Carrying a spare mainsail

[akprb]

Contact cement and sailcloth.

Amazing stuff

[stormalong]

I do not carry an old main. Too much weight and volume (space). By the time I replace a main the old one is too shot to save.

I once ripped a main very badly in a squall on the way to Bermuda. Too bad to repair. Could not get a replacement in time to cross the Atlantic so I attached sail slides to my storm jib and flew it as a lose footed main to the Azores. I ordered a new main and picked it up in Gibraltar. There are always alternative ways to sail.

I do carry two jibs and two spinnakers plus the storm jib. As a slutter (sloop-cutter) my boat sails quite well on headsails alone.

PS. In My Opinion: Avoid the Doyle sailmaker in St. Georges Bermuda. He is very good at profiteering on transient sailors.

[S/V Alchemy]

We haven't decided this one yet, but our new main is "ocean-grade", i.e. very sturdy and of heavier cloth than would be desirable for light air. Our old main would suit that better and is not particularly worn, so we might try to find room for it on the voyage for that reason...depending on season and latitude! It's the battens I find difficult to stow.

[OldManMirage]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Quote: "Question- has there been a thread discussing roller-furling vs. hank-on ? I couldn't find one.


Probably warrants a separate thread. Why don't you start one if you can't find one? :-)

TP

I did find one. It really ended up a lot like the one that is going on now about single handing and morals. In other words - everyone has their own opinion !!

I think what it will boil down to for me is budget and storage. I'll have t see how it goes.

[OrinocoFlo]

We keep a spare mainsail and staysail aboard, bricked and ready.

[dougweibel]

If you are even thinking about this start by asking yourself if the battens for you main would even fit your spare. Mains are bulky. Often when replacing the main you will end up with a somewhat different batten configuration and the new battens will not be compatible with the old main. No way I'm carrying around a second set of battens.

[buzzstar]

'Carried the old main, jib and jenny (came with the boat), 'cuz figured I might need them. Also had repair materials (needles, thread, tape, seament, patches, bees' wax, and a palm). Never needed the latter, did need the former, once, but it was the jib. I was near home, and sailed on without it, so really did not need it either. My wife said I was a pack rat. She was and is right, and I still am since I have the repair materials, but no sails at all.

[danielamartindm]

I really couldn't justify the added weight, and I've never had to replace a mainsail en route to anywhere.

[HankOnthewater]

You asked how many of us are carrying spare sails. Obviously no one knows the answer on that exact question, I can only reply to my own situation: “No, I don’t carry any spare complete sails”.

The decision to carry spare sails can depend on:
a. The proximity to sail repair facilities/sailmakers. If one does day-sail, or only for weekends, one is never far from home, likely no spares needed.
- Cruising in very remote areas might be different. And even for me, do not carry spares as I tick all the following boxes.
b. The ability to do sail repairs on the boat at sea; like it has been said: having cloth, tape, glue, needle kit, sewing machine, these all lessens the need for spare sails.
c. Available storage space, lack of that makes the decision for the owner: not to carry any spare sails.
d. The type of boat/sailplan also may reduce the need for spare sails, ie a ketch with 2 headsails might still be able to be sailed well and balanced with 1 or 2 sails blown out. And like “Pete7” said, his sloop sails well with one sail less.
e. The type of sailing one does: a slow cruiser may adjust his arrival time or adjust his destination with one blown-out sail, no need to carry spares. I liked the story above by “Stormalong”, how he used his stormsail.
- An all-out racer / need-for-speed kind of skipper might want to carry spares.
f. The kind of engine and the amount of fuel one carries, if one has enough to motor(sail) home, or to a safe harbour….. no need to carry spare sails.
g. Lastly what kind of spares do people generally carry? Old sails well past their due date? And how good are those sails once retrieved from deep down from the bowels of the boat….? Very few skippers purchase good condition or new sails as spares….

As a very last comment, I think to carry a storm-jib is different than to carry a spare main or genoa. Those jibs are reasonably small, multipurpose, strong, in 95% of all cases new/never used.

[Pizzazz]

I have two equally average mainsails, one with full length battens ( heavier cloth), one with partial battens (lighter cloth). I can't decide which one sails better. Sometimes I just change them for practice in 10-15 knots, not a big deal. For me, part of the fun of sailing is changing sails, so I do not mind but it is a smaller boat (31').

In my ocean racing days, we ripped a mainsail only twice (headsails often). You just put the spare and off you go. If I were starting from scratch, I would go one mainstail, two head sails minimum, then add a third head sail, then an asymmetric, then storm sails and only then a second mainsail, if I still had the space/energy. It really depends if you are in for the sailing part or for the cruising part.

SV Pizzazz

[chuckr]

We blew out a main sailing across the boot of Italy - had a new on built and shipped to Croatia where we with the help of Euro Marine we managed to the old main out of the mast and then the new one up
This year getting a new genny made by UK sails in Marmaris and they took our blown out main and are repairing it and we will carry as a spare - we will also carry the old genny as a spare
We are full time liveaboard cruisers and have been out 11 years

[robert sailor]

To me to carry a spare main is a waste of space. Years ago when sails were not made as well it did make sense but not anymore.

[schaf]

Originally Posted by alctel

I got a new main/gen last year and keep the old ones under the V berth. Figured nice to have a spare.

They DO take up a load of space tho so I am thinking about selling them

I have a cutter and sail with spares for main, staysail, and #1 I keep them folded tightly and stowed in a locker. a properly folded sailntakes up much less space. I prefer to have one and not need it to needing it and not having it. Regards

[Boatguy30]

I'll give you a good deal on a spare mainsail

[xslim]

I don't have a spare main nor a trysail. And I regret.
I was close reaching in a gale (35 knot wind) and while putting a 3-rd reef in my main at night I over-tighten the reef line and ripped the main.
While my boat can sail easily downwind without a main, it can't sail without one when close to the wind.
I can tell you it is not easy to fix a sail at night in a blow nor easy to drag it down below.
I ended up jury-rigging a staysail with dyneema line as a main to get some sort of steerage.
Now I plan to get a storm trysail (maybe reefable) in case I rip my main again.