numbers on sails?

[WindDancer]

This may be a dumb question, but what do the large numbers on sails mean? My boat has matching numbers on the main and jib and they do not match the CG registration number.

TIA
Forrest

[Richhh]

If the boat has an admeasured PHRF or other racing rating these numbers will equate to that certification/measurement. US SAILING is the 'registration authority' for USA boats and that agency assigned the numbers for this boat to compete in sanctioned races: http://www.ussailing.org/offshore/SailNoSys.htm

[S/V Elusive]

AND - for those that don't do PHRF, and want a different identifcation than 'just another boat of XXXXXX manufacturer', you can use the sequence number from your boat's registration number (ie: in my case it is 168 - the 168th Endeavour 43 built). On the other hand, if it is just for your identification to be different - put ANY number up.

[WindDancer]

Thanks guys, the PO told me he bought the boat from someone that raced it years ago, but I never gave a thought to the numbering on the sails being a part of that. I presume that I am under no obligation to remove the numbers as I don't plan to race it. Do the numbers mean anything or are they assigned in sequence to application. I learned from the USSailing site that the last four digits meant it was from the southern CA area. Number is 97423.

Thanks again, this site is a wealth of info
Forrest

[GordMay]

As Thomas suggests, any number (or none) will serve a cruiser. On my new genoa, I used my entire eight-digit Provincial (State) registration number.
The sailmaker’s salesman had to ask twice, then the loft called to confirm.
They had my original genny for recut & repair, and noticed the difference

[Entlie]

Our boat, Sunspot Baby, has #17 on her mainsail, because she is hull #17 of approximately 35 boats built in South Africa under license by Prout.

Entlie
Sailing Catamaran Sunspot Baby

[irwinsailor]

I just sent a email to us sailing to see if my boats number 5184 is still valid. What a great question for us non racers.

[BC Mike]

The full number as glassed into the transom on my boat is T8579013.
In English that is a Tanzer 8.5m 1979 year hull number 13. My sail number is 13. Same thing with the T22 which is number 743. But the T22 were built in the US and Canada yet they still seem to have sequential numbers. Some class associations like the Santana 525 have a different series of numbers as they are ( some of them ) registered with US Sailing. They have four diget numbers but they did not build that many. What we are concerned with in our local fleets is that boats do not have the same number. This is for racing. At Swiftsure this year I saw another boat with number 13 on the main. They were in a different class to me so posed no problem. For cruising, who cares, but it does seem logical to use your hull number, unless your local sailing authority has another system.
Michael

[Latitude9.5]

I have my Hull ID on my main as well as the "C30" emblem. Headsail is fairly new so it doesn't have any numbers, not sure if they were on the original or not.