[C320-list] New Cruising Mailsail

Mon Feb 9 19:09:04 PST 2009

Larry,

That UK Tape Drive Passagemaker II is exactly what I ordered last May for my 440....it is a great sail!! You will love the performance
----------------------------------
Regards,
OD

Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Frank" [WindSwept at stx.rr.com]
Sent: 02/09/2009 09:02 PM CST
To: <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
Subject: Re: [C320-list] New Cruising Mailsail

Jeff,

I have been watching Andrew's responses with great interest as I just
ordered a UK Passagemaker II Tape Drive 135.  I believe it is more of a
cruising sail than the UK Gold as it has a padded luff and reinforcements on
the luff and foot where the stresses build up when using the sail partially
furled.

Mine is being built out of Mylar and Pentex Tapes.  Mylar is the polyester
polymer that is in Dacron.  Dacron is a polyester cloth and Mylar is a
polyester film.  The tape material, Pentex is also very similar to
polyester.  The entire sail is supposed to have similar durability to
Dacron.

There are many materials used in laminated sails and some of these high tech
materials wouldn't take as well to luffing.  Below is a link to a table on
the UK website that gives some physical properties of these materials.

There is a lot of good information on the UK website.

Larry
WindSwept 320 #246

http://www.ukhalsey.com/LearningCenter/encyclopedia/encyclopedia2.asp#fiber 

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Hare
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 10:44 AM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] New Cruising Mailsail

I'd love to have a loose footed main, but with mid-boom sheeting, you could
easily break your boom in half with an accidental gybe in heavy air.  So, if
you sail in light to medium air, that would work, but if you regularly
encounter squalls or heavy seas/air you might not want loose footed main.

What material are the UK sails made out of?  How well do they tolerate
luffing?

-Jeff
-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Heyman
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 7:01 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] New Cruising Mailsail

Andrew,
I'll bite.  
I've always read and learned that the benefit of Cruising sails is you can
get many years (a decade?) out of them (depending on how baggy you get
them).  However with racing sails they are only good for so many hoists
(never heard of more than 100).  
A recent discussion with the Americas Cup guys in San Diego said that they
will only use a main or jib for about 6 hours and then they are done with
it.
You also have to be much more careful how you store them, preferably rolled
up and avoiding any folds.  My understanding is that the fibers inside the
laminate break whenever you fold them (or let them flog).

What am I missing?

Bruce
Somerset #671 SoCal

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Andrew
Santangelo
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 7:30 AM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Cc: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] New Cruising Mailsail

John,

Now here is my opportunity to start the debate.....LOL

A few years back, when I was mostly a pure cruising sailor and just  
dabbling in racing I upgraded my main to a UK Tape Drive Gold racing  
sail with loose foot.  The performance leap was noticeable, in  
particular time to reach stable speed and the slightly faster speed of  
the boat.  I was also impressed how well it maintained its shape - and  
doing this over the years.

I eventually upgraded to all UK Sails and got a whole range of sails -  
mostly due to the racing I now do.

I would not discount getting a "racing" sail though if you are a pure  
cruiser.  Are they more expensive - yes in up front costs.  However  
after 9 seasons they are in fantastic shape, even with all my abuse  
and brutal sailing.  So the first advantage, at least it seem to me,  
is you will get a longer, better life with a good racing sail - at  
least that is my experience with the UK, but I am sure the other name  
brands provide similar quality.  Hence in the long run you will have  
better value for your sail.  Yes the Dacron will last a long time  
likely, but lose its effectiveness and performance capability.

Another thing to consider is that racing sails tend to be lighter and  
stronger.  I have my old Dacron sails, but it is clear my racing sails  
are much lighter.  Fixing a wild or stuck racing sail that is lighter  
makes life much easier.  Heck hauling them around is much easier.   
Stowing them is much easier.

And if you want to race at all or get the bug, you will be good to go.

Now I know cruising is not about speeding from point A to point B.   
But there is something to be said about moving with a little pep vs.  
drifting around.  Also, if the weather might be changing for the  
worse, maybe having those extra few minutes (and tenths of a knot) to  
seek safe harbor or head around the worst parts of a front would be a  
life saver.

Oh, and my kids think the racing sails are cool looking!  I gets them  
and their friends on the water with me.

Lastly,  I would work with a local loft if you can.  Having someone  
you can go to locally, especially when comes to sails (proper fitting,  
corrections, repairs, etc), is a great benefit.

Best Regards,
Andrew

C320 "Dawn Treader"
#333

P.S. - Just the set the record straight on speed improvements:

* Going from fixed 3-blade to 3 blade Autoprop, BIG improvement
* Replacing sails with stiff lines, Big improvement
* Replacing wing keel with a fin keel, slight improvement in speed BUT  
I can point better to windward.
* Hydrauling Backstay adjuster, slight improvement
* Putting in Hydofoil system with 500 H.P. Motor - we really fly!   
Wild going over 40 kts.  Wait....that was in one of my dreams of being  
in a James Bond movie.

On Feb 8, 2009, at 9:22 AM, Larry & Melissa wrote:

> John,
>
> Although I have not yet updated the sails on my C320, I did on my  
> other boat, a 1988 Cal 28. Since I did not race that boat I was just  
> looking to replace the existing original aged sails with some more  
> "shapely" coastal cruising sails. I ended up purchasing a new Rolly  
> Tasker genoa from National Sails in 2005 and was very impressed with  
> the quality and service. In 2008 I purchased a new loose-footed main  
> from them as well and again was happy with the result. In both cases  
> I measured the existing sails carefully before ordering, although I  
> would guess this is less of an issue on the Catalinas as they have  
> them listed in their "stock" sails section. I wouldn't hesitate to  
> order from them again. They use the same high quality dacron sail  
> cloth that many local sailmakers will use and were very reasonably  
> priced. Of course, if there are any adjustments needed or any  
> specific concerns about fitment, it's hard to beat the convenience  
> of a local sailmaker.
>
> Larry

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