Furling mainSail stretch

[Charlie-Bravo]

Sun Odyssey 35 2006, Starcraft mast, Elstrom sail  loose footed, no batons ( not perhaps the ideal )
The sail is by no means new, age unknown, but seems to furl without creases, is nice and clean, no thread loss,  and sets to a pleasing shape nice twist , no fluttering leech, no baggy creases, I am noticing that I am reefing/ furling in a bit, whilst lots of other yachts of various shapes and sizes are at full sail , I seem to go as fast or faster than many, but I'm not racing, just feeling that perhaps the main is perhaps a bit stretched and it's working draft a little aft,  and collecting wind , heeling us over rather than driving us forwards ,  and causing a little bit of weather helm which gets worse at about 20-25 knots, ........ the wife just thinks I don't reef early enough....... possibly true, The boat is notably ' tender' compared to my last boat, a heavy ol'Moody 34, and a different game to sail, but loving the increase in light wind performance, it might be that I just haven't appreciated how she likes to sail.
I know the sail has stretched a bit as I have had to shorten the luff an inch to get correct luff tension on the halyard, fairly normal as most furlers stay stretched over the season and stretch out,  ( although i relax the halyard if i know i'll not be out for a couple of weeks ) and am now wondering ......... how do you actually  know you are getting to the point of either replacing or having the main recut. Googled it a bit, but no pearls of wisdom found, so open to suggestions from the wise and learned out there.
Thanks in advance
CB

[zaphod]

It can sometimes be hard to visualize depth and draft position, so it helps to take a photo of the sail looking up from under the boom. Then you can place a straight edge across the pic and really see the draft.

I think it is a safe bet that the sail is blown out and stretched. Roller reefing is really hard on a sail, and oem sails are not usually the best even when they are new.

[Charlie-Bravo]

I'll get the camera out, I hadn't thought of that approach. I guess if it is original, at 14 years of age it has done well.

A new sail has been quoted £1200 to £1700 depending on materials and batons or not ...... Christmas is coming, see what Santa does for me this year.
Thanks for the camera tip

CB

[moonshadow]

My original main on my roller furling SO 2014 feels similar to yours. I found that reefing early is helpful as a temporary solution. I don’t think it is a matter of total power but more the draft moving aft in a stretched sail. Reefing a few inches puts the draft more forward, closer to where it should be.
For a real solution I have a new mainsail on order. Hope to see it this week! I did a good look at options for better cruising sails. Better Dacron crosscut, North 3di cruising sails, with vertical battens, without battens etc. obviously there are choices for good reasons. We don’t all sail the same!
For me I wanted a good quality sail that will last a long time in a good shape. Ease to repair in any location is important to me. My long trips are often singlehanded and keeping the roller system as trouble free as possible is important.
I decided on a Hydranet tri radial without battens main from my local Evolution sail loft, in Deltaville VA USA. I have had great service from this loft when they were an Ullman affiliate and the sail is being made in house. I’m hoping to give an initial report soon.

[Charlie-Bravo]

I'll probably hang on for as long as I can, as said, a few turns on the main does make it behave, and the lost 1/4 knot isn't too important, and most the speed seems to come from the Genoa, the main being used to provide balance, but I will still write Santa a note ..... and buy a lottery ticket as a tech upgrade will likely also be required in my ownership.
Thanks for your imput and I'll look out for your report on the new sail.

CB