Plastic Classic Forum

The size. What a decision. I love to sail my boat. For an old boat, the Alden Challenger has good SA/D horsepower, around 17.5. The genny that came with the boat is a 150% (a bit more in fact). Not a bad shape in most conditions. The previous owners raced the boat in southern New England so the sail made sense for them.

One of the biggest problems is it's not a handy sail if you're doing any tacking (without a crew), such as sailing in and out of harbors and anchorages, something I love to do. It's a lot of cloth to bring across the foredeck and over the shrouds.

And of course as you go off the wind, the 150% becomes less of an advantage, often a disadvantage as it becomes too much sail for the angle off the wind.

So what size? I was happiest all around on my last boat with a 120. While I also had a 150, I rarely used it and then only in very light air if we were racing. While it was tempting (another 120), light air is what I like to sail in most here on Penobscot Bay, so I decided the 135% will be the best compromise. Having spent so much time with this 150 (10 years), I can see more advantages than disadvantages to the smaller sail. I think I'll be able to trim it to a faster shape, especially off the wind, and be as well off (better now due to the lost shape of the old 150 of course).

And in the "handy" department, I can see sailing in and out of places like Rockport or Pulpit Harbor for instance, where tacking is expected, the smaller sail will be a relief. My sailmaker assures me rolling it down to 120 or even a bit more, I'll still have a good shape. The old sail rolled to a manageable tacker was all but useless except down wind. In light air and tight areas like these, a smaller sail with a good shape that's easy to tack, can be faster than a larger sail that costs speed in tacking.

I shopped around on the internet and got a lot of quotes and advice and ultimately found the best of both right in my back yard with Pope Sails in Rockland. It's worth more money for me to use our local economy but in fact, Doug Pope was competitive and well recommended here. Plus, I'll be taking my old sail in to confirm measurements and design.

In another season or two, we'll replace the main. I'm so looking forward to sailing this season. What's you favorite headsail on your boat?

When I purchased Early Light (a 1982 Sabre 34 mk I, which is an IOR design with a high aspect rig) she came with a 155%, a 130%, a 100% as well as a cruising chute. During the first eight years I found myself using the 130% almost exclusively. I found it to be an excellent all around sail that I could reef down to about a 100% or 105% with the Harken furler when the wind piped up and yet it still moved the boat quite well in the mid summer light air that we so often get here on the Chesapeake, all without the hassle of tacking with a larger headsail (I single had my boat quite often). In the fall of 2008 I decided to order a new head sail and opted for another 130%. I ordered from my local Quantum loft and I have absolutely no regrets with this decision.

I think the 130 LP range is an excellent compromise for most sailors--big enough for the light air, small enough to handle the stronger winds without an immediate need to roller reef or change headsails--and also more effective when rolled up to something like a 100% than a larger sail would be.

My own roller furling headsail is a 130 and I wouldn't go bigger for how and where I sail.

The main that came with my boat is still in good condition. So replacing it is not high on my list of expenses. I did however go through the same process 3 years ago to decide on what to get for a headsail and who to have make it. I ended up going locally. The price was good, recommendations helped ease my mind, spending time talking with my new sailmaker was very enlightening, and I got exactly what I asked for. I had a 135% soft luff roller reefing headsail that is good for all but the lightest winds and storms. It holds a fair shape down to 100% like Tim mentions. If you roller furl and want one sail to leave furled on the boat I recommend approximately 135% +/-.

I agree with much of what has been posted here. I bought a 135% genoa for Robin Lee and it's about as perfect an all around headsail as I can hope for. The Dolphin 24 carries a pretty healthy sailplan, so the 135% is a good sized headsail, plenty in most conditions, except for the very light drifter. It's easily manageable for me when single handing in up to 15 knots of breeze, and as folks have said, you don't have to roll much up to make it an effective 100% or 110%. I have marks on the furler line and the genoa track for about a 105% furl, and that's my first stop after reefing the main.

My sail has a moderately high clew, which makes for good visibility to leeward. I like the way the boat looks with the high clew as well... old school. Here's a pic of me sailing a couple of weeks ago with my 135%:

Erik,

Fantastic photo - made my evening. Thanks for posting it :)

Rachel

Rachel wrote:Erik,

Fantastic photo - made my evening. Thanks for posting it :)

Rachel

Thanks, Rachel! Glad you liked it. My friend Bill was sailing alongside in his pretty little Flicka and got some nice shots that day. I'll try to post a few up in the Boat Photos forum when I get a chance.

EKE wrote: My friend Bill was sailing alongside in his pretty little Flicka and got some nice shots that day. I'll try to post a few up in the Boat Photos forum when I get a chance.

How quickly did you pass him?

Pretty much like he was standing still. :)

Tom Young wrote:.....One of the biggest problems is it's not a handy sail if you're doing any tacking (without a crew), such as sailing in and out of harbors and anchorages, something I love to do. It's a lot of cloth to bring across the foredeck and over the shrouds.

