New Sails

[Bordiki]

I am in the mood to get a new main and 130 head sail.

I have a great set of Dacron sails for cursing, so I am looking for something to help gain the edge in the race. Any thoughts? Companies? Full batons vs half batons?

 

[shnool]

Racing sails are a different animal.
Go load path (as that seems to be the trend, and for good reason they hold their shape well up until they come apart, very little stretch)...
You'll likely want loose foot for your main (just easier to deal with the outhaul).
AS for full batten versus half, and roach size that is a One Design question... not sure what the regs are for the Capri 22 OD class. My take would be full battens if you want to extend the roach, otherwise half-battens are fine. I'd be shocked if OD class doesn't require half-batten and also define max-roach.

I went with http://www.epsails.com for my Capri 25. I dealt directly with Harry Pattison, and was very happy with the results. If I'll be ordering anything else, it'll be from them, as the cut, and fit were perfect... performance - stellar.

http://www.shnool.com/images/capri25/06092013/976852_10152932950440457_2138521121_o.jpg

 

[Chris Capri 22]

I replaced my mainsail this year. I wanted a custom made mainsail because I did not want an off-the-shelf sail for my Tall Rig. This is my second CP22 and one thing I absolutely hated was the cockpit sweeping boom design from Catalina so I wanted a mainsail built with a shorter luff. Bill Draheim of Gus Sails was very receptive to my concerns and built me a new mainsail that provided 10" of extra headroom in my cockpit.

I also wanted full battens because at the time the wind was always blowing like stink and I wanted a flatter sail. Bill assured me a partial batten main was a better all around sail and I would seriously regret full battens when the winds let up so I acquiesced. In the end he was absolutely right. That is the advantage of having a good local sail loft and a sailmaker that sails a lot locally.

As far as a loose or closed foot, I had a loose foot main built. It's the second loose footed main I have had and I would not go back. Loose footed main outhauls are really easy to adjust on a small boat and in fluky or gusty winds I find that to be a tremendous advantage.

My mainsail is Dacron. It may not be high tech but still very versatile and easily repairable. If I'm gonna spend big $$$ on high tech sails it's gonna be in headsails.

Just my 2cents.

Chris

 

[shnool]

I'll second that Dacron is/can be just as good as a laminate sail. And they are... but they stretch quicker (which is fine if you know how to reshape)... but then they are also useable for MANY more years.

the ONLY advantage to a laminate sail is they hold their designed shape for much longer...

Final vote for Dacron (especially for a main) is that you can more easily stow it on the boom.

 

[jepomer]

I have been real happy with the Ullman sails I got through Catalina Direct this Spring.

They made a difference in our sailing both in cruising and for racing. Full battened loose-footed main sail, 130% foresail with foam to keep the sail shape better if reefing. But we found that we don't have to reef anywhere near as often with the same winds. The boat simply handles much better and as one expects...

 

[Chris Capri 22]

Ullman sails are tough to beat. I had them build me a fiberpath main for my first CP22. That sail was a work of art. Let it go with the boat when I sold it. Big mistake.

There's another CP22 I race against in my club who has a really nice full batten main. When the wind is up he can make that thing as flat as a board. He never reefs.

I'm having a Dacron 135 made and it should be ready soon. Most of what I had read about CP22 headsail inventory led me to believe that all I needed was a good blade and a 155 and I'd be set but that has not been my experience. The 155 would take me up to 12 mph of wind and then I'd switch to the blade but I was getting my ass kicked in the 12-18 mph wind range by boats with 130-135's. The blade was just not enough and when I tried to push with the 155 I was on my ear most of the time.

If I had to make a compromise I would go with a 130 or 135 as my largest headsail, but that 155 is friggin' amazing in really light air.

 

[shnool]

Chris I'll verify for you that a set of 3 headsails will make a huge difference, nothing wrong with having a true number 1, 2 AND 3.

We rarely get good winds on our lake (all summer).. but we've had 2 races where we've been spanked good, and both of them required something between a 155 and a blade with decent shape.

 

[Bordiki]

Thanks for all the information.

Would you guys all agree that I should go with a full baton main, or two and two like the OEM. Also, I talked with North Sail and they told me to stay away from Fiber/Kevlar and stick with just Dacron.

Thoughts?

 

[Chris Capri 22]

There are a lot of variables in choosing sail material, i.e. Dacron vs. composite. Are you going to keep your mainsail stowed on the boom? If so I would highly recommend Dacron. Ideally all sails should be rolled when not in use but composite sails especially so. This requires the sail to be completely removed from the mast for prolonged storage and is a bit more labor intensive. Even a 6 oz. Dacron sail is like folding cardboard when new but it's still much easier than trying to do the same with a composite one. If you cringe folding your brand new Dacron main think how you are going to feel trying to flake that brand new composite that was twice the price. :x

As far as battens go, a lot there depends on the prevailing winds in the area that you mostly sail. The CP22 sails well in most conditions but is really an exceptional light air boat. If you go with full or even partial battens you will sacrifice some light air performance because you will not be able to shape your sail optimally for those conditions.

Another thing to consider is longevity of your mainsail. A full batten sail will hold it's shape longer than a partially battened one because it resists stretching more. You may get a couple of extra years out of it.

I myself went with partial battens on my new main and so far am still pleased with that decision.

Hope that helps.

 

[shnool]

Um, I'd like to correct a statement...
A dacron race main versus a loadpath (laminate) race main, is only about 20% less.
Quoting where I got my sails from for my Capri 25... price was: $1510 for a race dacron main, and $1748 for the loadpath one. Those prices were reduced 25% because of the association bulk purchase discount.

 

[Chris Capri 22]

Yeah, I was unfairly comparing what I paid a local sailmaker for my Dacron main to what Ullman or North Sails, two premium sail manufacturers, would charge for a composite sail. If you compare their Dacron sail prices to their laminate sails, the difference is not twice as much.

My bad.

 

[HERSH]

I went with a bargain basement dacron this year --- $600; FX Sails LLC. My original main was so close to falling apart I had no choice but to get a new one.

One can get caught up in bigger boats, high tech sails, this go fast gizmo, etcetras. I race for the fun of it. Sometimes I do good, and other times not so good.

My racing is mainly on an Ensign, in a one design class. Dacron sails only.

By the way, I roll my dacron main sail. and stow it on the boom. My jib and genoa, got some life left. Good enough for me.

Hershey

PS: Sail fast and drive SLOW, Especially this weekend.