New sails for 27

[freitknecht]

Seeking advice for a new sail for my 27. Full battens vs partial? 2+2, 3+1, or 4 full. Local sailmaker suggested 3+1. I mostly sail single-handed on Cayuga Lake. I read all the previous threads and wonder if there is any further thoughts. Thanks.

[adamganz]

I went through the same deliberation two seasons ago and opted in the end for a fully battened main.

On the pro side:
-sail takes shape and propels boat in light winds
-easier to reef in strong winds
-sail flogs less
-I'm able to point higher, but this would be true of any new sail.
-easier to flake

Cons (ignoring the fact that fully battened sials are more expensive):
-often get caught when hoisting
-similar issues when dropping sail
-i can see already that the batten pockets and cars are wearing and will need work in a season or two.

I'm super happy with my sails and would choose a fully battened main if i had to do it over again. The only change I'd make is opting for a loose footed sail

Adam

[mgphl52]

I agree with Adam completely, except on the loose foot... I went loose-foot to begin with.
KAYLA is still sailing well with the full-batten, loose-foot main I put on her in 2002.
Did have some repair work done after a couple of seasons of heavy racing.
When I do replace it, it'll be full & loose again.

PS: We sail year-round down here...

[tjr818]

We went with the 2+2 for Slainte. We have the same problems with the battens getting caught on the lazy jacks, hoisting and lowering. We went lose footed for the sail before this one and for this one. We prefer loose footed. This decision will depend entirley on the type of sailing you do. Half of our sailing distance daysailing is always beating to windward, since we are not racing we don't mind loosing a degree or two of pointing ability. I would love to see a comparison of the performance differences between the five possible arrangements. If Iwere to do it again I might try going without any full battens at all.

[freitknecht]

Thanks for the replies. I think that I am going to with the full battens after talking further with the local sailmaker about the type of sailing that I do. I plan to get a new traveler and mainsheet tackle as well. From previous threads, it seems that Garhauer may be a good choice. Any other recommendations?
Thanks, Felice

[mgphl52]

For many years n ow, Garhauer Marine is my first go-to for blocks.
I have been fighting myself over adding a rigid vang to KAYLA to
remove the need for a topping lift. My concern is restricting how
much the salon hatch can open vs proper angle for the vang...

On a side subject, I have attached a spreadsheet for 'raw' PHRF
calculations that also has estimated sheet loads to assist with
selection of blocks and sheets. Not sure if the attachment will be
available yet... If not and you are interested, let me know.

[mgphl52]

well... poop... looks like you cannot attach spreadsheet files...
If you want a copy, pm an email address to me and I'll send it to you.

[tjr818]

For many years n ow, Garhauer Marine is my first go-to for blocks.
I have been fighting myself over adding a rigid vang to KAYLA to
remove the need for a topping lift. My concern is restricting how
much the salon hatch can open vs proper angle for the vang...

On a side subject, I have attached a spreadsheet for 'raw' PHRF
calculations that also has estimated sheet loads to assist with
selection of blocks and sheets. Not sure if the attachment will be
available yet... If not and you are interested, let me know.

The Garhauer rigid vang is probably the very best improvement that we have made to Slainte. Although we do use it to flatten the sail when the wind picks up, it keeps the boom down when running down wind and, most importantly, it keeps me from dropping the boom on my First Mate's head. The second best improvement has been the Tidesmarine Strongtrack.