Suggestions for Sailmaker for replacement genoa for Catalina 27

[gavinbailey]

Hi,

I may be in the market for a new 150% furling Genoa for my std rig Catalina 27 if my existing sail cannot be repaired.

There's a 3ft rip along the stitching line on the leech where the sunbrella sunshade has been switched on and the stitching in general needs repair.

Barring anyone that has a suitable sail that they would like to sell, any strong opinions on reccomended sailmakers?

I'm not looking to spend a fortune but would like a decent sail and loan on keeping the boat for the long term. My current mainsail is from North Sails which I think has a good reputation.

Views welcome!

Gavin.

 

[weinie]

I had very good sails made from FX sails for my Catalina 27 about 6 years ago. The price was great and the sails were quite good. Originally, I had ordered a main and 150 genoa and a sail cover. Next year I bought a 135 genoa and spinnaker from them. When I had issues with the sail cover size they went above and beyond to get it fixed.
I believe Bill James was the rep who handled everything for me.
If I was going for high performance, I'd go to a brick and mortar sail loft. But for basic day sailing, I was more than pleased with the price and the product.

 

[gavinbailey]

Weinie, thanks. Did you find the 150% Genoa too large? I've not sailed the boat yet so am open to recommendations on sail size....

 

[Kermit]

Bill James at fxsails.com made my asymmetrical spinnaker. I'm very pleased with it. I would also highly recommend the good folks right here at sailboatowners.com.

 

[weinie]

The CDI furler sucks ass in that you pretty much have to pick a sail and stick with it for a large part of the season. It's too much of a bitch to swap sails regularly.
That being said, I found the 135 much more useful. Obviously, in winds greater than 12 knots where you would definitely have to reef the 150 upwind, the 135 shined. But even in light winds on mid summer days, the 135 performed well as it held it's shape well as opposed to the heavier 150 which flopped around.
Go with the 135 if you have to choose. Also, consider a spinnaker for downwind fun.

 

[gavinbailey]

Weinie, that sounds like good advice. Thanks.

 

[weinie]

One other thing...
Sail handling is much easier with the small sail which is great if single handing it. Especially in really light winds when it can get hung up on the shrouds while tacking. Visibility is also better of course.

The 27 has a long fairlead track which can accommodate headsails of various sizes. Take advantage of this and make sure to adjust your fairleads accordingly.

 

[The Garbone]

Ask around the marina and see if you can find a local loft.

We have used our local loft for small repairs (sunbrella flogging off) on two separate headsails and he made us a main sail. It is nice to have the resource nearby and you never know, you local loft may be able to cut your 150 down to a 135 and save you some money.

 

[gavinbailey]

That's a very good point. I had assumed that my existing sail was a 150 however I'll need to measure it to check that's the case. If it is then I might investigate getting it cut down to a 135 as the rest of the sail is in decent condition.

 

[Alansails]

We sail on Lake Erie and just had a new head sail made-original sail came with the boat and after much discussion with Al Declercg at North Sails Detroit, who has made many sails for us for previous boats, he suggested we go again with a 135 RF headsail instead of the 150 I wanted. Very sage advice and he continues to be our trusted choice. We are pleased with the looks and quality of the final product.