I looking at new sails for my 86' 28.5. I club race and weekend cruise. I have a shoal keel and currently have a 110 head sail. I looking at either a 135 rf or 155 rf head sail and full batten mail. Any one upgraded, any ideals?
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T
Terry
Hi John, I had an H28 shoal draft with a 110,
and if I were to do it I would stick with the 110. Its huge main, and frac rig resulted in very tender characteristics. A larger jib might make a slight difference in light winds, but IMHO would not be worth the trade off as the wind piped up. Terry
and if I were to do it I would stick with the 110. Its huge main, and frac rig resulted in very tender characteristics. A larger jib might make a slight difference in light winds, but IMHO would not be worth the trade off as the wind piped up. Terry
R
Rick Belisle
150 & CRUISING CHUTE
I have an '88 28.5. I have a 150 which I use 95% of the time. It's GREAT! Makes the boat go like stink! We use the 'chute when we cruise. The 150 does not get overpowered too easily..up to 18 kts true and she's fine.
I have an '88 28.5. I have a 150 which I use 95% of the time. It's GREAT! Makes the boat go like stink! We use the 'chute when we cruise. The 150 does not get overpowered too easily..up to 18 kts true and she's fine.
J
John
150
I woud definitly go with the 150 or you will be left in the dust. I would also recommend a mitre cut if it is going to roller furling. Reef the main first. By the way, I believe Terry was speaking of the 28 which was a fractional rig. The 28.5 is a masthead rig and derives its power from the headsail.
I woud definitly go with the 150 or you will be left in the dust. I would also recommend a mitre cut if it is going to roller furling. Reef the main first. By the way, I believe Terry was speaking of the 28 which was a fractional rig. The 28.5 is a masthead rig and derives its power from the headsail.
T
ted
I just bought new sails
John, I have 86 25.5. I just bought a new main and headsail. A word of caution make sure that the 150% will fit your boat. I first wanted a 155% but that size of sail will not fit on my hunter. The largest sail I could run on my stock jib track was a 133%. I had the head sail made from pentex and the main made from top grade cloth. Both sails are tri-radial cut and the main is a loose foot. I sailed on them for the first time last Sunday. Boy do they sail SWEEEET! If I had to do over again I would go ahead and cough up the extra $$$ for a pentex main. tedl
John, I have 86 25.5. I just bought a new main and headsail. A word of caution make sure that the 150% will fit your boat. I first wanted a 155% but that size of sail will not fit on my hunter. The largest sail I could run on my stock jib track was a 133%. I had the head sail made from pentex and the main made from top grade cloth. Both sails are tri-radial cut and the main is a loose foot. I sailed on them for the first time last Sunday. Boy do they sail SWEEEET! If I had to do over again I would go ahead and cough up the extra $$$ for a pentex main. tedl
J
Jim A
K
ken matejka
several considerations
Having just purchased a new headsail a just finished making this decision about 2-3 weeks ago. The first thing you must consider is how strong is the wind in your area. If the average is 14 or below I would definately get a 155--the most sail you can have without being penalized. Having said that, a few qualifiers---1)First and foremost you need a sail with minimal stretch since more sail cloth(155 -vs-110) equals more stretch(will lose its forward driving shape and develop more heeling shape) and you need a flat sail on the 28.5 which is somewhat tender. I went with a carbon fiber tape drive from UK sails which was about 900 bucks more than a normal dacron RF sail, for this reason. Also, carbon fiber tapes lend themselves very well to the RF application since the main enemy of carbon tapes is folding(carbon is impervious to UV) and you will never be folding the sail, only rolling. The carbon tapes will never stretch, thus, the sail will hold its shape to the end. Also, I put a light weight tafetta on the side opposite the carbon tapes to aid in durability which adds only minimal shape to the sail and I do not have many light air days anyway. 2)Secondly, I had the sailmaker cut the sail aboout 10% flatter than usual to reduce the amount of heeling in heavier wind conditions, thus extending my wind range before having to reef the sail. Remember that a reefed headsail(despite the foam luff) is far less efficient than a non-reefed sail of equal size. The foam luff helps retain some flatness, but the foil shape that the sailmaker cuts into the sail is rolled up when the sail is reefed only 20%. Having the sail cut a little flatter will decrease the power of the sail in lighter air, but by decreasing tension on the backstay I can add some draft. Having said all this, I went with a 145 on my 28.5 since wind here averages 15-20 and also because I have a full batten main with tapered battens and didn't want to crowd the slot. I have sailed with the sail only twice. today the true wind was 16 knots and the boat was well balanced (12 degrees of heel) with no reef in either sail. I think in heavier air I will try reefing the main first but have not had the opportunity to try this yet. Also, I think moving the lead to the toe rail my also help in depowering. My boat is deep draft but I don't really think that matters in you decision--what's good is good. Hope this helps a little, I know it is a tough decision. Bottom line is to speak with several lofts, find the guys that help the most and go for it after careful planning.
Having just purchased a new headsail a just finished making this decision about 2-3 weeks ago. The first thing you must consider is how strong is the wind in your area. If the average is 14 or below I would definately get a 155--the most sail you can have without being penalized. Having said that, a few qualifiers---1)First and foremost you need a sail with minimal stretch since more sail cloth(155 -vs-110) equals more stretch(will lose its forward driving shape and develop more heeling shape) and you need a flat sail on the 28.5 which is somewhat tender. I went with a carbon fiber tape drive from UK sails which was about 900 bucks more than a normal dacron RF sail, for this reason. Also, carbon fiber tapes lend themselves very well to the RF application since the main enemy of carbon tapes is folding(carbon is impervious to UV) and you will never be folding the sail, only rolling. The carbon tapes will never stretch, thus, the sail will hold its shape to the end. Also, I put a light weight tafetta on the side opposite the carbon tapes to aid in durability which adds only minimal shape to the sail and I do not have many light air days anyway. 2)Secondly, I had the sailmaker cut the sail aboout 10% flatter than usual to reduce the amount of heeling in heavier wind conditions, thus extending my wind range before having to reef the sail. Remember that a reefed headsail(despite the foam luff) is far less efficient than a non-reefed sail of equal size. The foam luff helps retain some flatness, but the foil shape that the sailmaker cuts into the sail is rolled up when the sail is reefed only 20%. Having the sail cut a little flatter will decrease the power of the sail in lighter air, but by decreasing tension on the backstay I can add some draft. Having said all this, I went with a 145 on my 28.5 since wind here averages 15-20 and also because I have a full batten main with tapered battens and didn't want to crowd the slot. I have sailed with the sail only twice. today the true wind was 16 knots and the boat was well balanced (12 degrees of heel) with no reef in either sail. I think in heavier air I will try reefing the main first but have not had the opportunity to try this yet. Also, I think moving the lead to the toe rail my also help in depowering. My boat is deep draft but I don't really think that matters in you decision--what's good is good. Hope this helps a little, I know it is a tough decision. Bottom line is to speak with several lofts, find the guys that help the most and go for it after careful planning.
J
John
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