[C38] Sails - inexpensive new sails

Don Strong drstrong at ucdavis.edu
Tue Mar 6 09:03:32 EST 2012


We aren't racers.  We bought a new main for Discreet Charm from Lee 
Sails in Hong Kong and paid far less than the figures cited below and 
far less than any other sailmaker that we could find. We also bought a 
jib from them. We are pleased with both sails.
A Lee Sails agent watches this site. I believe that he is in Portland.
Don

On 3/5/12 7:04 PM, Steve Smolinske wrote:
>
> Angelika,
>
> My CAL sails after three years still look great, I did get taffeta on 
> both sides and that does make them heavier, my #1 is really heavy but 
> we fly it in 12 knots plus and use the lt #1 below that.  They are 
> great sails, talk with your sail maker...they should be  priced close 
> to a Dacron sail at least they were when I bought mine.   We have a #3 
> that has seen some good use we sailed her most of the way down the 
> coast last year and most of that was in 25-35 knots and the sail is 
> still in good shape it is now going on its third season.  My only 
> complaint about the CAL is that they are heavy and in light to no 
> winds you may struggle to get them to hold shape.  That may not be 
> true if you opt to go without the taffeta but your sail maker could 
> better answer that question.   However in heavier winds you're not 
> worrying too much about if the sail can handle it or not.    I have 
> had to replace the luff tape on two of mine so far but that is more 
> the crews fault than the sails.   If you would like to talk with my 
> sail maker contact me off list and Ill give you his contact 
> information.   All of CAL sails are cut for cruising and use on the 
> furler so they don't go all the way to the deck, they came with foam 
> luffs, and UV covers.   Sometimes they have stayed on the furler a 
> little longer at the end of the season than they should have and there 
> is no sign of mold or mildew.  I do take them in the house and let 
> them dry out downstairs before storing for the winter.  Last word on 
> the main, mine is now three years old and it takes a little time and 
> the more help the better to flake it on the boom it does not fall into 
> place like a Dacron sail, seems to have a mind of its own.
>
> Steve
>
> #312 Peregrine
>
> Seattle
>
> *From:*listserve-bounces at catalina38.org 
> [mailto:listserve-bounces at catalina38.org] *On Behalf Of *Angelika - A 
> Room With A View
> *Sent:* Sunday, March 04, 2012 1:36 PM
> *To:* listserve at catalina38.org
> *Subject:* [C38] Sails - CAL vs Dacron
>
> Hi All
>
> We purchased our beautiful C38 (362) Boheme nearly 7 years ago in 
> Sydney and sailed her to her new home to the southern-most harbour on 
> the Australian mainland, Apollo Bay. Boheme has taken us up and down 
> the eastern seaboard as far as the Great Barrier Reef, a couple of times.
>
> We are currently considering purchasing new sails as she is no longer 
> pointing as high as she initially did and is certainly being 
> out-pointed by most of the keel boats within our local Sailing Club (a 
> very varied fleet ranging from dinghies to a 2007 Jeanneau 39 - this 
> is not GRAND racing but we still like to be relatively competitive).
>
> While we bought Boheme predominantly as a cruising boat we do race her 
> here in Apollo Bay-only over the summer season Oct-Apr.
>
> After initially speaking with my husband Gary, our sailmaker said that 
> CAL sails were the best for us  (we have noticed that Steve/Peregrine 
> was mentioned on another website as having purchased them).  After 
> speaking with me (where I mentioned that I was hoping that CAL sails 
> were also going to improve our cruising sailing speeds etc and 
> therefore justify an additional 50% spend) he has backflipped and 
> suggested that:
>
> 9oz Strong Fill Dacron should be used to replace the ORIGINAL Mainsail
> and we could possibly consider 80z Bluewater Cruise for the 10yr old, 
> 135% Headsail.
>
> Now we are both totally confused as neither of us can see the point of 
> buying cheaper sails if they run the risk of losing their shape and 
> performance quicker therefore needing replacing much sooner - on the 
> otherhand CAL sails do blow our initial budget by about $2000  (ie $5k 
> -6k vs $8k approx.)
>
> If others have had experience with CAL sails your thoughts would be 
> much appreciated especially regarding their ability to maintain 
> correct shape in the longterm as opposed to good quality Dacron
>
> Thanking you
>
> Angelika Millar
> Apollo Bay Vic Australia
>
> PS Many thanks to Commodore Chuck Finn for finally making it possible 
> to get our emails through to the Listserve.  We have 'silently' 
> enjoyed the exchanges for almost 12 months now.
>
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-- 
Donald R. Strong
Professor
Dept. of Evolution and Ecology
University of California, Davis 95616

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