Q for Non-racers: How many days per year do you sail? and how old are your sails?

dLj

dLj

.
Mar 23, 2017
3,414
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
DrJudyB said:
464 hours, or 58 "typical days of 8 hours each" is a lot of sailing in one season.
That's alot more hours than many of us get!

(PS, I'd suggest that you consider getting laminate cruising sails or a hybrid dacron tri-radial next time you get sails. They cost maybe 1.5 times as much, but they will hold an almost new shape at least twice as long. Those are very rough estimates, but you get my point.)
Click to expand
I used to have my boat walking distance from my house in a region with 12 months a year sailing. I now have my boat a 4 hour drive away so only get to sail weekends and when I take vacation to do longer trips. And my season is May 15th to October 15th. Going from being able to jump on the boat and head out for a couple hours several times a week, with weekends etc. year round, I feel deprived... LOL...

This coming season, I may have the good fortune to take a nice multi-week trip and may be able to work from my boat for the majority of the work week. Now that would be fabulous!

As far as your recommendation on sails, I would really like to consult you on the sails for my next boat. But that all in due time.

dj
 
DrJudyB

DrJudyB

.
Jun 25, 2004
1,108
Corsair F24 Mk1 003 San Francisco Bay, CA
BobbyFunn said:
I cheated and hung my main from tree in front yard. Does this count. Ill try to hoist sail tomorrow. I noticed the leading edge curls in more other pictures posted. This might be why i always have a luff bubble, when not reefed.
Click to expand

@BobbyFunn
Nope,,tying your mainsail to a tree or a fence post doesn’t show us the flying shape, .

Please follow the instructions at How to Photograph Sail Shape.
You have to be sailing close hauled in 10-15 knots of breeze, with the camera looking straight up from mid boom to the head for the analysis to be meaningful.
 
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LakeOntario270

LakeOntario270

.
Jan 4, 2013
270
Catalina 270 Rochester, NY
DrJudyB, when I see your table of Top Section, Middle, Bottom Section what units are those numbers?
What numbers should a brand new sail be?
 
thinwater

thinwater

.
Mar 26, 2011
3,410
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
How much wind makes a difference. Many never go out when it blows, others only when it's over 10 knots.
 
TomY

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,759
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
DrJudyB said:
I'm curious:

This is a poll for cruisers, daysailsors, and occassional racers. Racers treat their sails differently,

  1. How many "days" did you you sail this past year, Dec 2018 to Dec 2019? Please estimate
    1. 4-5 hours hours= half day
    2. 8 - 9 hours = 1 full day ( 8 hrs)
    3. 12 hours = 1.5 full days
    4. Offshore/24 hours = 3 full days
    5. Please estimate the number of "days" sailing this year:
      1. I am arbitrarily defining "8 hours of use" = one day of use
      2. Example total "days" this year = (Half days/2) + (full days * 1) + (12 hour days * 1.5) + (24hr days * 3)
  2. How long have you owned these sails and what are they made of?
    1. cross cut dacron,​
    2. triradial dacron,​
    3. cruising laminate,​
    4. racing laminate​
  3. Estimate how many days you sailed with these sails to date.
  4. Did you sail more or less or the same amount as the past few years?
  5. What % of your sailing time is non-racing vs W/L buoy racing?
  6. What's your latitude (because UV ages sails!)
I'll compile the results and post them.

And... if you have a picture of your mainsail taken looking up from the boom to the top, I'd be happy to analyse the shape. Please follow the instructions at
How to Photograph Sail Shape for how to take pictures.
You have to be sailing close hauled in 10-15 knots of breeze, with the camera looking straight up from mid boom to the head for the analysis to be valid.

It will be very interesting to compare the shape of the sail to the number of days used, by fabric type.

Here's what a new mainsail looks like:
Click to expand
Your post is a great way to find out what sort of time we put on our sails. I never gave it much thought.

I took an average of 5 hours per day - under sail, on the water for us. This past season, we sailed very close to home and spent 40+ days and nights onboard. We had no overnight sails, just short day hops. Knowing generally how many days we throw in at anchor only,....

1 - Season 2019: 17 (8-9hr/) days of sail use.
2 - Cross cut Dacron - 135% genoa 10 years old
- Full batten loose footed mainsail 5 years old
- Full batten loose footed mizzen sail 2 years old.
3- See below:
4- Sailed 15% more in 2018-9 season.
5- No racing on these sails.
6- 44.18 N.

3- This photo was taken in 2015. Sail ages Maine-New, Genoa 5 years of use.

