Sizing jib sail.

[britcoal]

Hello folks,

My 150 genny is near on 20yrs old, and spent the last couple on a roller furler with no UV protection.. you can guess where I'm going with this. It is still useable but won't last. I know the basics of sail sizing (the I,J,P,E measurements, etc) and will certainly size a new genny properly when it comes time. (This is a 35ft ketch, with a relatively short distance from bow to mast given the LOA)

However, I saw a very well priced jib in good shape recently for a 28ft boat. It is set up for a roller furler already. It would be nice to have a smaller headsail on board (the 150 is the only headsail I have)... so the question is, can I use it? does it matter that it is cut for a 28ft. What issues should I be aware of?

I'm not too concerned about performance.. especially given it will be a smaller sail for heavier winds than I feel comfortable using the aging genny, which can be a beast to tack.

Thanks!

[Faster]

First, does it fit? Is the luff tape the right size for the furler?

Given your short J measurement it may well fill the bill for you - and having a smaller sail than a 150 is pretty much essential in my view.

The one issue you may need to consider besides the above is that your boat is likely a lot heavier than the 28 footer, and so the cloth weight may be on the light side - and as you're intent would be to use it in higher breezes that may not work out (if it's the 28 footer's "light" #1 for instance, even thopugh it's physically smaller, it likely won't stand up to the loads on your boat.) If your J meas. are comparable and it's the 28 footer's #3 it may work OK.

But it's nice to find a used (inexpensive) sail that will - even if temporarily- get you by until you're ready to drop the big dollars on a new one.