New Mainsail.

[TOM]

Hi Guys,
We are looking at purchasing a new Mainsail for Byamee and would appreciate any advice as the more i research the more confused i become. I have just got a quote back from the local sailmaker here in Mauritius which seems very resonable ,about $2100 for a main for an in mast furler with no battons and no reef points. The fabric quoted on is C-BREEZE 391 9.3OZ .From what i can tell this comes from Dimension sailcloth who seem to be a well knowen sailcloth manufacturer.
The research i have done on the net says to be careful of inferior cloths especiially sailmakers who use Secounds .How does one tell if the cloth is a secound or not? . Has anyone had any exsperience with C-BREEZE 391 or what other cloth can you recomend { i have not got the $$ for fancy laminates} we are not a fast boat so are looking for something that will last a few years and wont stretch which is importent for our in mast furler.
I have just requested a quote from Quantum sails in S.A as well.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
www.byamee.com

[Steve Pope]

A good quality dacron material (Challenge?) will do all you would need, whether the sailmaker is using 2nds is something you need to ask him. if in doubt don't use him. I believe sail prices in SA are very competitive. Some world sailors priced new sails here in NZ but they ended having them made in Cape Town at around 1/2 the NZ price delivered to their yacht in NZ. Far East sails and Lee Sails in Hong Kong are well priced and have been making sails for 30 + years, so long as you furnish them with all the dimensions type of fittings, reefs, type of battens etc. Etc. They will make you a very good sail.

[Pete7]

Tom, regardless of what the Dacron is will stretch eventually, but the gamble is a better quality cloth will last longer. Marblehead is another high quality Dacron that you could consider. Hydranet would be nice but its serious bucks, I know we also need a new sail, Genoa this time and am not sure what to choose at the moment. I have the advantage of a major boatshow on my doorstep in September so will do the rounds then.

Worth having a search on CF and also have a look at the articles on the Quantum UK site and the Mack Sails US site, they have some good articles on sail cloths as general information.

Pete

[seacap]

I just purchased a new main and staysail from Rolly Tasker. They are a long standing loft in Australia (50 yrs?) and have now setup shop in Thailand.
my main is 34x15, full batten, 3 reefs my quotes were:
Hood sails - 3400
Sobsted - 2600
FX - 1800
Rolly Tasker - 1600

They use first grade challenger HM cloth. Or any cloth you specify.

They have a dealer in Florida.

Back in the day sail making was an art. The sail makers had to be able to cut the curves that make the draft in the sail just so...all by hand and a good eye. Today they are designed by software and plotted and cut by computer. So as long as you get good cloth and hardware, you will get a good sail.

The big secret to getting a good sail is accurate measurements!

ps, just did an initial trial sail with a friend who purchased some Quantum sails. These were made in S. Africa. Very nice job!