The joys of knowing who sews your sails

Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I posted in the winter thread that I try and have a new sail made every winter. Not only do you get a much better deal, but you are in no rush to get it. If your sail-maker actually MAKES the sails instead of sending the order form to China, you can get daily pictorial updates. It also helps make sure nothing is wrong. He is my new 1.5oz reacher being made. We caught an error in the sizing before it was too late and cost us just a few days and no real money. Its fun watching them come together. Maker is Somerset Sail in New York. They make everything there.

Human and computer plotter draw the sail
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the panels marks and rolled
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Let put this together!
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Clew and half the foot and luff
reacher (1).jpg


Head. Notice the narrow panels, designed to take lots of load.

reacher (2).jpg
 
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D

dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
12,739
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
JD,
Somerset is just down the road, well 140 miles down the road, but I've never heard of them. I take it you are happy with their work and price?
 
dziedzicmj

dziedzicmj

.
Aug 13, 2012
533
Catalina 270 Ottawa
+1 for Somerset Sails. Great craftsmanship and very decent prices. But the best part was that Martin was ready to spend hours on the phone discussing sail details (including what I was going to use the sails for, where I am sailing, how I would use them etc., etc.). This helped narrowing down what i wanted and what was the best fit for my needs. Good stuff.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
dlochner said:
JD,
Somerset is just down the road, well 140 miles down the road, but I've never heard of them. I take it you are happy with their work and price?
Click to expand
Yep. I think this is the 6th sail he has made for BlueJ. That says a lot. The prices are very reasonable, and the quality is good. The best if you know exactly what you want he will make exactly that.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
dziedzicmj said:
+1 for Somerset Sails. Great craftsmanship and very decent prices. But the best part was that Martin was ready to spend hours on the phone discussing sail details.
Click to expand
LOL before I call him, I set a timer. Otherwise we will talk about sails ALL DAY.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
dlochner said:
So, if I'm interested in a quote, I should email him not call him?
Click to expand
No you can do either. But you'll end up talking, it saves about 100 emails. I always make sure to send final summary email to him to make sure we are all on the same page.

Like this:
-------------
Tri-radial construction 1.50 oz AirX rip-stop
REACHING/ HEAVY AIR spinnaker
Flat crown profile and narrower shoulders starting taper at the mid-girth
Cut for above use, same size as last one you made for me :34.5 hoist x 17.5 foot
Round SS 2-inch rings at corners, webbed on with 4 straps. Red, green, white luff tapes
Solid BLACK - White sail numbers '5443' both sides 16 inches tall
Mid-girth row of telltails spaced across the width of the sail on the inside and outside
Rectangular launch bag with velcro opening and SS lifeline attach clips.
 
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Apex

Apex

.
Jun 19, 2013
1,211
C&C 30 Elk Rapids
hmmm, did you think about starting the taper at 2/3rd girth? That allows a slightly wider shoulder with the same flat crown.......'



lol just jokin' Sounds like a nice spin
 
Hayden Watson

Hayden Watson

.
Apr 5, 2009
3,083
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
It is fine to talk to your sail maker on the phone but I sleep with mine. :dancing: :redface:
I do not need to worry about waiting until she gets around to my sails. One Friday afternoon I was delivering Papillon in preparation for a distance race start at 8:00 a.m. the next morning. coming out from behind an island, we had a bad broach which tore the spinnaker from head to center of star. Instead of going to the pre-race dinner, Sue took the sail home and had it repaired by bedtime. She is the Queen! :yeah:
:worship:
 
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Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Apex said:
hmmm, did you think about starting the taper at 2/3rd girth? That allows a slightly wider shoulder with the same flat crown.......'
Click to expand
;^)

Because we're a non-overlapping boat, we try and fly a kite whenever we can, sometimes at crazy reaching angles. The taper (which actually starts BELOW the mid) makes sure the luff the sail does not roll over due to being backwinded when the AW is way forward. When that happens you have to turn way down to get it to pop back into shape.

Here we are doing 6 knots, trying to use our runner as a big blue genoa.

reaching.jpg
 
agprice22

agprice22

.
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
Ugh! I am drooling... I want a Code 0 for my Tri.
 
D

dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
12,739
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Jackdaw said:
;^)

Because we're a non-overlapping boat, we try and fly a kite whenever we can, sometimes at crazy reaching angles. The taper (which actually starts BELOW the mid) makes sure the luff the sail does not roll over due to being backwinded when the AW is way forward. When that happens you have to turn way down to get it to pop back into shape.

Here we are doing 6 knots, trying to use our runner as a big blue genoa.

View attachment 146351
Click to expand
Wouldn't that be like an old Star cut spinnaker?
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
dlochner said:
Wouldn't that be like an old Star cut spinnaker?
Click to expand
Sorta. They are very similar and both are often used in reaching sails. Tri-radial has become more common in the era of computer designed cut patterns.
 
rpwillia

rpwillia

.
Sep 29, 2008
1,936
Catalina 310 #185 Quantico
Funny timing Jackdaw. I almost used Somerset when I replaced my jib and have been considering having them make a code 0 for me. A couple I know and trust have had nothing but good to say about them.
 
Apex

Apex

.
Jun 19, 2013
1,211
C&C 30 Elk Rapids
Vivienne will use an a-sail flown from the pole, the pole set almost deck level. Do you have an a-sym JD? Can you lower the spin pole anymore?
 
agprice22

agprice22

.
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
Well, I do not put a lot of stock in BBB ratings, but the owner’s answers to the negative reviews seem unnecessarily argumentative and even directly demeaning of his ex-customers. I would want an owner of a business to write that he had done all he could to satisfy the customer.

Happily, Jackdaw’s experience has been only positive.
 
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jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
22,790
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
@Captmayhem I will let you know. I sent them an email request for a new cruising main sail yesterday.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Apex said:
Vivienne will use an a-sail flown from the pole, the pole set almost deck level. Do you have an a-sym JD? Can you lower the spin pole anymore?
Click to expand
Great point.

We do actually, and have flown it from the pole when reaching. But only in practice, not a race. That's because they are not easy to gybe unless you are set up for it. The French (who else?) have mastered a way to do it originally created for short handed racing called ASOP (Asymmetrical Spinnaker Oversized Pole) that I've done on a SunFast 3200 and its the bomb. But you gotta be set up for it, and a prodder helps!

If I was doing distance racing then I would set up for this and do ONLY this. Asyms are faster on a pole than a symmetrical on most posts of sail
 
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