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**Don C L** · 23-05-2017, 17:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by TillysCapn

Absolutely not a mainsail. It's folded in half in the photo. The mainsail is also already rigged, and this has brass grommets where a mainsail wouldn't. Also has attachment points for sheets like a jib at both lower corners and about 1/3 of the way up both sides of the sail. Has sewn in wire and rope on the edges of the sail. Stitching looks like a spinnaker.

Well, what you are describing are the cringles (grommets) for reef points on a mainsail. Someone may have tried to re-task it, but it sure looks like it started life as a mainsail. I suspect it was not made for your boat. If it was a spinnaker it would not have the headboard and it would be cut with a huge belly. Run it up for us and send another photo, perhaps?

**StuM** · 23-05-2017, 18:20

The OP is very adamant given that he is "Obviously new to the boat and sailing,"

It is definitely NOT a spinnaker of any sort.

It has heavy bolt ropes on luff and foot, a leechline and a reef point so it must be designed to sit behind a mast on a boom. Based on the isosceles shape and lack of battens, it could be off a ketch or yawl with a high boomed mizzen?

Also, it clearly doesn't fit the OPs boat so must have come off another one.

I think that Sailmonkey's supposition is spot on.

**StuM** · 23-05-2017, 18:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by TillysCapn

So, that's not it. It HAS to be a spinnaker that attaches to the mainmast track but fills on the headsail side.

ROTDLMAO.

Have you ever flown a spinnaker on any boat?

How would you get it round the shrouds/spreaders (if you know what they are)

Steadman Uhlich · 23-05-2017, 18:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

It's a mainsail, it's missing most of the slides for the luff, it's not a spinnaker, it's not for your boat.

Supposition: the sail was free, your PO salvaged slides from it and may have intended to use the material for a shade.

Just what I thought...

It is a "Project Sail" or an "Orphan sail" that may have been rescued from a trash bin, and saved for future use of the material (cut down) to make a storm sail or some canvas projects.

It is not a spinnaker.

**StuM** · 23-05-2017, 18:59

Just looked at some of the photos in a bit more detail. Despite the OPs assertion, the sail is NOT isosceles or symmetrical.

sailstoo · 23-05-2017, 20:14

This is hilarious!!! ROFLMAO

sbender · 23-05-2017, 21:02

Definitely a main. Looks almost exactly like the original main from my '83 Catalina 30.

sbender · 23-05-2017, 21:03

And WTF? Trying to fly a spinnaker from the doc?

snort · 23-05-2017, 21:05

It's a spinnaker, a mainsail, AND a dessert topping!

Just covering all bases here.

sparrowhawk1 · 23-05-2017, 21:25

There are knowledgeable Sailors here giving you good info. I would recommend spreading the sail out and taking a photo of the Full Sail. And I should have asked first: can't you contact the previous owner? that would settle it.

jonnypaget · 23-05-2017, 21:27

Mainsail

**JPA Cate** · 23-05-2017, 21:27

TillysCapn,

Why don't you take the sail to a park, and unfold it all the way? Then, you can really see its shape, and also measure it. If Stu has accurately labeled the head, tack and clew, then it is a mainsail. However, judging from the wear visible, I think it is beyond its use by date. One way to test this is to try and drive a regular #2 pencil through the fabric. If it goes, the fabric is finished. You said it is heavy weight. Spinnaker cloth usually ranges from 1/2 oz. to 1-1/2 oz. and not dacron, but ripstop nylon spinnaker cloth.

The sails that I wrote about earlier, were light weight, forestay hoisted.

Ann

**Jim Cate** · 23-05-2017, 21:30

Hey, OP, you sure are copping a lot of crap here, and I kinda feel for you... getting a lot of very strong opinions based on some (to me) indecisive photos. How about stretching the whold sail out on a flat place, pulling it as flat as you can, and then taking a picture that shows the shape as well as you can. This should help with a final analysis.

My thoughts are that no spinnaker is made from such heavy material not do they have headboards like that... so not a kite. But if your description of the shape is accurate, IE it being a not-right triangle, I can't see it being a mainsail... at least a boomed mainsail. Perhaps a mainsail from some weird rig with no boom, but even that is hard to envision for me.

Another thing you could do whilst it is stretched out on the lawn is to measure all three sides with them stretched tight. Then we could draw it's shape ourselves and see what it really looks like.

In the meantime, the thought that it is from a different boat is not unreasonable...

Jim

Edit: wow, three nearly identical posts in 5 minutes... great minds and all that...