Would you redo this sail?

[Greatest Lakes]

The previous owner of my boat bought a new main and jib for this boat, Morgan 41, from Lee Sails Hong Kong last year. I'm not sure if he just measured wrong or what, but I have almost another foot of boom and 6-8" by the looks of things at the top. It's also got no roach at all, it's as close to a perfect triangle as you can get. It's lack of sail number or insignia makes it feel very naked as well.

Would you consider this to be enough of a disgrace to try again? Probably with a different sailmaker?

I have thoroughly decided that the wire drum winch with the clutch is a dangerous device and I ordered a Andersen 40ST to replace it with. I have some amsteel dyneema I'm going to replace the halyard.

The jib looks fairly decent, but I'm not super impressed with the Harken furler yet. Seems to take more effort than expected to furl.

[cal40john]

What are you using the boat for? If racing, throw all the money you can.

It looks to me that you're only going to get a couple of the inches more of luff before the headboard hits the backstay.
If you're cruising, you probably won't be able to notice the difference another foot on the foot of the sail.
If you want to add roach to make a fat head you'll get to have the pleasure of shaking the backstay to get the main to the other tack in lighter winds.

Buy a stick on insignia and put it on yourself.

[Greatest Lakes]

It's a loss of around 13% of the sail area, and I'm nowhere near my backstay, it might touch the topping lift, but that gets cracked loose under way anyhow.

Ignore how it's rigged right this second, I'm running a new outhaul.

[Jim Cate]

Looks kinda like a sail designed for in-mast furling. I suspect that you would gain significant performance from a proper sail that was full size and with some roach, especially upwind where the added area aloft really helps. Whether this is an adequate benefit to make it worth the money is not for me to say, but in your place I would go for it.

Jim

[Don C L]

Looks like what they used to call a “cruising main” with no roach. Also looks like my old main which was meant to furl around the boom. No roach and no battens. Not very high performance but my little boat sailed surprisingly well with it. But I got a new one. I’d save my pennies for a new one, but sail with this one for now just for fun.

[Nekton73]

I would not be too quick to dismiss this sail. It is a conservative cut, no doubt, but paired with the right headsail it should give you a good range of options from light to heavy air. Unfortunate that your furler is putting up resistance. With this main I'd think a nice easy furler that allows you to play the jib/genoa in and out as wind dictates could be a fun sail.

[cal40john]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Looks like what they used to call a “cruising main” with no roach. Also looks like my old main which was meant to furl around the boom. No roach and no battens. Not very high performance but my little boat sailed surprisingly well with it. But I got a new one. I’d save my pennies for a new one, but sail with this one for now just for fun.

If you blow up the pictures you can see the battens.

A sail with no battens has to have a negative roach, which this sail doesn't.

[Kd9truck]

Is it possible you are underestimating the amount the sail material will stretch?
It’s hard to give an accurate opinion of your sail without more info. I offer this as a suggestion because I have had headsail built that I could have used a less roach and less at the mast head. I still have the sail and it performs well but I do have contact with the out-haul occasionally.

[wholybee]

If that sail is fairly new, I would not replace it. Sails are expensive. And you are talking about for a day sail, getting to your destination minutes late. For a sail of a couple days, hours late, or an ocean crossing, a day late.

If you are racing, you could justify spending thousands of dollars to save 30 seconds. But for recreational use, would you spend thousands of dollars to save 30 minutes?

I would only replace it if there was something significant wrong, like if the fabric is compromised and might fail.

[barnakiel]

I agree with those who say the sail looks an in-mast reefer.


Being like this, it will have less oumps upwind in light airs than a roached and deeper cut sail.


But it will have good properties in mid and strong winds overall.


And you will be able to induce more draft easily as this seems to be a free footed sail.


In my book it is a 100% keeper. Unless you sail where it is always very very light, and always upwind. (pls note that should this be your case, you want a lighter sail in the first place, not just deeper and bigger).


barnakiel

[Greatest Lakes]

One of the joys of the Michigan side of Lake Michigan is that wherever you go, it will almost always be into the wind. Taking it out for a sail tomorrow morning. Supposed to rain at around 2pm, so I'll have to go out early and see how it goes.

[Greatest Lakes]

Took it out for it's first sail today, but did not put up the main. Winds were from the north at 10-15 knots, waves 2-3' and under headsail alone I got up to 7 knots. I still need to set the leech line and may need to push the blocks up another foot. In any case, I'm very pleased with the handling and speed so far.

[psk125]

Having a sail that's a touch small is better than one that's too big. Your R/F issues could be from having the wrong forestay tension. Too much sag can make furling quite difficult.

[barnakiel]

I agree a sail a bit too big would be a headache. A bit too small is not all that much trouble.


b.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I agree a sail a bit too big would be a headache. A bit too small is not all that much trouble.


b.

But in this case we are not talking about a sail that is "too big", rather one that is the designed size for the boat.

As shown the sail is nearly as small as a typical first reef would be, and without the added area at the top present in a conventional main. And, of course, the added draft from easing the outhaul does not replace the proper airfoil shape in a well cut mainsail.

So, yes, this sail will propel the boat, and if that is all that is required, keep it. But there will be noticeable improvements in performance with a better sail, improvements beyond the aforementioned "getting there a few minutes earlier" metric, especially if the anchorage is upwind of t he starting point.

One thought would be to use the sail during the early learning phase of ownership with the thought that as skill level increases a replacement will be appreciated!

Jim