New Sails Questions

[BarryL]

Hi,I have a few questions regarding purchasing new sails.Is there a best time of year for buying new sails? Canyou get better prices (in the north east USA) by purchasinga new set of sails in winter? Or should you wait untilspring? Or, does it not matter?Next question. I have a 1986 Newport 28. I bought this boatlast year. It came with 6 sails, including two mainsailsand two genoas. One set of sails is clearly worn out. Theother appears to be OK. I had a local sail maker examine the sails and he said they were 'servicable.' I have sailedthis boat last year and this year. The boat sails fine, but I don't feel like I can really control the shape ofthe sails. When the wind picks up I try to flatten the sailsby tightening the main halyard, outhaul, backstay, etc., butI don't really see any significant change in the sail shape(well, by easing the outhaul I can clearly see the changein draft, but I can't seem to be able to move the draft forwardwhen the wind picks up). I would guess that my sail is on the 'blown out side' but I don't really know. I think the sails I have are well over 10 years old.If I buy new sails, what kind should I get? I don't race theboat, but performance is very important to me. Is there a significant performance benefit of laminated sails? What isthe difference in lifespan of laminated sails to cross cutdacron? Last question. Can I buy a set of sails mail order from a placelike AirForce, the sail loft here, CruisingDirect, etc., or am I better off working with a local sail loft? Thanks for any comments.BarryBarry LenobleNoble Prize1986 Newport 28Mt. Sinai, NY

 

[seanshine]

New Sails

I'd reccommend Sail Warehouse. I've been very happy with their sails. Maintain great sail shape and are very well made. No, I don't work for Sail Warehouse, but I do think their sails are the best value for the money. They also have your sails in stock. Sean

 

[RichH]

For the mainsail that you cant properly shape ....

.... probably what the sailmaker sees is simply a 'shrunken bolt rope' at the luff section. The boltrope is usually three strand dacron rope thats inside a sleeve at the luff. A shrunken boltrope (very common on old dacron sails) will take a lot of extra strain/force on the halyard to make the draft move forward. Such shrinking is a natural phenomenon of three stranded dacron bolt ropes ---- every time you load up the rope and release it it becomes a wee bit shorter and a wee bit fatter - just like how three strand docklines get stiffer, fatter and shorter. A simple way to check the luff for proper 'preload' for a Newport 28 MkII is to simply raise the sail, then add about 3.5" inches of 'stretch' to the luff with the halyard, then either measure the angle that the boom makes with the mast (~88 degrees)... or simply walk a good distance away from the boat and see if the boom end is lower than the gooseneck. If the angle (at the tack of the sail) that the boom makes with mast is greater than 88 degrees, then the bolt rope has shrunken, if the boom end is noticeably lower than the gooseneck (with mast straight up) then ditto. The symptoms of a shrunken boltrope is: deep baggy draft, draft aft, leech hooking to weather, needs 'bar-tight' halyard tension to get 'any' draft positioning, and the luff will have a very 'rounded' shape instead a more flatter 'entry' shape. A mainsail with such a boltrope .... all it wants to do is heel the boat and give unusual weather helm without being very fast at all. A sailmaker can easily 'ease' such a bolt rope and put new life back into the sail --- will be much easier to shape (less halyard strain) to move the draft forward). If you are handy with a sailmakers needle and sailmakers twine you can do this easing yourself as the boltrope should be about 3.5" shorter than the actual luff dimension - that puts the necessary 'preload' into the luff so that the sail will be 'perfect' when windloaded at 15-18 kts. Before you take the sail to a sailmaker, try putting 'extreme' halyard tension to it and see what happens .... at least 3.5+ inches of 'stretch' once the sail is 'up'. If its very difficult to obtain this extra stretch, then the boltrope needs to be 'adjusted/eased'. If the boltrope at the luff is found to be shrunken, then the boltrope along the foot will also usually be shrunken. The busy season for sailmakers is usually late winter/early spring - getting ready for the new racing season. Probably the best time to buy or negotiate for a new sail or sail alteration work is the slack season: late summer to early fall.If alll those angles, etc. are not making sense to you. lemme know and I'll email you a sketch. Whats the exact model of Newport 28, 28-II, 28SR ??hope this helps.

 

[sailsinger]

Barry, What Sailmaker?

Hi Barry,I'm in the next harbor over from you, Port Jeff, on the Poquatt side. my sails are aging as well and I'd like to have them looked at. What sailmaker did you go to have your sails examined? I'd like to find a local sailmaker up in the area even though I drive up to sail.Thanks,/ChuckS/V Windsongs'85 H23

 

[BarryL]

Wedekind Sailmakers

Hi Chuck,I used Jack Wedekind. He's in Port Jeff Station, on Jayne Blvd. He's a very nice guy and was honest with me about the condition of my sails.Barry

 

[Scott]

Boat show prices may be best.

Hi Barry,We used the purchase of sails as an excuse to drive thru the blizzard for the boat show in Philly last January. The small turnout made it relatively easy to talk with the sail makers that were there, including North and Doyle.I brought the specs for our boat and was able to get quotes from everybody that were good for some time after the show. That took pressure off buying on the spot and gave me time to absorb the information. This was important because there was a lot to think about with all the choices between laminates and dacron. I had bias towards North Sails going in and ended up buying a dacron main and 150% genoa from them but I would have been equally comfortable if buying from Doyle. The service was friendly, excellent, knowledgeable and we're completely happy with the new sails.After deciding to buy the sails, the North representative came out and measured my boat within a week even though it was covered in snow, and they were ready for me right around the first of March. I went to their Manasquan loft to pick them up and they personally went over every detail of the sails as if I was Dennis Conner buying the most high tech product in their line-up.I think the personal attention is important in getting the right sails and making sure they are manufactured for your boat. You will decide what you want performance wise, but in our shoes, the dacron sails are best because we are day sailers and our plan is to move up to a larger boat in a few years.

 

[MarkDB]

Now is a good time

Whether you buy locally, mail order, or regionally, now is a good time to order sails. Most buyers wait until spring to order and there gets to be a backlog. If you order now, you'll probably get more attention from the sailmaker and receive the sails more quickly. One benefit from going with a local sailmaker: If you tear the sail on your first trip, they are right their to help you fix it. That happened to us 2 years ago. Also, we took the sailmaker for a ride (a race actually) and he had lots of ideas for performance improvements (beyond the sails)Mark