Original sails

dlochner · Oct 7, 2020

Xstream said:
Bought a 1988 Hunter 26.5. All sails seem to be original to the boat: Main plus 100, 125, 150% plus a storm jib (hardly used). What will I gain from new sails? Should I buy a furler and put a 135% on it? Or stay with hank on sails? Might do some KBRS sailing. Thoughts?

Congratulations on your new boat.

New sails will make your boat sail faster, sail closer to the wind, and heel less.

Whether you should go with a 150 or a 135 really depends on the sailing conditions in your area and your intentions, racing, day sailing, cruising.

Roller furling is a big convenience and removes an obstacle to going sailing, i.e., hanking on the sails each time you go out and flaking them when you return. It's not much work, adds may be 10 minutes of work on each end of the excursion.

shemandr · Oct 7, 2020

KBRS sailing?
I might go for a new main and a working jib on a furler. I'm fine with hank ons and they have some advantages but I don't think in most recreational sailing today that changing sails mid sail is viable.
I've posted before that a quality jib bag which protects your jib from UV can be almost as easy as a furler - and without a lot of expense.
But back to your question: Good sails make sailing fun. Sailing is a kinetic sport. You're supposed to be moving. The keel and rudder don't work if you are not moving - leading to frustration. If you want a boat to go out and anchor to swim you probably don't need new sails - there is nothing wrong with that. You need to know the reason you're going out. Quiet cove? Fishing? But if it's sailing try to get the best sails you can.

higgs · Oct 7, 2020

I used hank on sails for many years. You want a furler.

tfox2069 · Oct 8, 2020

You haven't mentioned the physical condition of the 32-year-old sails. How is the stitching? UV degradation of the fabric? Are there any areas that need patching? How is the integrity of the leech line and any other sail shape control lines on the sails? What's the shape of the hardware attached to the head, clew, etc, is it corroded or loose in anyway? No doubt you'd benefit from having a loft go over the sails and make any immediate repairs necessary to keep the sails functioning. You may even consider getting them washed/cleaned properly as well. They are the primary engine for your boat, so definitely worth spending some coin on to ensure they'll be reliable.

Still, unless they're miraculously barely used and still have shape in them you'll really REALLY benefit from a new set of sails on the boat. A 135 with a foam luff on a furler has always been a good compromise for me here on the Chesapeake bay. Plenty of sail for low wind days; still pretty good shape after rolling in 1/3 of it with a foam luff. I had a 155% on a Catalina 27 years ago, which lost a lot of shape and efficiency rolling up - even with a foam luff - and unbalanced the boat in any substantial wind.

Have fun!

Justin_NSA · Oct 8, 2020

shemandr said:
KBRS sailing?

Keel Boat Racing Squadron. It's a Ninnescah Sailing Association thing. I need to meet Xstream if I haven't already

JerryA · Oct 8, 2020

I suggest taking the sails to a loft to have them checked out. They can give you an opinion as to the condition. They might even be able to cut & reshape for a fraction of the cost of new if you want to get some more life out of them while you save for nice sails.

Kings Gambit · Oct 8, 2020

Xstream said:
Bought a 1988 Hunter 26.5. All sails seem to be original to the boat: Main plus 100, 125, 150% plus a storm jib (hardly used). What will I gain from new sails? Should I buy a furler and put a 135% on it? Or stay with hank on sails? Might do some KBRS sailing. Thoughts?

You don’t mention your sailing history. If this is your first boat and you are new to sailing, IMO you should sail the boat for a while, a few months, before finalizing a decision to swap out the sails, or not. Instead of taking the sails to the loft, ask one of the sail makers to come out with you for an assessment.

shemandr · Oct 8, 2020

OK, you want to race. It usually takes a few seasons to get used to your boat and the local conditions. I'd probably take a season doing that - you won't be on the podium, but you'll learn what you need. Then have a talk with a sail maker and get new.
It's not that hard to find a boat for sale with "Like new sails." I'm always tempted to think this is a boat owner who thought just buying new sails was going to put him on top. And, it didn't. You'll make better buying decisions if you get to know your boat. 125% vs. 150? It's a local thing. Look at the rating delta too.

cb32863 · Oct 8, 2020

Just buy new sails. Those old ones are not going to do you any favors. You are going to hate racing with blown out old sails and hate sailing with them. Trust me... "These sails are serviceable" or "Sails are like new" only means that sure you can raise them and they will fill in breeze but, they will suck for actual sailing.

