I am posting this at risk of being demolished by all the more knowledgeable racers. Like most, I prefer dacron for the jib. HOWEVER,I also personally like dacron for the main for the following reasons:

1. If you get a really good dacron material (as somebody recommended in one of the posts above)it is not going to stretch as in "get blown out."

2. Most catamarans, if they are sailed a lot, will gradually get heavier as the fiberglass absorbs water, so it has been my experience that as the boat gets heavier, a dacron sail will gradually get a little fuller, and the boat needs more power, so it works out pretty well.

3. With a dacron sail if the sail cut is not quite right for your weight or sailing conditions, you can do more things to modify the shape to the way you need it -- using downhaul, outhaul and shaping the battens or getting lighter or stiffer battens. Whereas, if you get one of those "hard" sails, you are kind of stuck with the shape the sailmaker cut into the sail.

3. If my sail gets wet (rain or capsize) and my telltales are plastered to the sail, I like to have a soft luff so I know if I am way off in my sheeting.

4. In other words, I like a sail that is more forgiving and more moldable.

5. I figure the "hard" sails are for the experts and the pros. Until I get to that point, I think I LEARN more from a dacron sail.

I know I am all alone on this, so I won't be insulted if you ignore this post.

If there are any dacron fans out there, please come to my rescue.

Last edited by Mary; 04/12/05 10:33 AM.