Sails????

[Smudge601]

... A couple of questions here. Background. Vessel is a Nicholson 32. So, full keel and grace. I without a large budget am preparing my little boat to wander the world for a while. Question 1 Cruising shutes. It seems the more i read the more complex this topic gets. Looking at sail lofts they in the main suggest one needs 3 of them to account for various wind directions. Other lofts refer to a lightwt sail which appears to be an oversized full bodied genoa. Does anyone have advice on the sails themselves or where this advice be found in simple and unbiased fashion.

Question 2. Sail wardrobe. For those of you have an idea of the internal dimentions of a Nich32, will understand me when i say a large wadrobe of sails means i cant go. Boat can, sails can, however no room for me.lol i have a furling headsail and reading lyn and larry pardy they suggest 1xlarge 185% lightwt AS 1x110% genoa and storm staysal on an inner stay. Nicho32 is an old fashioned rig big main (long boom so low aspect). Smaller jib area. Which presumbably impacts on size of ltwt sail. Any thoughts. Finally can anyone recomend a cruisers loft where a request for a third reef is notmet with a strange look. Thanks in advance everyone.

[Stumble]

There is no one right sail or set of sails. So you have to make some compromises. Asymmetric sails can be cut all the way from a Code zero that is designed to go upwind at 45 TWA to an A4 heavy weather runner for >20kn of breeze and a TWA of 135-170. To cover every possible wind speed and angle there are 10 standard asymmetric designs. So you first need to decide what you ar buying the sail for.

Do you want a big headsail to go upwind in light air (then a code zero), do you want a sail for deep running in light air, then an A1.5. Do you want an all round performer, then a G2 may be the best option...

Take a look at the chart below.

[Pete7]

Smudge, the suggestion that you have 3 AS sails is way over the top. We fly ours up to 14 knots and then its down because its a big sail to loose control if the wind picks up anymore. From the graphs Stumble posted I guess we sail in the A1-A1.5 and S1-S1.5 envelopes.

So what to do. On a limited budget I suggest a second hand AS with a sock to make it easier to deploy and douse. Go out in nice light winds say 5 - 10 knots and have a play.

I was really surprised how much drive ours gave in light winds. We are still learning and if its rough or the water is crowded then forget it, but away from the masses it gives a nice relaxed sail in good conditions. To keep things simple as possible we only rig it with one sheet. In the event of needing to gybe then we douse it with the sock, move it across then deploy it again.

The good news is that in gentle conditions it is well mannered and doesn't need a crew to constantly watch like a symetrical spinnaker.

See if you can find a good used one.

[boatman61]

I'd go for a genekker or asymmetric with sock and what you have at the moment.. if you have the room ahead of your furling jib maybe an asymmetric with a single line furler system.
A sailmaker makes money selling sails.. the more the better.

[Cheechako]

Unless you have crew, sailing a chute in stronger winds is crazy anyway. A assymetric for cruising could be nice for low wind conditions. Realistically many cruisers never put a chute up.
I would want a good strong working headsail, maybe 110-120% depending on your boat rig. The bigger /more traditional your main, the smaller that headsail. High cut at the tack. Then a storm sail. If you are an energetic cruiser who doesnt mind changing sails a lot etc then maybe add a larger lighter genoa.

[jdazey]

I don't know where you are located, but we just had a 3rd reef put in our main by Ullman Sails in Deltaville, VA. This is the same outfit that did our Hydranet jib. Great work and great folks.

Cheers,

[Smudge601]

Originally Posted by jdazey

I don't know where you are located, but we just had a 3rd reef put in our main by Ullman Sails in Deltaville, VA. This is the same outfit that did our Hydranet jib. Great work and great folks.

Cheers,

Thanks to all. I think a medium lt weight drifter and a solid 110 on a furler. Is the plan. Im on the East coast of Aus by the way. With a trip into the Pacific just over the horizon. Also an inner stay for a sail I never have use. Following the well sailed path of plan for the worst and hope for the best.