Why 3 Genoas?

[Madhatter23]

I have just been looking at the sails that came with the C&C 24 I recently bought (on the hard on Long Island). With the boat, I got a mainsail, a spinnaker, a working jib, and 3 150 Genoas? Anyone have any idea why 3? On one of the bags it says "heavy weather". Can I assume this is a thicker sail? the other 2 just say "No 1 Genoa, 150%". I haven't taken them out of the bags yet, since there is nowhere to open them up here without laying them in the snow, just curious why someone would spend the money it must have cost to get 3 Genoas. I have a funny feeling the previous owner may have done some racing. Do you use different gennys for different conditions?
Also, on a similar note, what should I use to clean the sails, and the hanks? They are metal hanks (brass), and are showing a little discoloration. They don't seem to be removable, or I would take them off and really clean them up. As you can tell, I am brand new to sailing, but have been doing a fair amount of reading, to get familiar before making a complete fool of myself on the water.

[DrB]

Folks that race like to have crisp, new sails each season if they can afford them. If the previous owner raced a lot, he probably worked his sails hard and when they became "blown" bought another and just kept the old ones as back ups.

I bought a new 135 Genoa last year, but still have the previous one in storage in case. If I sell the boat, I'll put them on as part of the sail package since they basically are of no use to anyone else.

As far as cleaning the sails, I recommend put them out on a big tarp and hosing them down with water and a dilute solution of Oxiclean and a soft scrub brush, followed by another rinse. For the scrub brush I use an indoor shop broom.

DrB

[DwayneSpeer]

It's hard to imagine a heavy weather genoa. Maybe they are all different sizes and just marked genoa because the former owner didn't know any different. Take them out and measure them as soon as you can.

As far as washing them. Why? A little dirt and wear makes them look authentic.

[Faster]

It's possible the 'heavy genoa' is a flatter cut and slightly heavier material - in this context 'heavy' would be a relative term. The other "150"s could be cut specifically for certain wind ranges.

It's equally possible that they are simply the accumulated inventory of someone who tried to keep up on the race course.

[Gary M]

When I bought my boat it had 3 mains, about 8 jibs/Genoas, a spin staysail and a couple of chutes. Almost all of them went into the dumpster. Only have one still in service.
Take a good look at them and hope one is in good shape.

[zz4gta]

For a small boat it's typical not to carry a #2 headsail. So they'll have a light #1 for 1-10 kts true wind speed, a "heavy" #1 for 11-18 kts, and a #3 for 18-25 kts.

The difference between a heavy and light #1 is usually a small amount on the actual measurements. Like a 155 for the L and a 150 for the H. The H will also be flatter cut like Faster has said, and will be of a heavier material. Also might have some hollow cut into it with a slightly higher clew.

[PaulinVictoria]

If you get bored of carrying around so many sails, feel free to send some in my direction

[QuickMick]

you may not have what the labels say...lol... while probably not the best thing for the sail, i have to spins and one was kinda yucky (the older 'back up' one) so i took it to a car wash.

if the metal is brass--'brasso' is pretty good. i found when cleaning stanchions etc it is really a good idea to follow the 'test in an inconspicuious area' with a lot of those metal cleaner as they can be pretty caustic.

[rayncyn51]

My boat came with 3 sailbags that say Genoa 150. They contian a genoa 150, a blown out main sail, and a pile of mostly rotted sailcloth that may have been a genoa 150 sometime during the Carter administraton. Nice bags, tho.

[Minnewaska]

I would wager the prior owner kept an old sail, after installing a new one. Good strategy to replace them before they are totally blown out, so they can always be a good spare if your current one requires repair.

If you bought the boat from an obsessed racer, you may find you have pretty good sails in the bag. You may also find that isn't what is in there at all. You may simply have different size Gennies.