Sail choices

[aphil138]

I''ve pretty much decided to purchase a 130% genoa for my ''81 Pearson 424. I seemed to have better performance with that rather than the 150%. The question my sailmaker is asking though, is whether is should be 8.2oz or 7oz fabric.
Thoughts?

[Jeff_H]

I guess the question is what do you plan to do with your new genoa? There is a huge difference between what a 150% genoa can do and a 130% genoa on a grossly undercanvassed boat like the 424 with the 130% having very limited performance compared to a 150% or even a 140%. For some that is no problem because they simply do not sail in winds under 10 knots or winds that are forward of 60 degrees or aft of 130 degrees or so. If you are one of those a 130% genoa is probably fine. For most of us a 130% on a 424 would typically a useless sail for anything but pretty stiff breeze, something over 12 knots. In that case the heavier lower stretch fabric probably makes sense because it would allow you a reasonable range of use between 12 knots and something approaching 20 knots. Of course it will be far worse in lighter winds guaranteeing that you won''t be able to sail in lighter winds. The lighter cloth might allow you to extend the lower end of your wind range perhaps a couple knots lower but at the price of upper end performance.

130% is an odd size for a heavy displacement genoa, too small for lighter conditions and too large for heavier going even furled. I think you would be happier with a 140% or so and then plan to use a smaller sail (110% or so) in heavier going.

Jeff