new mainsail, and a new "spray hood" or dodger

Oct 30, 2019
6
My Vega, my cousin, and I are about
to have a new mainsail made up and we are going to go with a local sail maker. In 2012 we bought and installed a Harken roller furling system for the jib, and bought a sweet slightly used jib sail which sets beautifully and moves the boat very well.My current mainsail is 30 years old and is blown and stretched out. it sags and is basically about to fall apart. It is an Neal Pride sail. We have a quote as follows: Cruising mainsail - crosscut Challenge Marblehead style, 6.77 oz. Dacron, luff and foot
slides, 3 reefs, partial battens, and sail bag: price estimate is $2,200, which seems dear but about right for our location.My questions are: loose footed? I have no experience with such a set up. Any thoughts? I have been told that I should not go with full battens all the way, but to have bottom two battens only partial, as this makes for easier reefing and general sail management. I plan on doing some single handing, so we are thinking lazy jacks, and we shall run the halyards back to the cockpit, as well as put in a jiffy reefing system, also running back to the cockpit. I note that some of the group prefer slab reefing, but I don't see the reasoning behind that preference except the KISS principle. I have been using the original roller furling system with the crank on the mast that rolls the main around the boom that came with my Vega, which I found worked quite well, however I am rapidly
nearing 70 and am thinking leaping up to the foredeck when we really need to reef is not the best thing to be doing. I am also thinking of removing the bronze winches that are now on the mast and placing them on the cabin roof.
They also are original on the boat and work well, and have the handles attached at the base so losing a handle overboard is not a problem. I sail with grandchildren, who are young but learning, so the fewer things other than children that can fall overboard the better. I just noticed that this question has been raised before on this site and the old winches seem to have been successfully installed in the cabin roof, correct? They work well there? We are also looking into a new spray hood and have quotes from the Brit firm cj marine which figure including shipping is twice the price of a spray hood from Island Nautical Canvas, City Island, NY but they do not provide a grab bar, which the cousin feels is essential. I believe we can have that made up here in Maine. Any thoughts from those in this group who are US
based?
 
Oct 30, 2019
1,459
 I suggest a loose foot main as you can control the shape of the main better. I like full battens, but that's a personal preference. I made my own sails for my Vega with the help of a local sail maker, who took care of the design and plotting, letting me do all the sewing (I have an industrial sewing machine) and finishing. When it came time to re-sail my Albin Ballad my mentor had sold his sail making business and retired, so I had to look for other means of getting new sails. I checked prices for sail kits from a well known US supplier, and also finished sails from a nearby loft that sells over the internet, getting their sails made in the far east, as many other lofts do.I ended up getting two sails from the nearby loft for a price that was only a little more than buying the kits and building them myself. I'm very happy with the whole experience, and the quality of the sails is very good.As far as reefing the main, my preferred method is slab reefing. It's a one-person job that can be done at the mast, or from the cockpit if you have the lines led aft, and gives a nice flat sail shape for heavy weather. WIth practice it can be done in a minute or two and shaken out again in seconds. For your dodger (spray hood) grab bar(s) are great. A strong well anchored frame is a must if you have them. I have a bar that runs across the rear frame, but I have also seen ones that are on either side, providing even better safety had holds. Peter (also closer to 70 than 60)mostlyaboutboats.ca
 
Sep 24, 2008
346
I agree with Peter, loose footed gives a better sail shape. I also prefer full battens, both for sail shape and for ease of dropping the sail into the lazyjacks.As far as price what you were quoted is normal from a North American source, even though most are made offshore for them. Lee Sails or Rolly Tasker can cut that price in half almost though.
 
Feb 12, 2008
337
I'd go with a loose foot as well. It does make it easier to get good sail shape and with modern materials, it is amply strong.I've got a full batten sail on a Santana 20 that I race and like the full battens for that boat, especially in the super light air that you would just motor in on a Vega. The full battens also support the extended leach that projects 4-5" aft past the backstay and rubs on it when tacking, not ideal for a cruising boat. I've also heard that full battens may have more chafe issues on a long haul cruising boat. You could look at Matt Rutherfords boat and see what style he used for his big trip, as he didn't seem to have problems with his sails.I recently pick up the Colorado area sales rep job for the Banks Sails loft out of Oregon, and some of the mains that he
designs are a 2+2 batten style, which is 2 full top battens and 2 partial lower battens. One advantage of the 2 full top battens is that they will support an extended leach better. On my Vega, it came with a Doyle 2+2 style, and it has worked well. One of the advantages of working with a smaller local loft is that you can have more input and ask more questions as well as benefit from local typical wind condition knowledge.I haven't used lazy jacks much, they do seem to work easily. On my Vega, we have jiffy slab reefing with lines led aft and it hasn't been a problem.I don't know if lazy jacks might cause a chafe problem on extended cruising..I wouldn't use the mast winches on the cabin roof. I wouldn't like the handles sticking out all the time. My boat came with the original genoa winch mounted on the cabin roof and Harken 16's self tailers for replacement Genoa winches. That set up has worked well, although my gal would like 2
speed genoa winches for when it really blows and we are racing overcanvassed. I think a weight set and work out dvd would solve that problem for less money ;)You can always get these floating locking winch handlesLewmar Winch Handle - 8 in. Single grip Lock In - Red wi...Find Lewmar Winch Handle - 8 in. Single grip Lock In - Red with Black Grip at Mauri Pro Sailing. Pricing, technical information and everything you need to...View on www.mauriprosailing...Preview by Yahoo I'm surprised you local canvas shop can't add grab bars on your dodger. You can get some from Sailrite and I would guess that they could be locally fabricated and welded on as well. My boat came with a dodger supplied by Steve in the UK and it has been great.Enjoy your new boat! -Tim From: newbold noyes newboldnoyes@... To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, April 28, 2014 9:58 AM Subject: [AlbinVega] new mainsail, and a new "spray hood" or dodger




