New Sails

[mthackray]

I have a 2007 Jeanneau 39i, purchased by me in 2018. The sails are original (I presume). The boat is used for spring/summer/fall cruising in the Pacific Northwest. This summer, the genoa tore near the leech edge. I am having the sail repaired so we can finish enjoying the 2023 season.

It does raise the question of whether it is probably time for a new sail, or sails. The main and genoa are both 16 years old. My questions are thus:

• How long should sails last?
  
• How much should I expect to pay for new sails?
• There are sail lofts in the Pacific NW, and it appears one can also order sails “online” with varying prices. Any insights on the pros and cons of the different approaches?

The genoa is a 125% Ullman brand sail. I believe the main is the same brand. I’m sure I could work with the local Ullman dealer to get similar sails.

This is my first time considering this large purchase. Insights welcome.

[Charlie-Bravo]

The sails are , as you have said, getting on a bit, the life of a sail is much down to how it has been used, stored, cleaned etc, but sooner or later it will have had its day, and if falling apart, will just spoil your day on the water.

Find a sail maker by reputation, not price, and one who insists on measuring your rig before designing, yes you can go online but cheap isn’t everything, and it’s better to have something made that fits properly, all seems a bit ‘picky’ and troublesome, but they do cost a bit.

The positive side , a new sail can add an extra dimension of joy to your time on the water, and that is important , we had a new main and it transformed the sailing , .. for the better. Genoa is next.

With a Genoa consider things like the height of the foot, higher gives better visibility and sometimes an easier furl, lower may be better for performance, do you want another 125% sail ? or bigger or smaller, both have pro’s and cons , a good sailmaker will ask questions to establish your priorities , and give you something that works well for your style of sailing.

Performance isn’t everything (racers may disagree) life expectancy, price , weight, performance, and ease of use are all to be considered, ……. and what colour ! graphics perhaps?

Not a clear answer to your questions, but food for thought I hope.

CB

[MalcolmP]

New sails are are large and important investment.

As CB sys well worth doing a fair amount of research before you commit.

On our 2008 39i, the mast was a Selden Rig, guess yours will be as well, if so you have the option to go for a fully battened mainsail as Selden support.seldenmast.com/en/products/masts/mds_full-batten_concept.html 

This allows you to slightly increase the roach of the sail and gain a modest amount of sail area, but importantly makes lowering and raising the main so simple, due to the reduced friction. We were UK based at the time, so used Peter Sanders in Lymington www.sanders-sails.co.uk/ who has an excellent reputation. The only thing I would change is that we went for a tough "Vectran" sailcloth, which although strong is very heavy, so you might want to factor that in as well.

Changing sails should transform your boat. How is your Facnor furler holding up? Ours is getting so stiff, that we plan to have it replaced by a Furlex next season.

Good luck and do let the group know the outcome.

Malcolm

[joedunn]

I have a 2018 SO419 so a different size than your boat but I got a quote for a new 106 head sail with a cruiser laminate material with UV wrap last year around $4500.00 US east coast...I ended up buying a two color asymmetrical for around the same price...as you probably know there are different sail materials which will effect price...I do not know enough about sail materials so I went with a local Quantum sail sales representative...who was responsive to my questions and delivered the sail on time for spring sailing...You might find some discounts at boat shows...I have a loft maintain my sails each year since I have to winter the boat on the hard...That should increase the life span to maybe 7 years or so or longer...hope that helps

[moonshadow]

I strongly agree with some of the above comments about meeting with a sailmaker. Lots of choices, cut, material, sailing style,actual measurements of your boat etc. It’s a big purchase so might as well make it something you really like.

[MartyB]

For around here, you may want TWO head sails. One as large and to a degree lightweight cloth as you can for the days it is less than 15-20 knots. "MOST" of the time. then another that is smaller for the days it is above 15-20 knots. If you talk to the local Ullman dealer, he has a fiberpath light, great for the under 15 knot days, I use this 158lp racing frequently, ie my new go to sail, along with recently getting a 110 in a heavy weight sail when winds are above the 15-knot realm. I'll probably get a new main in a similar cloth next spring. Main will be like current, 2 full top battens, partial at the bottom, two reefs, one about 1.5 and 3x of normal.

We are fortunate, in that there are multiple GOOD sail reps around the greater Seattle area. North, Ullman, Quantum, and a local private, Ballard Sails and Schautauer sails both by Sholeshole marina. Ballard is the better option for laminate sails, Schautauer makes good Dacron. Caral Hasse sails, is now based in the Port Townsen Shipwright building, as Carol has retired. Like Schautauer, they make really good dacron world wide cruising sails. Not as good, unless they go with a lighter cloth for puget sound/sailish sea sails.

I would personally not get a dacron due to our super light to heavy wind issues. Laminates work better in the under 10 knot range which is frequent.

YES, you do need new sails at 15+ years old, especially if they are dacron, they will have stretched ALOT!

Marty

[mthackray]

All, Thanks for the comments and insights. I have some time to do some research and make an informed choice. I agree with the comments that I’d prefer to pay more to get a quality, good fitting sail. 

[mthackray]

This a follow up on my inquiry about new sails last Fall.

It is now Spring of 2024.  I just installed a new main and genoa.

I am located in the Seattle, Washington area.  I went with Ballard Sails, a local shop, that provided the service I wanted and what seems to be a very good quality/value balance in the sails.  In doing research, I looked at very high-end, sail around the world kind of sails, the sails from Ballard Sails, and sails ordered from overseas.  Each step of low-end to mid-level to ulta high-end was roughly a 2X step in cost.

I decided on a fully battened, cross-cut main and a tri-radial 115% genoa.  I should get more performance and life from the tri-radial genoa versus a cross-cut genoa.  As the new main is fully battened, I decided not to go with the higher cost of the tri-radial there.

Ballard Sails first measured my boat.  We originally considered a 125% genoa, but in the measuring, found that the jib sheet track placement, stays, and spreaders meant a 115% would fit better.  Right there, having the boat measured by a knowledgable sail guy was worth the cost.  Ballard designed the sails, then sent them to Durtek Sails in Sri Lanka for fabrication.  Ballard installed the sails and can do any tweaks or changes in-house, though none needed so far.

The only hiccup was the reef-2 point on the new sail is a bit higher than the original.  I have a Selden single-line reefing system with a sliding block in the boom.  The reef-2 forward line is too short and will have to be replaced.  This involves removing the boom outer end cap to access the block.

I haven't had a chance to sail with the new sails, but they look very good at install.  I'm anxious to get out sailing.

[bratwurzt1]

We had new sails put on last years and soda blasted the bottom, it was like a new boat! We couldn't believe how fast she was tacking plus felt much more balanced and could point closer to the wind. Have you gone sailing yet with the new sails would love to hear about it.