And of course as you go off the wind, the 150% becomes less of an advantage, often a disadvantage as it becomes too much sail for the angle off the wind....

In my mind it is quite unfortunate that the CCA racing rule propagated so many boats that relied on large headsails. It really takes some of the joy out of sailing.

EKE wrote:.....The Dolphin 24 carries a pretty healthy sailplan.....

That is a pretty good understatement. With a working SA/D ratio of 17.8 your 130% takes you a bit north of 20. With a light air drifter I imagine you sail where you want when you want.

And thanks for the great photo.

LazyGuy wrote:

EKE wrote: My friend Bill was sailing alongside in his pretty little Flicka and got some nice shots that day. I'll try to post a few up in the Boat Photos forum when I get a chance.

How quickly did you pass him?

Of course Flicka's ain't fast but my friend just put a new mainsail on his and I have to say I am pretty impressed with that little boats performance. She points better than I thought she would and I was surprised by her speed.

Saturday was a good day. NOAA had forecast 5 to 7 knots from the southwest on Penobscot Bay. I got an early start having left Christmas on the public docks the night before. The final rigging was bending on the new 135% in the early morning with the harbor flat and windless. So calm, I raised main and mizzen at the docks as well. By the time I got the sheet cars roughly adjusted, wind was just riffling the surface of the outer harbor and I motored off for the outer harbor.

These days, I've been spending some time trying to improve the boats bottom. I used Hydrocoat this year and like it for laying down smoothly after a roll and tip. On top of that, a luxury for me of having a coastal sailing boat is not having much extra weight in stores and stuff packed onboard. These years, I'm removing gear I don't use. The boat is pretty light these days. So for my first test, I did a few tacks under main and mizzen alone.

Not an easy task in 5 knots of wind but I made a couple tacks across the outer harbor. I was not pointing much beyond 180 degrees mind you, but I was able with the board down to keep a speed over the ground of 2 knots on the gps. This allowed me to adjust the main to best shape in the light wind and suggest to myself I'm getting a little better speed in light air to justify the nasty work I've done on the bottom.

The new sail looks good on the furler.



On a slow beam reach, I spun the furler to bring out the new sail. Cars needed adjusting first, 4 telltales per side, nice, I love telltales and use them all the time. It looked great! I went right to winching it onto the rail as well as main and mizzen and began to bring the boat onto a windward tack. I would guess the wind was still in the 5 to 7 knot range, I adjusted sails and headed for the Rockland Light to the southwest.

I spent a good amount of time, more than a mile on this first tack. Adjusted for a good speed to windward, I had the boat moving at 4 knots. That seemed like an optimum speed and course to windward, what I would sail if I were racing to a windward mark. Pinching a few more degrees was doable, but at a loss of speed. The new sail set well in the light air. It was evident to me it was holding a better shape at this tight sheeting angle. I spend a lot of time comparing compass and gps headings on my boat checking sail trim, board settings and tacking angles for figuring course on my charts. It's an interest for me.

I brought the bow through the wind and onto the starboard tack. Taking my time adjusting telltales from bow to stern (they're are a lot of telltales on a yawl!), I fell into the same general speed to course, above 4 knots. Only after the boat had spent some time settling in to it's best trim, do I start checking compass and gps course.

I was very pleased. While on the port tack we held a course of 185 to 190, we were now settling into a groove in the 105 range, maybe a tad tigher. Nothing to brag about for a racer, but very pleasing to me having lived with a fatter wedge for some time. It was evident at that point, my old 150% was well beyond tired.

I had to get back soon but I had time for one more quick move. The wind on the bay was powered up a bit by the sun then, in the 10 knot range, maybe 12. I slacked off all the sheets on Christmas and headed her onto a beam reach, her favorite.

Easterly. The holy grail of Penobscot Bay sailing.

I had this reach in mind as well with the new smaller headsail. Sure enough, the sail was perfect to power up in the reach without the extra cloth of the 150. Christmas was settling into that familiar freight train feel on the flat bay as our speed continued to climb. After final trim adjustments, I raised the board to half and steered for speed. It felt good.

Nice to be sailing downeast at 7knots over the ground, very nice, I didn't want it to end.

I love tales of money well spent.

That cabintop winch with the 3-strand line.... what does that control?
I had a 3-strand dacron halyard for a while but quickly shifted it to mainsheet duty. Way too much stretch for a halyard.

That is the winch for the mainsheet. The mainsheet goes from a track in the aft edge of the cockpit and multi tackle on the end of the boom, along the bottom of same, down the mast through more blocks, along the cabin top, then back to this winch and cleat. A little outdated, but it seems to work, so I haven't changed it. It's a a lot of mechanical advantage for the 18' boom, which needs it.