability to point to weather in light air, and the racing rules allow it as a genny instead of a spinnaker. Cruising into the wind in light air usually means running the engine. Further, in light air, I have carried our Doyle APC asymetric effectively 50 degrees off the true wind! Because of the sheeting of the genny outside the stays (at angles over 20 degrees from the centerline) that is about as good as I can run with our 135 genny. The asymetric works better than a 150 on a reach (it has much more sail area) and is far superior on a broad reach. Tacking downwind is preferable to a dead run in winds below 15 knots with any kind of sail - but this is great fun with an asymetric. Oh yeah, a spinnaker looks great. And deploying ours is easy enough to use on day sails, and switch around in the shifty, variable winds of summer on the lake. In summary, the 150 deserves serious consideration only if you are racing. Otherwise, the asymetric is the better option. We figure ours reduces engine usage by about one day on a typical 1 week summer cruise. Finally, I really advise you to find a local sailmaker, and have him/her look at your sails and advise you on what to do given local conditions and your sailing plans. This is a free service, and helped us to set up a multi-year plan to update our sails. And we still talk about how to best use, our sails, or plan further improvements in sails or rigging. Enjoy your h27 - we love ours. David Lady Lillie
What are the measurements of your 135%
Sam, I am considering a 135% for a med - light air sail for my H33 (when I don't want to hassle with the assym). There are several places near me to find used sails. Do you the measurements for your 135% handy?
Sam, I am considering a 135% for a med - light air sail for my H33 (when I don't want to hassle with the assym). There are several places near me to find used sails. Do you the measurements for your 135% handy?
I never thought to measure!
I asked Quantum to make me a 135, he delivered it, (and the main), bent on both sails and we went for a "sea trial". (I live that expression!) Mine is cut a wee bit oddly in that I had the clew set high to enable me to see forward. Now that I've thought about it I may have taken some measurements when I was working on pennant lengths. I'll have to look for them. If i find anything i'll post them.
I asked Quantum to make me a 135, he delivered it, (and the main), bent on both sails and we went for a "sea trial". (I live that expression!) Mine is cut a wee bit oddly in that I had the clew set high to enable me to see forward. Now that I've thought about it I may have taken some measurements when I was working on pennant lengths. I'll have to look for them. If i find anything i'll post them.
150%
Sam!!! I only have a 135 on that BIG boat of mine.. you could put a new ,more expensive,cockpit cover on till i get back --scrub the decks on a cold rainy winters day--oh!! maybe vacum, down below,,why, you can even light up the fireplace while you are cleaning
Sam!!! I only have a 135 on that BIG boat of mine.. you could put a new ,more expensive,cockpit cover on till i get back --scrub the decks on a cold rainy winters day--oh!! maybe vacum, down below,,why, you can even light up the fireplace while you are cleaning
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