Sails and telltales (1 of 1).jpg


If you are still exploring this next season, I'll try to take this same shot of these same sails with 5 years of added use. I wish I had thought of taking it this season!
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
1)
50 - half days
10 - full days
02 - long days
So to your formula 38 days

2) Racing laminate, 2 years. D-P BX10 X-tech black. 4 full battens (soft set), Tides Marine SailTrack

3) 70-80 days lifetime use

4) The same as the years before

5) Almost a perfect 50/50 split

6) Exactly 45N

Close as pic that I have accessible. Upwind TWA42ish? Windex looks like that. TWS 10 knots. Backstay on maybe 50%. Sail twisted off just a point to flatten the boat; top batten a few degrees twisted off the boom angle. Draft looks fine, I could use some cunny just to make the sail look pretty.

FF326C53-D752-4937-8A4E-AA43246C4560.jpeg
 
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B

BobbyFunn

.
Apr 16, 2017
841
Federation NCC-1701 Riverside
Even if Judy isnt able to provide personal sail comments, just seeing everyones mainsail is very helpful.

Im grocking the idea of taking these pictures sometime during each season.
 
Terry Cox

Terry Cox

.
Dec 25, 2000
5,731
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Our 1991 boat has original OEM Dacron sail material. Main has not been up in a few years, but the genoa gets an annual cruising workout. Cruise year around here so time under sail hard to estimate during the course of a year. During the season, we'll be out for two months into BC waters. One day we might do a 30 mile leg crossing Georgia Strait all under sail, while the next day we might have no wind. Both sails have had some repairs; UV cloth, leech line, cringle straps, etc.

I do have some video clips of sail shape that you can find in my DVDs published in Youtube. Might give you something to do during these winter months. Some day will need to replace these sails, but for now, with occasional repairs, they seem to do quite well. Never in much of a hurry, never raced her, just enjoy the experience of getting from one point to another by sail alone. I'm happy doing 1.5 knots over ground while waiting for a wind line to arrive, which might take awhile.

Hope to be out on the water over Christmas and will take a pic of our genoa shape if it works out. Wind a bit fickle during the winter months. Blow like stink one day, flat and calm the next.
 
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Gerard56

Gerard56

.
Dec 28, 2015
28
Beneteau Oceanis 31 Le Crouesty Brittany
The boat has been desarmed for the year, so I cannot post any picture of the sails.
I just ordered new sails for 2020 season . They wiil be laminate crusing triradial DCX from Dimension Polyant Grey colour
  1. 4-5 hours hours= half day 11
  2. 8 - 9 hours = 1 full day ( 8 hrs) 31
  3. 12 hours = 1.5 full days 2
  4. Offshore/24 hours = 3 full days
    1. About 40 days
  5. How long have you owned these sails and what are they made of?
    1. cross cut dacron, 6 seasons ELVSTROM SAILS
  6. Estimate how many days you sailed with these sails to date. 130 days
  7. Did you sail more or less or the same amount as the past few years? About same in 2018 , less the previous years
  8. What % of your sailing time is non-racing vs W/L buoy racing? 100%
  9. What's your latitude (because UV ages sails!)
 
DougM

DougM

.
Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
DrJudyB said:
I'm curious:

This is a poll for cruisers, daysailsors, and occassional racers. Racers treat their sails differently,

  1. How many "days" did you you sail this past year, Dec 2018 to Dec 2019? Please estimate
    1. 4-5 hours hours= half day =7
    2. 8 - 9 hours = 1 full day ( 8 hrs) =0
    3. 12 hours = 1.5 full days =0
    4. Offshore/24 hours = 3 full days =0
    5. Please estimate the number of "days" sailing this year:
      1. I am arbitrarily defining "8 hours of use" = one day of use
      2. Example total "days" this year = (Half days/2) + (full days * 1) + (12 hour days * 1.5) + (24hr days * 3)
  2. How long have you owned these sails and what are they made of?
    1. cross cut dacron, =OEM Dacron 14 years​
    2. triradial dacron,​
    3. cruising laminate,​
    4. racing laminate​
  3. Estimate how many days you sailed with these sails to date. = 130 days
  4. Did you sail more or less or the same amount as the past few years? = Far less... weather sucked
  5. What % of your sailing time is non-racing vs W/L buoy racing? =100%
  6. What's your latitude (because UV ages sails!) =44.24 N
I'll compile the results and post them.

And... if you have a picture of your mainsail taken looking up from the boom to the top, I'd be happy to analyse the shape. Please follow the instructions at
How to Photograph Sail Shape for how to take pictures.
You have to be sailing close hauled in 10-15 knots of breeze, with the camera looking straight up from mid boom to the head for the analysis to be valid.

It will be very interesting to compare the shape of the sail to the number of days used, by fabric type.

Here's what a new mainsail looks like:
Click to expand
 
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