My Vega, my cousin, and I are about
to have a new mainsail made up and we are going to go with a local sail maker. In 2012 we bought and installed a Harken roller furling system for the jib, and bought a sweet slightly used jib sail which sets beautifully and moves the boat very well.My current mainsail is 30 years old and is blown and stretched out. it sags and is basically about to fall apart. It is an Neal Pride sail. We have a quote as follows: Cruising mainsail - crosscut Challenge Marblehead style, 6.77 oz. Dacron, luff and foot
slides, 3 reefs, partial battens, and sail bag: price estimate is $2,200, which seems dear but about right for our location.My questions are: loose footed? I have no experience with such a set up. Any thoughts? I have been told that I should not go with full battens all the way, but to have bottom two battens only partial, as this makes for easier reefing and general sail management. I plan on doing some single handing, so we are thinking lazy jacks, and we shall run the halyards back to the cockpit, as well as put in a jiffy reefing system, also running back to the cockpit. I note that some of the group prefer slab reefing, but I don't see the reasoning behind that preference except the KISS principle. I have been using the original roller furling system with the crank on the mast that rolls the main around the boom that came with my Vega,
which I found worked quite well, however I am rapidly
nearing 70 and am thinking leaping up to the foredeck when we really need to reef is not the best thing to be doing. I am also thinking of removing the bronze winches that are now on the mast and placing them on the cabin roof.
They also are original on the boat and work well, and have the handles attached at the base so losing a handle overboard is not a problem. I sail with grandchildren, who are young but learning, so the fewer things other than children that can fall overboard the better. I just noticed that this question has been raised before on this site and the old winches seem to have been successfully installed in the cabin roof, correct? They work well there? We are also looking into a new spray hood and have quotes from the Brit firm cj marine which figure including shipping is twice the price of a spray hood from Island Nautical Canvas, City Island, NY but they do not provide a grab bar, which the cousin feels is essential. I believe we can have that made up here in Maine. Any thoughts from those in this group who
are US
based?






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#ygrps-yiv-1710222567
 
Jan 28, 2001
694
I too prefer full battens and have them on my Neil Pride main. It was triple stitched and had three reef points. at the same time we had a 110 and a storm jib made. Our dodger was made by a close friend as a present. All we had to pay for was materials. She valued it at a thousand dollars. The sails and dodger were done around 1995. I recently talked with the lady who did the dodger and she said it would be around four thousand to build one like it today.Prices have really changed! I paid a thousand dollars for the 3 sails.My thoughts on dodger height is it is personal. You are going to have this built for you and your regular crew. Judy and I are about the same height. We had it built so that our eyes peer over the top and our nose is even with the aft tube. It makes it easier to duck under. I like the idea of grab rails on the dodger. I don't have them and wish that I did. I would have them on top and sides with the top one higher than my head. Booms can kill! We had zippers on the top and have a soft solar panel that attaches to the zippers. We have a pocket under the top big enough for a chart kit. I wish I had added pockets for a flashlight, handheld VHF and knife. Anyway, those are my thoughts and deeds.WaltP.S. Larry, the thoughts of a hard dodger are very appealing.From: pjacobs55@...To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.comDate: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 09:48:12 -0700Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: new mainsail, and a new "spray hood" or dodger






I suggest a loose foot main as you can control the shape of the main better. I like full battens, but that's a personal preference. I made my own sails for my Vega with the help of a local sail maker, who took care of the design and plotting, letting me do all the sewing (I have an industrial sewing machine) and finishing. When it came time to re-sail my Albin Ballad my mentor had sold his sail making business and retired, so I had to look for other means of getting new sails. I checked prices for sail kits from a well known US supplier, and also finished sails from a nearby loft that sells over the internet, getting their sails made in the far east, as many other lofts do.I ended up getting two sails from the nearby loft for a price that was only a little more than buying the kits and building them myself. I'm very happy with the whole experience, and the quality of the sails is very good.As far as reefing the main, my preferred method is slab reefing. It's a one-person job that can be done at the mast, or from the cockpit if you have the lines led aft, and gives a nice flat sail shape for heavy weather. WIth practice it can be done in a minute or two and shaken out again in seconds. For your dodger (spray hood) grab bar(s) are great. A strong well anchored frame is a must if you have them. I have a bar that runs across the rear frame, but I have also seen ones that are on either side, providing even better safety had holds. Peter (also closer to 70 than 60)mostlyaboutboats.ca