New Mainsail Questions

[Jon]

I want to get a new mainsail for my Catalina 25 and have several questions:1. Should I get a loose foot? Currently the mainsail is attached to the boom with a bolt rope. What are pros and cons? Do I need to modify the boom to accomodate a loose foot? I don't race, if that makes a difference. 2. Has anyone purchased from this website? Any comments pro or con? Would you do it again? 3. What weight cloth should I use? I only sail in wind < 20 knots, the season is about 6 months.

 

[Dan]

I like loose foot

because with a proper outhaul, one can adjust it for lighter air when needed. Sail Warehouse is a good source for OEM sails at reasonable prices. Bacon Sails of Annapolis is good for used sails, but know your measurements.If I was buying a new sail, I'd consider full battens at least up top. Cloth weight? Whatever the specs call for. Not much difference until you start getting into Mylar, etc.

 

[Bayard Gross]

Catalina Direct mainsails

Because they specialize in Catalinas, Catalina Direct offers some excellent values in sails for Catalinas.For the C-25, their mainsail is 6.53 ounce, one set of reef points, full battens, loose foot, luff slides, draft stripe, sail insignia, sail numbers, and jack line. The price for the standard rig C-25 is about $660 and for the tall rig about $740. I think there are significant shipping charges as the battens are quite long.In addition, if you do not ship to California, there is no sales tax. Note that Catalina Direct likes to do business over the telephone to avoid sales tax issues as many states have developed policies to tax internet sales but not telephone sales.You can see more about their sails in their web site.