mainsail

[Judith Perkins]

Hello, fellow Passporters --

We are using our Passport 40 (1987, hull number 126) commercially to take people on sailboat rides six times a day out of our little harbor here in Maine.  The season is around 4 1/2months. That's pretty tough duty on the mainsail, up and down on Dutchman monofilament lines, but it seems to us that a main should last more than 5 seasons.  The material is breaking down.  We've repaired and patched it, but we are going to need a new main.  Where do folks get their sails made? Are we unrealistic to have expected more from dacron?

Thanks for any input.

Judy Perkins

S/V The Gift

[CAZ]

Judy, dacron should last a lot longer than 5 years. Is it fully battened? When you get ready for a consult/advise about appropriate sail material, cut, etc., I can recommend the guys over at Bank Sails in Kemah, Texas. They still make sails here locally in country. I realize Texas is a long ways away from Maine. But, you/they are welcome to get measurements taken from my P40 to begin the process.

thanks,

Bill Caz.

1984 P40, Beau Navire

Austin, Texas

[Ernie Reuter]

We are still using my North main that i got with the boat. Its likely at least 20 years old. Dacron should last much longer than 5 yrs. 

That being said ive never been a fan of weaving fishing line through the sail as a captureing system. You may want to consider a real lazy jack system. 

Ernie

S/V Iemanja

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[psherwood]

A loft called Super Sailmakers made my new mainsail in 2012. They're in
Ft. Lauderdale; I was in Bocas del Toro (Panama) at the time. They
emailed me a couple of forms to complete with exact measurements, choice
of sail slides, etc., and the sales rep and I followed up with each
other by phone and email several times. It was very helpful to be able
to send digital photos, to remove any ambiguity about various details
and bits of hardware. The sail fit perfectly and I've been very happy
with its performance.

I opted for a 9-oz dacron "cruising" sail with 3 full batten pockets, 3
reef points, the heavy-duty upgrade (I don't remember offhand what that
comprises), and chafe and spreader patches. The sail was about $3,100,
plus another roughly $400 for shipping. Building a sail to accommodate a
Dutchman system would no doubt add a bit to both the cost and complexity
of the project.

Phil
s/v Cynosure
Seattle / San Carlos

On Mon 8/28/17 08:42, Judith Perkins wrote:
> Hello, fellow Passporters --

... we are going to need a new main.  Where do folks get their sails made?

[psherwood]

Agree. With a Dutchman or comparable system, among other considerations,
the sail is always getting folded or creased in exactly the same places
when it comes down.

Phil