Apart from the obvious difference in materials, are there other things that make racing sails different that cruising sails? Chris Boston
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Who want's to sail slow???
Sailmaker's usually sell a sail for everyone. So if a guy call's that is a cruiser and never plans to race he might buy a plain Jane Sail. On a Main this could be a sail with hardly no roach and 1 reef but would not have a cunning ham draft stripes and made out of Dacron. On a Racing Sail it would have a cunning ham a draft stripes and made from a high tech cloth and lots of Roach. The high tec cloth is really where it is all at. This sail would be allot faster then the crusing sail because of more sail area, more ways to adjust the sail and will not stretch. Take a UK Tape Drive 155 vs a Dacron Sail for a Hunter 28.5. With the Tape Drive I will be able to point a little higher because the Tape Drive will not stretch when we get hit with a puff. The Tape Drive will be lighter and will not absorb water if it get's wet. With the Tape Drive I will not have to stretch the sail to move the draft forward like the Dacron. On the Tape Drive the shape is built into the sail and will not stretch. With a Crusing Dacron Sail the sail will have stretched by the end of the seson and will just keep stretching. When this has happened the boat will now heal more because the draft of the sail has moved aft and the sail is being distorted. So much of the time a person might say " I am not a racer so why buy racing type sail's" My ansewer for this is, who wants to sail slow? When we do our 2 week vaction on our boat getting another knot of boat speed out of the boat means more distance we can sail on our trip. It could mean the an extra 10 miles for the same time sailed on a passage or it could mean beating to weather with a very very unhappy wife with the boat healing way past her comfort level. When you have a stretched out 110 up with the rail in the water going slow or a high teck sail up that does not stretch blasting to windward and a happy wife. Buying sail's is not cheap and the bigger the boat the more they cost. This is one reason I am keeping my Hunter 28.5. I can afford sail's for it but could not for a 35. It would be real nice if a person could test drive sail's for ther boat. I think after they say the difference between a laminate sail vs a Dacron Sail they would finally see the difference and the light bulb would go off. A few times I have seen a bigger boat sailing the same course as us and over time we are able to sail up under them and pass them. Now we are a smaller boat and since I race I have some knoledge of what boats I can sail with. As we get closer I am able to see the skipper tweeking looking for more boat speed. But he is trying it with 20 year old Dacron Sail's. I am able to sail past him only because the difference is our sail's. The PHRF Number say's he is faster and I know other thing come into it. The Dacron Sail's will out last the Laminate sail in time, but the shape of the Dacron Sail will be gone for year's and will still be used. I have seen allot of boats that have allot of stuff on the boat like the fold up bikes and allot of comfort stuff that cost allot of $$ and they have 20 year old Dacron Sail's. The sail's are the engine of the boat and are allot of the time over looked. Cliff
Sailmaker's usually sell a sail for everyone. So if a guy call's that is a cruiser and never plans to race he might buy a plain Jane Sail. On a Main this could be a sail with hardly no roach and 1 reef but would not have a cunning ham draft stripes and made out of Dacron. On a Racing Sail it would have a cunning ham a draft stripes and made from a high tech cloth and lots of Roach. The high tec cloth is really where it is all at. This sail would be allot faster then the crusing sail because of more sail area, more ways to adjust the sail and will not stretch. Take a UK Tape Drive 155 vs a Dacron Sail for a Hunter 28.5. With the Tape Drive I will be able to point a little higher because the Tape Drive will not stretch when we get hit with a puff. The Tape Drive will be lighter and will not absorb water if it get's wet. With the Tape Drive I will not have to stretch the sail to move the draft forward like the Dacron. On the Tape Drive the shape is built into the sail and will not stretch. With a Crusing Dacron Sail the sail will have stretched by the end of the seson and will just keep stretching. When this has happened the boat will now heal more because the draft of the sail has moved aft and the sail is being distorted. So much of the time a person might say " I am not a racer so why buy racing type sail's" My ansewer for this is, who wants to sail slow? When we do our 2 week vaction on our boat getting another knot of boat speed out of the boat means more distance we can sail on our trip. It could mean the an extra 10 miles for the same time sailed on a passage or it could mean beating to weather with a very very unhappy wife with the boat healing way past her comfort level. When you have a stretched out 110 up with the rail in the water going slow or a high teck sail up that does not stretch blasting to windward and a happy wife. Buying sail's is not cheap and the bigger the boat the more they cost. This is one reason I am keeping my Hunter 28.5. I can afford sail's for it but could not for a 35. It would be real nice if a person could test drive sail's for ther boat. I think after they say the difference between a laminate sail vs a Dacron Sail they would finally see the difference and the light bulb would go off. A few times I have seen a bigger boat sailing the same course as us and over time we are able to sail up under them and pass them. Now we are a smaller boat and since I race I have some knoledge of what boats I can sail with. As we get closer I am able to see the skipper tweeking looking for more boat speed. But he is trying it with 20 year old Dacron Sail's. I am able to sail past him only because the difference is our sail's. The PHRF Number say's he is faster and I know other thing come into it. The Dacron Sail's will out last the Laminate sail in time, but the shape of the Dacron Sail will be gone for year's and will still be used. I have seen allot of boats that have allot of stuff on the boat like the fold up bikes and allot of comfort stuff that cost allot of $$ and they have 20 year old Dacron Sail's. The sail's are the engine of the boat and are allot of the time over looked. Cliff
Racing vs Cruising Sails ??
