Spinnaker Wt

[rancher44]

I am looking at spinnikers for a 40 ft cat and was wonder how well a 0.75wt will hold up vs a 1.50 any thoughts would be helpful

[rancher44]

Oh almost forgot usually in winds 8-14

[caradow]

3/4 oz would be fine
1.5 used in 30 knots and above on race boats
ciao

[Ozbullwinkle]

Have you considered a Parasailor? They have a lot of advantages over conventional kites? Yes, they are expensive but you can often pick one up on the 2nd hand market.

On a recent Pacific crossing we flew ours very happily in winds up to 25 knots+ on autopilot for periods up to 120 hours straight. I have some clips of it on my YouTube channel which is the same name as my CF username. Let me know if you have any questions.

[caradow]

please explain the advantages of a "parasailor" over a conventional spinnaker.
I see none and it appears as a pure marketing ploy, but then again I have never used one but have loads of experience with syms and asyms.
also it seems almost scary to leave one of these things flying at night while on AP.
was there someone on watch?

would love to be educated.
ciao

[CAELESTIS]

Assuming this is a A-sail, have the sail maker build 1.5 oz in the luff leach, and foot, and .75 in the belly.

[Ozbullwinkle]

Originally Posted by caradow

please explain the advantages of a "parasailor" over a conventional spinnaker.
I see none and it appears as a pure marketing ploy, but then again I have never used one but have loads of experience with syms and asyms.
also it seems almost scary to leave one of these things flying at night while on AP.
was there someone on watch?

would love to be educated.
ciao

Parasailor advantages in my opinion from my actual experience:-

- They can be run with confidence in higher wind strengths like sustained 25 knots.

- The wing slot does a great job & acts like a safety valve by exhausting stronger wind gusts which would often result in a blow out of a conventional spinnaker.

- They are very well behaved & require very little trimming compared to a conventional spinnaker. We used to say that it was virtually set and forget it flew so well for days & nights on end.

- They fly perfectly under autopilot in all wind strengths and there were never any scary moments. Of course we always have someone on watch both day and night whether we have the Parasailor up or not.

- They do not easily collapse like conventional kites as the wing does a great job to support the kite.

- You do not need to have other sails like an asymmetric spinnaker or a screecher as the Parasailor is very versatile and can be flown at a wide range of apparent wind angles.

- Just for info our Parasailor was 188 square metres.

- They are not just a marketing ploy. Cat owners on this forum who have a Parasailor all seem to be happy with them.

[caradow]

Thank you for taking the time to explain.
Guess the last thing to really convince me is to actually try one.
It just seems TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!
However I have an open mind and hope to have the opportunity some day.
Maybe since it is so easy to fly you could just sail up here and let me try yours?
cheers

[davecalvert]

For cruising cats in the 40 ft range, spinnakers really should be built with 1.5 oz. nylon. This cloth is much stronger than the .75 oz, will last longer in the sun, and have a longer over all life. It will still fly well in light breezes but, give added security when the breeze is up.
On top of all this, it should be less money than most .75 oz. spinnakers.

[JohnT]

davelalvert is correct. You need a 1.5 oz asymetric in a sock for ease of use on a catamaran. A catamaran has a different motion than a mono. A cat has very abrupt rolling motion which would rip the lighter sail very quickly. John

[caradow]

Thanks for the education.
I am new to cats and have only had mine for 4 years.
I do however use a 3/4 oz. kite (symmetrical) in light air when DDW.
The question was asked relative to winds < 14 I believe and I was thinking DDW.
I switch to my asym in moderate breeze which indeed is a 1.5 oz.
Sorry for the confusion and I agree.
I do find my VMG greatly improved with my symmetrical DDW but it is definitely a light wind sail
I guess even for a symmetrical it would not hurt to have a 1.5 but it was a used kite so when it blows I will replace it with a 1.5.