As for racing, you will have more fun with new sails and your boat will actually sail and handle well. Others on the course will appreciate that. Racing is very humbling as well, if you think you are a good sailor and then start racing, well, your eyes will be opened wide my friend. Learn the rules, read the SI's and NOR's, talk with other people that race in the series' that you want to do.

All of the above gleaned from personal experiences.

dlochner · Oct 8, 2020

In areas where boats travel to regattas, old sails are often used as delivery sails with the new sails used solely on the race course. This helps to extend the life of the sails. Some sailors have 3 sets of sails, a really old set for deliveries, a moderately old set for local club racing, and regatta sails. As the newest sails age and are replaced, they move down the list until they take up residence in a landfill.

Sailing with new sails is way more fun than sailing with old blown out sails. The issue with old sails is not just the stitching, the fabric also wears and stretches distorting the shape of the sail. Distorted sail shape makes proper sail trim extremely difficult or impossible. This impacts your learning properly trim sails which will affect your performance on the race course, which will affect your ability to get crew and down the rabbit hole you go.

When I replace my sails, I keep the old ones as back ups. If something should happen to the good sails, they need repair or go overboard, I have a sail that I can use until the better ones come back from the loft.

Kings Gambit · Oct 8, 2020

Sorry, cb, but I’m more cautious, financially, getting into a new sport. I’ve seen many examples of foolish, as I see it, leaps into the unknown sport. People who take a dive course and then buy $2,000 to $3,000 (at least) of new dive gear for maybe a few months of intermittent diving, then quit. Just look at how much dive stuff is for sale. Same with skiing, and even sailing. Explore the sport some before committing to more big expenditures, etc.

Justin_NSA · Oct 8, 2020

Tired sails may make our high Kansas winds harder to control. Not able to flatten them. A traveler would help.

JRacer · Oct 8, 2020

Xstream said:
Bought a 1988 Hunter 26.5. All sails seem to be original to the boat: Main plus 100, 125, 150% plus a storm jib (hardly used). What will I gain from new sails? Should I buy a furler and put a 135% on it? Or stay with hank on sails? Might do some KBRS sailing. Thoughts?

Buy new sails! I can recommend a sailmaker, Justin can too, I'm sure. Furler vs hank on. Hank on will be better for sail shape and performance. Furler will be better for convenience and being able to more easily shorten or lengthen sail with our winds. Occasional racing, I'd probably do the furler. -- Fitz

Justin_NSA · Oct 8, 2020

Xstream said:
See you at the board meeting, tonight!

I still need to fix that dock board!

dlochner · Oct 9, 2020

Xstream said:
Okay. A little background here: I live in Kansas and sail at Cheney Reservoir which has a well deserved reputation for relatively high winds. I have been sailing since 1986. Had a Laser, Chrysler Mutineer, Prindle 16, Schock 2023R, Sea Pearl trimaran, S2 7.3 with saildrive, Windrider 17 trimaran. This Hunter has been a project boat for the past 10 years and was put on the front burner after I sold the S2 in March of 2019. I had put a CDI furler on the S2 a year before I sold it, but forgot to give the old sails to the new owner so I have several hank on sails to choose from, but they are all old. The previous owner of this boat did purchase a set of Nuclear sails and they have been under wraps all this time. I have not bent them on yet to see what happens, they might explode in a fresh breeze!
Thanks for everyone's comments. I will probably bite the bullet and buy a furler, new main and a 125% or so genoa with a foam luff.

Thanks for the background, it always helps when responding to questions.

jssailem · Oct 9, 2020

@Xstream sounds like your project boat is nearing the point in time when you want to dress her up.
You asked,

Xstream said:
What will I gain from new sails? Should I buy a furler and put a 135% on it? Or stay with hank on sails?

New sails give the boat the power to move like a new boat.
Furlers make it easy to use the foresail.
Hank on sails are work. They are said to give the foresail a better, cleaner entry into the wind.
Most boat owners prefer the furler as it gives them a varied foresail size without having to have multiple bags of different sized sails.

Original sails

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