New Mainsail...

KMm · Mar 25, 2011

Gabriel
What's the matter with the sail that made you take it in in the first place?

KMm · Mar 25, 2011

Sounds like weak material, they tend to split like a clean cut . You can try a patch but I think its time for a new one. To much time,wind,and sun...Oh old like me

Joe11688 · Mar 26, 2011

gabriel.donnelly said:
OK Official Word from the guys at Bartlett Sails here at beautiful Lake Travis is "...the sail is irreparable." -- I know, Ouch.
So they have a J22 sail on hand that will fit the "KnottyGirl" and the want $425 for it. I have checked some prices and The Sailwarehouse has 'by far' the best pricing on new sails. Naturally, I have a couple questions because I have never had to buy a sail b4... crazy? I know!
First : Standard OEM VS Standard OEM with full battens. Am I to assume that the Standard OEM has NO battens?
Second : What Is A Power Head?? No Idea.
Third : and perhaps the most obvious, How bad does a sail hafta be b4 its really Irreparable? ?

Y'all are the best and I trust you input, your suggestions and guidance... thanks!

Gabriel.

I have to admit that I really don't know a whole lot about sails, but I personally know what I want in a new sail for my boat.
I want sail slides on the foot and the luff, reefing points, curved leach with the leach line control, full or regular battens, it doesn't matter to me, an OD insignia, a decent head board and strong heavy material.

I think that a sail needs battens if it has a roach. The mainsail on Lyn and Larry Pardey's 24' cutter Seraffyn, had a straight leach with no battens. They weren't really interested in speed.
Batten pockets are generally the weakest part of the sail and if the end of the spreader rubs up against a pocket on a gusty day, there's a strong chance that the boom will lift quick and it will cause a tear in an older sail. That's how my main got torn. With that said though, I still prefer a mainsail with battens.

A power head probably has something to do with the head board? I really don't know about that one.

How bad does the sail have to be?
Well, I guess if you have the original Neil Pride sails that came with the boat and they are thin and as soft as a bed sheet and look baggy, it's about time to buy a new sail. I've been told by a sailmaker at Thurston Sails that some old sails can have tiny orange dots which is caused by UV rays and is commonly called sun rot.
My original Neil Pride sails "sh*& the bed" on me sometime back in the mid 1990s and I have to admit that I never really took good care of them.
I never had a sail cover for my main because I trailered my boat back then and that's a poor excuse for not owning a sail cover.
When I had my new sails made by Thurston Sails in Bristol RI, I broke down and bought a good sail cover. If you buy a new mainsail, buy a cover for it and use it as often as you can. If I stop to anchor somewhere to bring Penny over to shore in the kayak, even if it's for 20 minutes, I cover my main sail.
If you have questions about a particular sail, you may want to call the factory and ask them. If it's a small outfit, you may want to haggle with them for the price because they can come down on price but you need to know what they are providing for that price. Believe me, they're all like everyone else today in this bad economy. They're hurting for business.

A lot of sails are coming through loose footed. My friend Ray has one on his O'Day 26 and he likes it. I think that I would also prefer a loose foot sail over a sail with a bolt rope and no sail slides on the foot of the sail.
The O'Day decal on the sail may be an extra added cost.
A good friend of mine had a beautiful main sail made for his Seaward 22 last year. When he first talked to the sailmaker, the guy quoted him a price of somewhere around $1200. My friend told him, "that's too much money for that sail." Then the guy asked him, " how much do you think a new sail is worth?" and my friend told him, "Oh about $800." The guy hemmed and hawed and my friend started to walk out the door when the guy said, "Hey, wait a minute." Business is slow and I don't want to lose a customer." "I'll make you a sail for that price."
So my friend finally got his new mainsail and he's happy with it. I saw it and I would love to get one like it myself. The sailmaker is located in my area and his sails are a popular brand name on the market today.
Good luck!
Joe

Shoaldrafter · Mar 26, 2011

new main and Joe

Trinkka said:
I have to admit that I really don't know a whole lot about sails, but I personally know what I want in a new sail for my boat.
I want sail slides on the foot and the luff, reefing points, curved leach with the leach line control, full or regular battens, it doesn't matter to me, an OD insignia, a decent head board and strong heavy material.

I think that a sail needs battens if it has a roach. The mainsail on Lyn and Larry Pardey's 24' cutter Seraffyn, had a straight leach with no battens. They weren't really interested in speed.
Batten pockets are generally the weakest part of the sail and if the end of the spreader rubs up against a pocket on a gusty day, there's a strong chance that the boom will lift quick and it will cause a tear in an older sail. That's how my main got torn. With that said though, I still prefer a mainsail with battens.

A power head probably has something to do with the head board? I really don't know about that one.

How bad does the sail have to be?
Well, I guess if you have the original Neil Pride sails that came with the boat and they are thin and as soft as a bed sheet and look baggy, it's about time to buy a new sail. I've been told by a sailmaker at Thurston Sails that some old sails can have tiny orange dots which is caused by UV rays and is commonly called sun rot.
My original Neil Pride sails "sh*& the bed" on me sometime back in the mid 1990s and I have to admit that I never really took good care of them.
I never had a sail cover for my main because I trailered my boat back then and that's a poor excuse for not owning a sail cover.
When I had my new sails made by Thurston Sails in Bristol RI, I broke down and bought a good sail cover. If you buy a new mainsail, buy a cover for it and use it as often as you can. If I stop to anchor somewhere to bring Penny over to shore in the kayak, even if it's for 20 minutes, I cover my main sail.
If you have questions about a particular sail, you may want to call the factory and ask them. If it's a small outfit, you may want to haggle with them for the price because they can come down on price but you need to know what they are providing for that price. Believe me, they're all like everyone else today in this bad economy. They're hurting for business.