Truly there is no such animal as the two 'types' of sails. Sails come in Good, Better, and Best. The best designed sails made from the least stretchy material perform the best under wider wind conditions and as a result are faster, point higher, and heel the least amount, sure because they are more efficient. The others sacrifice efficient design and quality of material for the sake of price. A true sailor wants the best performance out of his sails, otherwise why bother sailing. The difference is racing sailors are not willing to give up the performance, cruisers are for the sake of price. Dacron sails will not last forever. They wont even last a few years where shape is the deciding factor. Sure you can continue to use them, you can also drive on bald tires. Bald tires work, the car moves but that's about it.
Truly there is no such animal as the two 'types' of sails. Sails come in Good, Better, and Best. The best designed sails made from the least stretchy material perform the best under wider wind conditions and as a result are faster, point higher, and heel the least amount, sure because they are more efficient. The others sacrifice efficient design and quality of material for the sake of price. A true sailor wants the best performance out of his sails, otherwise why bother sailing. The difference is racing sailors are not willing to give up the performance, cruisers are for the sake of price. Dacron sails will not last forever. They wont even last a few years where shape is the deciding factor. Sure you can continue to use them, you can also drive on bald tires. Bald tires work, the car moves but that's about it.
Anyone know where I can...
get one of those "Drink Slow, Sail Fast" t-shirts? Or is it "Drink Fast, Sail Slow." Oh I don't know. Never mind Markdb
get one of those "Drink Slow, Sail Fast" t-shirts? Or is it "Drink Fast, Sail Slow." Oh I don't know. Never mind Markdb
Racing vs Cruising Sails
Chris, The first thing we ask people when they inquire about new sails is "What are you giong to use the sail for?". There are many answers to this question but a basic distinction is made between racing and cruising sails. While the purpose of a racing sail is obvious, there is a myriad of definitions to the term "cruising". It can vary from day sailing to coastal trip-making to blue water passagemaking across long distances. The sailmaker's job is to tailor the sail to the client's needs. No type of sail is for everyone. Let's start with racing sails because they are the easiest to define. Racing sails have a basic purpose: To generate the most speed possible in the widest range of possible conditions. For this reason racing sails are always built to maximum size and minimum weight within a given set of rules. The assumption is that the boat has as many sail/rig controls as possible and that a sufficient number of crew is on board to handle these controls. Also it is assumed that the crew will be couterbalancing the power developed by the sailplan by hiking on the rail etc. The sails are designed to be powerful in light condition and depowered in heavy air. Multiple headsails are used so that the boat can always have the optimum sail combination flying in a given wind/sea condition. The mainsails are generally designed with a full roach and enough luff curve to accomodate maximum mast bend. Inshore race mains are rarely reefed and often don't have a reef at all. Rig tension on race boats is generally higher so genoas are designed to match tighter headstays. Racing sails need sail numbers while cruising sails do not. Cruising sails, on the other hand are designed to make sailing easy and fun with a minimum of effort and crew. Durability is more important than overall weight and low stretch. Usually only one headsail is used, often on a roller furler. It needs to work well in a wider range so a compromise is made in size and shape. It usually incorporates a UV cover and a luff pad. Cruising mains are generally designed flatter with less luff curve than racing mains since the crew is usually smaller and not required to hike on the rail, and backstays aren't adjusted as actively if at all. For this reason also they are designed with a more moderate roach. Multiple reefs are installed with intermediate reef points. You almost never see a cruising main with a bolt rope on the luff instead of slides because ease of flaking is a priority for the cruiser. All of these things are intended to make the cruiser's life easier and more enjoyable. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
Chris, The first thing we ask people when they inquire about new sails is "What are you giong to use the sail for?". There are many answers to this question but a basic distinction is made between racing and cruising sails. While the purpose of a racing sail is obvious, there is a myriad of definitions to the term "cruising". It can vary from day sailing to coastal trip-making to blue water passagemaking across long distances. The sailmaker's job is to tailor the sail to the client's needs. No type of sail is for everyone. Let's start with racing sails because they are the easiest to define. Racing sails have a basic purpose: To generate the most speed possible in the widest range of possible conditions. For this reason racing sails are always built to maximum size and minimum weight within a given set of rules. The assumption is that the boat has as many sail/rig controls as possible and that a sufficient number of crew is on board to handle these controls. Also it is assumed that the crew will be couterbalancing the power developed by the sailplan by hiking on the rail etc. The sails are designed to be powerful in light condition and depowered in heavy air. Multiple headsails are used so that the boat can always have the optimum sail combination flying in a given wind/sea condition. The mainsails are generally designed with a full roach and enough luff curve to accomodate maximum mast bend. Inshore race mains are rarely reefed and often don't have a reef at all. Rig tension on race boats is generally higher so genoas are designed to match tighter headstays. Racing sails need sail numbers while cruising sails do not. Cruising sails, on the other hand are designed to make sailing easy and fun with a minimum of effort and crew. Durability is more important than overall weight and low stretch. Usually only one headsail is used, often on a roller furler. It needs to work well in a wider range so a compromise is made in size and shape. It usually incorporates a UV cover and a luff pad. Cruising mains are generally designed flatter with less luff curve than racing mains since the crew is usually smaller and not required to hike on the rail, and backstays aren't adjusted as actively if at all. For this reason also they are designed with a more moderate roach. Multiple reefs are installed with intermediate reef points. You almost never see a cruising main with a bolt rope on the luff instead of slides because ease of flaking is a priority for the cruiser. All of these things are intended to make the cruiser's life easier and more enjoyable. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
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