Thinking about getting a new sail

[DanBerger]

Looking for some advice from Bill (again)

We are talking about a Supercat 15 Sloop, here

OK, I have an old stock Dacron Pinhead sail that I got from Aquarius years ago when I got my boat. The leech between the battens is starting to get a little loose and buzzes in big wind. That's pretty much my idea of a blown out sail. I use the MAX batten and I'm very happy with it. I also have fiberfoam battens instead of the tubular battens and I am very happy with them, too. I used them because I had them lying around and didn't have the tubular ones. They are less than half the weight of the Hobie style battens I was going to use.

I race the boat in open fleet usually against other single-handers. There are other larger double handers, but I really pay attention to the Hobie 16 one-ups. I also pleasure sail the boat on weekends.

I have an Aquarius factory self-tacking jib set up and factory cross-stitched Dacron self tacking jib.

I get away with not modifying my portsmouth number on the size of the jib because it is smaller than the factory sail, but I take a hit for single handing a SC15 sloop (still don't understand that one). I don't want to have to modify my number any more by getting a larger main. I think that if I get a square top, I would get too much grief from the other open class guys.

Whatever sail I get will be used all the time, racing or pleasure sailing.

I would like to use the MAX batten in any new sail that I get. I was resistant at first, but I really believe in it now.

And, of course, I contacted Tom about factory sails, but I think I had to many questions and I need to know what I want before I waste any of his time.

Questions:

1) would I benefit from getting a newer technology sail like tri-radial cut Pentex or some other laminate material? I don't think they last very long and would probably be happy with a Dacron square top sail.

2) Battens? Tubular or Fiberfoam?

3) Adjustable clew? I have an adjustable clew from a Nacra that I have been sitting on for a few years. It is a Harken track that is about 18 inches long and has a line that moves the car forward and aft. It replaces the clew plate. I currently use the middle hole in the clew plate in every condition, but thought it would be nice to be able to change it on the fly if needed. I really don't think I have ever had a problem with mast rotation in all wind ranges, except the very light choppy stuff. Moving the blocks to the rear of the clew would help some, but I also don't mind using my foot to keep the mast rotated. It might just be one more thing I could add to the boat to dork it up and make it more complicated than it needs to be...

[Bill Roberts]

Hello Dan,
Your question is easy to answer. As you said, your present sail is "an old stock Dacron Pinhead sail". Answer: "Replace your mainsail".
Don't worry about a composite sail cloth sail. Back in the 90s some composite sails delaminated and ripped after a couple of years use. That was 20 years ago. There is plenty of good cloth out there now. I like Technora cloth. It is a good compromise between physical properties and cost.
Battens: The most important property of sail battens is 'how they bend'. I don't care how they are made . A sail batten should naturally bend, due to how it is tapered, in the same airfoil shape as the sailmaker built into the sail. Sails and battens go in matched sets when both are properly designed. Hobie battens are pultruded untapered battens. These battens naturally bend in an arc. The aft half of the batten naturally bends in the same curve as the front half. The front half of the batten is too stiff and the aft half is too bendy. This very bendy aft half results in much leech area hooking to windward which puts the brakes on while sailing to windward. You get what you pay for.
A very stiff bottom batten should have come with your boat. I don't know where that B of M item got lost.
The self tacking jib is a natural for single handing any sloop rigged boat. I use it on the RC30 single handing.
As far as PNs go, use U S Sailing rules. Forget the whinners. The SC 15s and 17s were 'started boats' for the SC line of boats. Their PNs
are based an data from beginner sailors. These PNs should be easy to sail too with good equipment. As far as I know the PNs of 15s and 17s have never changed.
Q1. Triradial or cross cut, This is the sailmakers chioce. What ever construction method he uses to make the best sail he can is what he should use and is what you want.
Q2. Forget adjustable outhauls on your boat. With a stiff bottom batten, an adjustable clew position becomes your mast rotation control.
It does not change the camber of the sail. This is the way the rig on your boat was designed.
Boats that have very very soft battens can affect sail camber with outhaul position. As the outhaul is moved forward, the leech moves forward, only with very very soft battens, and sail camber increases and PROJECTED SAIL AREA DECREASES at the same time. Sail thrust is a function of lift coefficient X projected sail area. Here you have one term increasing and another term decreasing. Is an adjustable outhaul a benefit on a sloop rig? My tests say no. It is an added complication with no benefit.
Very very soft battens lead to an unstable sail shape. Wind angle of attack and velocity can push the max sail camber and location all over the place, no control.
Dan, buy a sail and battens through Tom and get the best for your boat. Tom has already tried many different sailmakers and many different types of battens. He has proven this to himself over and over. That is what Aquarius Sails is all about. The best hull materials, the best resin, the best foam, the best paint, the best hull shapes, the best rigging, the best mast, the best sails and battens. Tom has already spent the time and $$$ experimenting so he can always prvide you the BEST products.

[DanBerger]

Thanks Bill, that was a lot of good info.

When I got the boat, all I got was a set of hulls, beams and a mast. I had to find or make everything else, which is why I ended up with some non factory options like the fiberfoam battens. I just picked up a set of tubular battens, so I'll probably go with those in the new sail if Tom agrees. I only say that because they are an older set from a 22 and I would have to cut them down to fit the 15. I don't know if that is a good idea or not.

When you said that my boat should have come with a very stiff bottom batten, are you referring to the very bottom one that the MAX batten replaced or the next one up?

[jjd78]

I bet we coud make you a new sail out of a tarp like that hobie 14 jib we saw.. Ha ha ha

[DanBerger]

Yeah--and I could use PVC 'Tubular' battens!

[Bill Roberts]

The stiff bottom batten goes in the foot of all ARC and RC products. We have tried many different boom schemes and the boom in the bottom of the sail works best, simple and low cost and very effective. It does everything you would want a boom to do.
BTW: Even NACRA and I20 has done away with the mainsail clew corner adjustable outhaul, traveller car, system.

[DanBerger]

I haven't seen one of the clew traveler pieces in a long time and had forgotten that I had one. But when I found it, it got me thinking, that's all. It is soon-to-be-seen-on-eBay.

I had a great chat with Tom about sails and battens today. The guy really gets it!

He's getting back to me with some numbers, so I'll make a decision then. I think this year might be the year I actually get a spinnaker, too!!