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New mainsail

rickdowe2

Richard Dowe
I am purchasing a new mainsail this year and will have a local make it for me. Is there anything that I should consider adding/removing from the sail. I plan on using the original slides,it would be great to install a fast track but not in the budget.
 
I like a loose footed mains. Toughest decision is sail cloth. Just received a new 125 roller furling jib from Precision Sails in British Columbia. it's raining today so I can't get out to the boat for a hoist. I'll try and post some pic's later. I like local guys but they are priced above my pay grade.
 
My fast track is one of the best boat bucks i ever spent . I release that mast mounted rope clutch and the main falls down in a flash ! And to put the main up , my wife loves her two speed self tailing Anderson winch .
 
The tides track is more than nice, it makes managing the sail far easier. I can completely raise the main without the winch, and only put the halyard on the winch to set the luff tension. I can also raise and/or reef the main while sailing downwind. It was under $1000. Cheap in terms of boat bucks.
 
A new track will have to wait for another year or two. I just went and ordered the sail, 8.3 Dacron, standard battens,two reefs, insignia, bunt lines,telltales for $2350.00 from a local sailmaker.
 
Well my slides started to jam at the origional screwed on old surface track ! .I tried new slides and nothing worked. For me the FAST track is really a godsend !
replaced the main halyard winch with a Anderson 28 2 speed Self tailer. Than
I installed a rope clutch on the mast . So to bring the sail down just open the clutch and Bam she falls down , right into the lazy jacks !!
 
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That seems like a really good price for a locally made sail. We got a new main & genoa last year from North Sails. Not the cheapest, but they are very well made. Their shop is 2 blocks from my house but the sails are fabricated overseas. When shopping around, the "locally made" price was another $1k on top of what you're paying.
 
That seems like a really good price for a locally made sail. We got a new main & genoa last year from North Sails. Not the cheapest, but they are very well made. Their shop is 2 blocks from my house but the sails are fabricated overseas. When shopping around, the "locally made" price was another $1k on top of what you're paying.
Mark
Give us more details about the weight (oz) material, cost genoa...cost of main.
Did they give you package deal for 2 at once? Spring or Fall discount. Have you noticed a difference in performance...etc. as you know we have 2 laminate racing sails new 2 years ago. Not cheap...
 
Since John asked ...

Our main is a NPC Coastal NorDac (North Sail's type of Dacron) ND78HA, 2 reefs, 1 full batten, 3 leech battens, cunningham, insignia, sail numbers for $3,085.

Our genoa (135%, furling) is NPC Coastal NorDac ND77LA, rope luff reefing pad, reefing patches, UV leech & foot, sail number, for $4,120.

So 7 Boat Bucks, total. Gasp! The most pricy of all the irrational upgrades we've done the last few years. Also one of the reasons my (wise) wife has put us on a spending freeze. But from what I can tell, we only live once, so what the heck?

Made a *huge* difference in performance. Our old sails looked like crepe paper & I have no idea how old they were. The new ones look like performance machines. And like a muscle man trying to fit into a tiny shirt, they have problems fitting into our old sail cover.

We have a 384: a little taller than 382 and boom is shorter.

I anguished a lot before purchasing. The lowest cost was significantly lower (Lee Sails), and some folks on this forum have had great experiences with them. The highest was made in Port Townsend, WA and super nice quality but way more than I could afford.

We are happy with our choice, although if price was the main driver I would have chosen something else, like Lee Sails.

We also sprang for a Fast Track and really love that. As Lee Nicholas said above, it's one of the best Boat Bucks we've spent. My wife, although an Admiral, is still a deck monkey & with the Fast Track she can get the Main almost completely up before needing to winch. We highly recommend, as budgets allow.
 
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Well, I think compared to all the other stuff people spend on their boats sails are the most important. My goodness, “sails” are the “engine” of the boat. It’s why I sail.

So, don’t feel bad. Our laminate sails, just a the headsail and main were over $14,000!
What a deal. We also changed over to dyneema halyards and hybrid lightweight sheets...another $2000 or so.

Would we do it again? Yes. I think it would be the first thing as long as the boat is seaworthy. Great sails are fun to sail with. North Sails new ocean tough tested 3Di sails are amazing. They don’t stretch, hold the right shape, very strong, no more problems with salt and sun (anymore than other sails) wearing them out prematurely, extremely light, designed for your boat, not cookie cutter one size fits all. The draft, chord and a lot of other things really make a difference in how your boat handles and responds to wind conditions. Kind of silly that they are nearly half the cost of the boats for sale online. :)
 
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Adding another data point to the discussion of cost of sails.....
We just took delivery on a new headsail made here in Maine.
120% Genoa
roller furler
43'6" luff
8 oz supercruise sailcloth
Sunbrella sunshield .
3 draft stripes
Tell Tails
Leech Line
Rope Luff flattening system
sailbag
$2590

Can't wait the try it!
 
I am purchasing a new mainsail this year and will have a local make it for me. Is there anything that I should consider adding/removing from the sail. I plan on using the original slides,it would be great to install a fast track but not in the budget.
Rick, I'd suggest a full battened main. FB's can make sail handling easier, sail material lasts longer, sail shape is easy to affect. Lots of good reasons for a cruising boat.
Consider the luff end hardware carefully if you decide to go FB. It an be costly but pivotal in ease of use. So seek good advice if you decide to go that way.
 
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Morning Dave, maybe next time I will try it a full batten sail. I order this one back in February and went with their suggestions. The number of slides on the luff were cut in half (the original slides were reused at their suggestion because of past issues with other boats trying to mix old and new equipment does not always work) four short battens installed,two reef points ,8.3 ounce material and plenty of reinforcements. With the original track I can put the main up and just using the winch to tension. When dropping it slides down easily. I have not tried it with a load. Happy so far.
I did notice several places last year that the slides would "hang up"on and by running my fingernail up the side of the track I could detect small gouges. I sanded down those areas and wiped on some Mclube.
 
Stephen:
How is your Main made genoa ?
Price looks good.
My genoa is tired, I need new one, an I prefer made locally.
 
Hi Yurek:
This is an excellent sail and performs beautifully. Maine still has the best sailmakers competing with Asia and doing OK but not getting rich. I recommend that you contact Grant Gambell at Gambell and Hunter, https://www.gambellandhunter.net.

Theirs is a small shop. They do excellent work but you need allow time for hand craftsmanship it is not a mass produced product. Order early not the last minute.

I think you would do well if you ask for the same sail as Grant designed for us, if it is the size you want. Personally I think the Morgan 382 does well with a 120 percent. At least in our area we seem to have now this extreme variation of minimal wind in the morning building up to reefing conditions in the afternoon.

Steve
 

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And now for something entirely different.
Main sail cleaning.
Our 1999 Cruising laminate tri-radial main sail was in good shape but had not been adequately cleaned in 25 years and was not a pretty sight.
Several years ago we decided to go to engineered hardwood and laminate flooring throughout or house which was all wall to wall carpet.
During that time we used an Oreck Rinse-A-Matic (NLA except used on E-bay) upright carpet cleaner with great success. It laid dormant for several years thereafter.
When the sight of the dingy main became unbearable I though that the Rinse-O-Matic might serve another purpose. Professional sail cleaning was expensive and required shipping back and forth as there was no service in the SF bay area.
To our amazement the machine and carpet cleaning solution has brought back the sparkle of a freshly minted silver coin. The muddy captured rinse water told the tale.
 
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