New sails

[Peter Dubé]

Is it annoying when the new owners post repeat messages?  I do try to search the old messages before I ask...

I will be in the market for a new sail soon. I would like to know what the experienced Suncat owners are putting on. I'm thinking of going oem, but I wonder if an upgrade in fabric is a good move. I also  wonder if a loose footed sail is a good idea. I have a stock fixed out haul.  With a loose footed sail , I would think and adjustable out haul may be needed.

Peter

[capt_nemo]

Give serious consideration to a loose footed main'sl. Everything I've read and heard over the years supports their ability to achieve better sail shape when adjusted properly. This translates to increased efficiency and boat performance.

If I were faced with the necessity to replace the main'sl on my now sold Sun Cat I would have definitely opted for a loose footed replacement.

capt_nemo

[Catawampus]

I just replaced the main on my Sun Cat. Super Sailmakers worked with me. I made two minor modifications. Because I sail on an inland lake with less winds than is normal in coastal areas, I asked for lighter 4oz cloth than the normal 5oz. Also because of the problems I experienced with the leech of the original sail, I requested that a leech line be omitted. My thoughts here are that the gaff and mainsheet control the leech tension much better on a cat boat than on a sloop. So far I am happy with both decisions. I'm not sure that a loose footed main would have provided an advantage on the Sun Cat. The working air foil of the sail appears to run from the tack to the upper end of the gaff. A loose footed main might move the lower point of the air foil further aft, but with the gaff rigged sail, I'm not convinced that this would provide an advantage. I could be wrong, I certainly have been many times before.

[Catawampus]

I failed to mention that I do have an adjustable outhaul, but I rarely use it. With the new sail, I am finding that I make must of my sail shape adjustments with the peak halyard.
Another bit of info that I found on a different forum: It may be dangerous to sail a Sun Cat with the boom above the mast hinge. I now use my cunningham/downhaul to pull the boom down so that the turnbuckle is slightly below the mast hinge. This gives me too much stretch in the luff of the sail, but this seems to have minimal effect on the "power" section of the main. Again, adjustments to the peak halyard seem to have the most effect on the driving force of the sail.

[Peter Dubé]

Has anyone purchased sails heavier than 5 oz to try to make the sail last longer?. I'm thinking that 5 oz is probably just about the correct balance between durability and weight.

I used to have a Melonseed cat boat that had a tanbark sail. I think tanbark would look handsome on the Suncat.