![]() Let’s find out what this twisting means for you as captain of this personal ship. ![]() A sail-maker knows that this area is either twisting or it’s not. The sail’s leading edge obviously aerodynamically important, but not so obvious is what’s happening at the back of the sail above the boom on the trailing edge (called the leech). But high-performance sail-makers look at other things going on in the sail that make or break our enjoyment of that watery ride. That may be all that we want to know about a sail: it’s there, it’s beautiful and it’s giving us freedom. ![]() If instead, we were to look up at our sails, we’d see the foiling of the cloth as it fills with wind. We race our friends, or we search the shoreline ahead for today’s destination. We search for bumps to jump or smooth spots to glide over. Leaning out over the water, our eyes look ahead. Spending 2K on a sail you might get 2-3 good seasons and another 1-2 after that is a much better deal than spending $800 for a sail with lousy shape that needs a $250 recut and a $50 pennant.On any given sunny or wickedly stormy day, when we step our feet onto our sailboards and with our booms in our grasp, sheet in, and the wind fills our sails, we start to move. They'll think it's customer development, you'll think it's an education and some cost savings.Īnd once you have some prices, think about shape longevity. ![]() Then review your plan with your sailmaker and price some new sails while also explaining you're considering a used sail for budget reasons. Ask them about recuts before you buy so you understand the full cost picture.īetter still, work out your geometry and draw the sails on a sheet of paper or with some 2D cad program and understand what the sail can do given your boat's constraints on foretriangle dimensions and sheeting angles. It's rare to buy a used jib that just fits without a little nip and tuck - your sailmaker is your friend. Don't run out and buy a head sail just because it might fit. Used sails can be a bargain but they're often a false economy. If you're buying a used jib, you're probably on a budget. I'd recommend that when someone tells you they're great that you ask whether they've ever had a well designed blade on their boat for comparison. I would avoid the high clew at all costs. It's really hard to explain the delight of sailing upwind in 25+ knots with a super flat blade. They're great in theory but lousy in practice - with the possible exception being blast reaching in the trades. You'll hate it in the slot and you'll hate it again once you're north of Angel Island or south of TI. And when the breeze goes light, they hang like a rag because the weight of the clew can't be supported. Instead, you'll be underpowered and heeled over, going sideways at pace. More than your main, this is your bread and butter sail and can make or break every single day when the central valley heats up, the fog rolls through and slot is honking. In the chop, you need drive down low and that's not going to happen with a high clew sail. There are two things on which to focus - shape and price/performanceĮspecially on SF Bay in the summer, your #3 is everything. If you don't know where you're going, any road will lead you there. The only thing I'm going off is measurements of other available sails and looking at how high the clew is above the tack on typical working jibs (which would be a little too much LP for what I'm looking for. I am sure that I want a moderately high clew, but don't have enough experience to say if this particular one will just be way too high. Not too worried about racing, the higher priority would be ability to use it in higher winds as that's very common here as well as visibility. I am honestly not sure how well it would sheet and am not on the boat, it does have a track on the toe rail for the jib sheet fairleads, maybe with some geometry I can figure out if it goes forward enough. I found the sail from not sure if that is your site or not if so it's fantastic and really helped me locate potential sails. Sorry folks I should have included some boat information, it''s a Columbia 36.
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