new to me 23...some questions

[zimm]

1. What are the advantages of adding a bow sprit?
2. Main was reconditioned last year, but sails are original (84), how will I know when they need replaced?

Thanks.

Jeff

[Rick Klages]

The sprit moves the force of the headsail farther forward reducing weather helm.  It also allows for larger headsails.

Worn out sails will not power your boat to windward as well and they will cause your boat to heel excessively (because the chord of the airfoil has moved aft as the sails have aged and stretched).

ick

Calling all CP-23 owners!  I can only answer very general questions on the 23!  I've never sailed one!

[Glenn Basore]

Can sails still be good if they do not have the crispness or starch in them ?

Ive been on a couple of boats where the sails felt very soft, and yes they were old.

The only sails Ive been used to have been on my new previous boat and my year old Eclipse, both had  / have nice crisp sails

[Rick Klages]

Not always true but "crisp" or "crinkly" is good! "soft" or "fuzzy" is bad.  It's a good practice to have your sails serviced at least every several years if not every year.

If you need new ones you can order them online however I prefer to have them made local where I will have them cared for.  Keeping sailing based busnesses in busness is importent to our sport.  Sure you can get em cheap on the internet but when the local guy closes shop for lack of busness you will have no one to do your mending. 

An example of a "good" soft sail would be a "drifter".  Its a light air sail which is often made from nylon and is soft and servicible at the same time.  http://www.ukhalsey.com/LearningCenter/encyclopedia/encyclopedia4i.asp

ick

[Bob23]

Jeff:
  When I bought my 1985 23/2 2 years ago, she had original sails. I sent them to Sailcare to be reconditioned and they came back quite crispy. It was a lot less expensive than new sails. She seems to point as well as a 23 can be expected to- they aren't know to be super close-winded boats. As far as speed, they also aren't known for speed, but I've regularly hit 5.5 to 6.0 knots by gps without over-canvasing.
   My 23 came with a bowsprit so I've never sailed her without, but I will agree with Ick that moving the center of effort forward will lessen weather helm. Mine still has plenty, the only thing about the boat that I'm not craz about.
   But, even the most beautiful women have thier faults, eh?
   

[curtisv]

I've never sailed a CP23 without the bowsprit but this discussion has come up plenty of times on the yahoo groups list.

CP23 originally had a bit of a weather helm problem, not severe, but a problem.  The bow sprit helped that a lot.  Adding a foiled rudder helps as well as it is a more efficient rudder than the flat aluminum plate.  Not sailing with too much canvas helps.  Balancing the sails helps (reef the main first if you don't have a big geneo).

As to new sails vs old sails, crisp vs soft -

As sails age the dacron stretches.  Soft sails are well used and the UV protection is usually worn off by that time.  If the UV protection wears off then UV light does more damage to the sail.  A weakenned sail stretches more easily and can eventually tear.  Reconditioning is a preventative.  If the sail has already stretched, reconditioning it will not unstretch it.  So whether your sail is still good depends on how used it was before it was reconditioned.

A stretched sail tends to be baggy and not hold a good shape.  In strong wind the baggy sail will cause the boat to heel excessively while not driving the boat as well as a sail that still has its original shape.

The only way to tell if the sail still holds a good shape is to sail her and see.  If you don't know what to expect from your sail that can be tough.  If so, take some one out on your boat that has sailed quite a lot.

Or look in you wallet and you may decide - sails just fine! 

Curtis