Hunter 28.5 Sail Purchase

[chiefairwrench]

We just bought a 1988 Hunter 28.5 and we already are replacing the running rigging and perform a few interior projects not bad since it sat on the same dock since 2007. We noticed our sails in poor condition and decided to purchase new sails. The type of sailing is on a fresh water lake in Georgia. I believe the mail sail may be original and the Genoa is 110 percent also possibly original. It is rigged for a spinnaker and has a whisker pole. Oh and yes we are newbies. We have contacted Precision Sails with the 300 series sails. But we are nervous on pulling the trigger with them since we dont know to much. What advise do you give when sitting on the dock talking with newbies in the same situation. I doubt that we will be doing any coastal sailing in this boat but it is in our future.

Thank you in advance

[gonesail]

the new sails will help the performance and handling of your boat. the 28.5 has plenty of sail power so the 110% jib sounds like a good idea to me. happy sailing on your GA lake

[sail sfbay]

Congratulations on your new 1988 Hunter 28.5 sailboat and welcome to the forum!! The Hunter 28.5 is a really nice sailboat.....a friend owned one and I have owned a 1987 Hunter 31, 2004 Hunter 386 and now 2005 Hunter 46. You will also find good information on sailboatowners.com

If you are looking for new sails I would look for a local sailmaker, if possible, who can come to your sailboat to measure otherwise you will be responsible for all the measurements to make sure the new ones fit properly. Recommend discussing with the sailmaker construction features, material, weight (ounces), number of reef points, etc. to match your budget, sailing conditions and type of sailing you plan to do.

[chiefairwrench]

Fortunately we do have a sail repair/maker close to the boat. Good advise. We will get him to look and measure if nothing else.

Thank You

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by chiefairwrench

Fortunately we do have a sail repair/maker close to the boat. Good advise. We will get him to look and measure if nothing else.

Thank You

There are resources online for measuring your own sails, but as newbies it will probably be good for you to have the sailmaker come out for measuring and a chat.

[Scaramanga F25]

Doyle mainsail $1500. 100% jib $1300. Shop around.
Hunterowners.com.
That took 3 minutes.

[cat34shamrock]

If you are looking for new sails I would look for a local sailmaker, if possible, who can come to your sailboat to measure otherwise you will be responsible for all the measurements to make sure the new ones fit properly. Recommend discussing with the sailmaker construction features, material, weight (ounces), number of reef points, etc. to match your budget, sailing conditions and type of sailing you plan to do.

I agree. A good relationship with the local sailmaker is valuable. He knows local conditions, he knows the answers to your sail questions and just a visit to a good sail loft is time well spent. At least that's been my experience.

[reneaston]

I owned a hunter 1986 28.5 Hunter and loved the performance. We purchased 2 new sails for the boat as the old ones were tired and ripping. We found that it did not need any more than a 135. This sail was very useful for light winds. Our boat was a shoal draft. If you have a deeper keel perhaps you could carry a bigger sail. You may want to determine the usual wind conditions in your sailing area. With a lake boat you may prefer a larger sail as the winds are often reduced on a lake as compared to an ocean. We used the 135 on most days.
When it was very windy we dropped to a 110 and that worked well.

Since the hunter is well known, we depended on the sailmaker to obtain the dimensions for the new sails.

Rene Yapp

[chiefairwrench]

Thank you