Hi there. I am hoping to get some AU input on sails. I need a new main and was wondering who you would recommend for performance and cost?
thanks,
Chuck

First 3 boats in the sloops at the Nationals had Ashby mains and jibs. First cat-rig boat also had an Ashby main.

Not sure about costs for an Ashby main (I use a Steve Brewin main which I am very happy with), but around A$1400 without battens would be a good starting ballpark.

JC

As soon as I got my T4.9, I had Calvert make new sails. That is what my son, Dave, used at the F16 event.
Pretty funny that the guy crewing was not a sailor, but he learned fast.
The stock sails are designed for a sloop rig, thus the bottom is flatter and has the draft farther aft.
I had Calvert also build a uni sail with a fuller bottom and the draft farther forward.
At any rate, Calvert is familiar with the boat.
Rick

Chuck,

See www.ashbysails.com or email glenn@ashbysails.com for info and prices. Glenn is making very successful sails out of Pentex for about the same price as Mylar.

Also contact gys@ahpc.com.au . Goodall's are of course the designers of the Taipan rig and of course make excellent sails as well. Goodall Yacht Sails are also now making Pentex sails which seem to be the way to go.

Pentex seems to be a good middle ground between the often too stiff Mylar and the often too saggy Dacron. The durability of the Pentex seems to be good so far as well. About AUS$1400 (~US$1090) is close to the mark for a new sail.

Rob.

Rob-
Agree on the Pentex seeming to be the way to go. All my 4.9 sails so far have been Mylar but I have a Pentex (Goodall) main for my Flyer and a Mylar and the Pentex is a little "stretchier" so it can be cut fuller (more powerful) but still be depowered sufficiently. I believe at the recently concluded A cat Worlds most of the top boats were using Pentex (Ashby won by the way using his own Pentex sail).
Chuck- If you are going to custom order a sail then DO go to the trouble to do the mast bend measurements on your mast and provide to whichever sailmaker you choose to use. Also, you may want to see if there are others over here who would like a sail also and put in a "group" order- Often cuts costs for all involved. You will have to decide if you want a "pure" sloop main, a "pure" cat rig main or one that will do well either way AND whether you want it Taipan 4.9 class legal or F 16HP legal.

Kirt
Taipan #159, Flyer #185

I've got a redhead sails main and after some tests of the standard Taipan main compared very favorably against other standard Taipan mains (thanks to the Aussies doing the tests). I chose the F16 cut for my main and that worked out very very well, it behaves just as intended and scared the daylights out of the skipper. The bloody thing just spurts forward with guts and hardly heels. Steady wind topspeed is about the same but guts response is superior. In my opinion, just where you want it.

I payed 1600 Aus$ (about 1200 US ?)including a full set of battens and a extra of 3 battens to flatten of the sail on top for solo sailing. My main is a 155 kg crewweight doublehander main.

Ian Marcovitch

redhead@acay.com.au

They also do stuff for Bundock and Forbes Tornado

Wouter

Chuck,
I am looking to order 1 or 2 new sails and trying to figure the same info out. Let me know what you intend to do and maybe we can bulk order. I haven't decided who I am looking to order from.

Thanks for all the info. I got bids from Goodall, Ashby, and Redhead. They are all pretty comparable. Pretty steep since the US dollar has dropped so much.

Kirt - Glen kind of has me leaning towards a uni sail. Mavis and I are at about 280 lbs, and it seems like it is blowing when ever she is on the boat. I will probably get my old sloop sail patched anyways. Glen said that the uni main and jib are fast in a blow.

Seth drop me an email at harndecw@bellsouth.net . It is about $180 for shipping one sail and $230 for shipping two. Takes about 5-10 days to have them shipped, so if I am going to have one in time for you guy's F16 uni race I need to jump on it.

Chuck