Best front sail for 25 foot Catalina?

[LACSTS]

Hello all,


I have a 25 foot Catalina and recently my front sail was stolen. I am not new to sailing but not very experienced either (especially with all the terminology).

I know it was a jib, and I have the furler on the front.


My question is what is the best sail I should replace the stolen one with? I need to be able to still use the furler and if there is something that will use it and be better/faster/easier I'm all for it.


Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.


Thanks

[FSMike]

You must be new to sailing because you didn't say anything about cheaper.
For new sails contact any sail maker, they should all have the dimensions for your boat. Local lofts may give better service but may cost a bit more. The right loft can be worth it. To save some bucks look into used sails. There are several companies such as Bacon Associates that specialize in that. With a popular design such as you have there is no reason to buy a sail that is not made for your boat.
New sails can be faster, but some used sails are barely used

Now I have to worry about some nefarious person stealing my jib.

[oomfh]

You might also post your thread on the Catalina 25/250 forum - lots of experienced C25 owners share valuable knowledge there.

Good luck!

[LACSTS]

Sorry i should have clarified more.

I will be looking for a used sail.

I was basically asking about the type of sail. Is a jib the only kind of sail that will work on a furler?

[FSMike]

Well there are mainsail furlers for mainsails, and furlers for code zeros, and furlers for -- well you get the idea but in your case you are looking for a jib. The only real question is what size, expressed as a percentage of the foretriangle, such as 90%, 110%, 130, 150, etc. Anything over 100% is referred to as a genoa jib, or just a genoa. Probably the best info on what size to get will be on the Catalina owner's forum, as previously mentioned.

[LACSTS]

Ok. I will check there. Maybe a bigger jib will do best. I dunno.


But has so much for the help everyone.

[scottyt]

okay we do have some questions

where do you sail?
what are your average winds?
how long is your average sail? ( ie day sails or trips )

if you are in a high wind area going with a "jib" is kind of the best idea. a jib is really just a 100 % genoa. the 100 comes from the size of the triangle formed by the mast, deck, and forestay ( the furler covers this ). if you are in an area where you have lower winds then a bigger sail, like a 155 ( or 155 % of the fore triangle ... not exact but close enough for now ) might be a good idea. if you are in an area with decent winds but they do pipe up a 135 might be a good size as you can "roll" it slightly smaller and still have decent shape.

next is if you do longer trips in windy areas you want a sail that is built stronger than a light weight "day" sail. light weight sails do well in low winds, but they wont handle a bunch of stronger wind days of a trip

[LACSTS]

Hi Scotty, thanks

I live in Sarasota fl on the w coast of fla. Just south of tampa. I usually day sail but I did take a trip to destin and back last summer. I also plan on making a trip to key west this summer hopefully.

Winds on average are between 5-15 knots when I go out. Sometimes it can get up to 20-25 but not normally.

When we went to destin it was about 5-10 knots the whole time except the last 24 hours a front came through and it got up to 20.


I may be wrong but if I get a larger genoa can't I just roll it in a little if it gets too windy?

As in if I get a 130 or larger genoa and the wind gets up there can I just use the furler to roll it into about a 100 or reg jib?


Thanks again

[scottyt]

yes you can get a 130 and roll it up, you can also sail only on the genoa when the wind picks up, instead of rolling it smaller. you should probably go with a 155, for the winds you mentioned. if it gets too bad just run under the main reefed.

if you really want to go nuts try to get a light 155, and a heavier 110. for your light days run the 155, when you know the winds will pick up put up the 110. the time to switch the sails at the dock is not much, and having a heavy 135 to 155 sucks in 5 knot winds, but a light 155 would be great.

when you look for sails try for an 8 oz or so for the 110, and a 5 or so for the 155. if you just go with one sail a 6 or 7 135 with a foam luff ( helps with sail shape when rolled ) and get it double stiched for the higher winds

[JimsCAL]

Sounds like a 135 or 150 genoa is what you want. Any sail made for a Cat 25 should fit fine, but have the make and model of the furler to make sure. And since the Cat 25 comes in a standard and tall rig, you will need to know that also. New genoa will probably be about $800 at one to the discount online lofts.