A lot of sails are coming through loose footed. My friend Ray has one on his O'Day 26 and he likes it. I think that I would also prefer a loose foot sail over a sail with a bolt rope and no sail slides on the foot of the sail.
The O'Day decal on the sail may be an extra added cost.
A good friend of mine had a beautiful main sail made for his Seaward 22 last year. When he first talked to the sailmaker, the guy quoted him a price of somewhere around $1200. My friend told him, "that's too much money for that sail." Then the guy asked him, " how much do you think a new sail is worth?" and my friend told him, "Oh about $800." The guy hemmed and hawed and my friend started to walk out the door when the guy said, "Hey, wait a minute." Business is slow and I don't want to lose a customer." "I'll make you a sail for that price."
So my friend finally got his new mainsail and he's happy with it. I saw it and I would love to get one like it myself. The sailmaker is located in my area and his sails are a popular brand name on the market today.
Good luck!
Joe

Joe, any chance that sailmaker is http://www.squeteaguesailmakers.com/soguide.html

Gabriel, find the post I just made to Keith. If you want to find out if the sail is really unrepairable send to Sail Care.

As I said to Keith, most big lofts are bidding out making sails, especially low cost sails. Where are you located? Anywhere near a real sail maker like the one above or in Florida?

Bit the bullet and spend twice as much as you should and get a quality sail, it makes a difference in sailing today and next year. But know who you are dealing with. When they are made overseas, the jobbers making the sails may or may not be good, honest, or know what they are doing.

Because they advertize quality, think of the carnival cure all potion hawkers.

Ed K

Sunbird22358 · Mar 26, 2011

If that J22 main wil lfit, $425 would be a good price for a new main for a DSII ,so if it fits a 25.... the price is right. That said, if it works, great, but if it doesn't....... you won't have that $425 to put towards a real O'DAY 25 main.
If you were stil lusing the original Neil Pryde sails from 1978, they don't owe you anything! I suspect you are about 10-15 years overdue for new sails, the Pryde sails that came with our boats are not as high quality as aftermarket sails from any good sailmaker (even the made-to-order sails from Pryde will be better!) O'DAY, like many builders supplied good sails originally, but they are "generic" level sails to keep cost low. Made-to-order sails may cost more, but a good sailmaker will include a lot of local knowledge in their sails (that is, the sails are designed/built for your sailing area and normal sailing style). My 1979 sails are overdue for replacement, despite good care by myself and the previous 2 owners, but the $$ is not available in my bank account for new sails yet! They'll last a bit longer I hope (if yours have lasted until now, and with it seems a longer season than my 5-month each year, I guess I've stil lgot a few more years!).

Shoaldrafter · Mar 26, 2011

I would add

Sunbird22358 said:
If that J22 main wil lfit, $425 would be a good price for a new main for a DSII ,so if it fits a 25.... the price is right. That said, if it works, great, but if it doesn't....... you won't have that $425 to put towards a real O'DAY 25 main.
If you were stil lusing the original Neil Pryde sails from 1978, they don't owe you anything! I suspect you are about 10-15 years overdue for new sails, the Pryde sails that came with our boats are not as high quality as aftermarket sails from any good sailmaker (even the made-to-order sails from Pryde will be better!) O'DAY, like many builders supplied good sails originally, but they are "generic" level sails to keep cost low. Made-to-order sails may cost more, but a good sailmaker will include a lot of local knowledge in their sails (that is, the sails are designed/built for your sailing area and normal sailing style). My 1979 sails are overdue for replacement, despite good care by myself and the previous 2 owners, but the $$ is not available in my bank account for new sails yet! They'll last a bit longer I hope (if yours have lasted until now, and with it seems a longer season than my 5-month each year, I guess I've stil lgot a few more years!).

------------------ // -------------------------
I have also dealt with Bacon Sails in Annapolis. They sell used sails. And they sell consignment sails. You might check to see if they have used sails to fit your boat. If they do, make them an offer. They will usually come down a couple of dollars if seller permitted them to.

Ed K
addendum:
-A cockroach can live for 10 days without a head.

Joe11688 · Mar 26, 2011

Shoaldrafter said:
Joe, any chance that sailmaker is http://www.squeteaguesailmakers.com/soguide.html

Gabriel, find the post I just made to Keith. If you want to find out if the sail is really unrepairable send to Sail Care.

As I said to Keith, most big lofts are bidding out making sails, especially low cost sails. Where are you located? Anywhere near a real sail maker like the one above or in Florida?

Bit the bullet and spend twice as much as you should and get a quality sail, it makes a difference in sailing today and next year. But know who you are dealing with. When they are made overseas, the jobbers making the sails may or may not be good, honest, or know what they are doing.

Because they advertize quality, think of the carnival cure all potion hawkers.

Ed K

Ahoy there, Ed!
No, but that's a great site with a lot of sail info. Thank you.
My friend bought his new sail last year from Sperry.
Joe

New Mainsail...

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