Sails!!

[Alden68]

I was told that the genoa size is a percentage of the fore triangle area, not the foot length. I.e. if the fore triangle is 100 sq.ft. and the overlapping area is 50% of that area, you have a 150. Has anyone else heard that or was I sold a load of bull....

[blt2ski]

Also if the boat is from 1971, and an IOR designed boat to boot, the large genoa was part of the positive of those yrs designs. They also did TALL skinny mains, as the main sail footage was a negative in the rule. So it was many times not of place to use a 180 HS for the power part of the boats equation. Where as today, many boats are coming out with fractional rigs, with the main being the bigger part, (better IMHO) with a jib being a max 110 or so. Some still have 150'ish jibs, with PHRF the current main handicap rule penalizing those with jibs over 153 or so IIRC.

Marty

[JimsCAL]

The percentages are based off the rated jib (which is 100%). While normally based on the LP of the headsails (at 90 degrees from the luff), you can also use the J dimension or the area to compare. I picked up an almost new 130 for a Hunter 27 a number of years ago for a song. It measures about a 105 for my boat (CAL 9.2) and works great as a #3. A 180 is very unusual - typically only in something like a drifter. If you don't know the rated J or rated jib area of your boat, I would just compare the horizontal distance from the headstay to the mast, to your measurement of the LP of the sail (not the foot).

[USCGRET1990]

Genoas are categorized by the percentage of overlap. This is calculated by looking at the distance along a perpendicular line from the luff of the genoa to the clew, called the LP (for "luff perpendicular"). A 150% genoa would have an LP 50% larger than the foretriangle length. Sail racing classes often specify a limit to genoa size. On International Offshore Rule boats, different classes of genoa have 150%, 130%, and 98% overlap, and so on. Under Performance Handicap Racing Fleet rules most boats are allowed 155% genoas without a penalty.

[USCGRET1990]

Originally Posted by Alden68

I was told that the genoa size is a percentage of the fore triangle area, not the foot length. I.e. if the fore triangle is 100 sq.ft. and the overlapping area is 50% of that area, you have a 150. Has anyone else heard that or was I sold a load of bull....

I think you are right...

[USCGRET1990]

Originally Posted by blt2ski

Also if the boat is from 1971, and an IOR designed boat to boot, the large genoa was part of the positive of those yrs designs. They also did TALL skinny mains, as the main sail footage was a negative in the rule. So it was many times not of place to use a 180 HS for the power part of the boats equation. Where as today, many boats are coming out with fractional rigs, with the main being the bigger part, (better IMHO) with a jib being a max 110 or so. Some still have 150'ish jibs, with PHRF the current main handicap rule penalizing those with jibs over 153 or so IIRC.

Marty

Main demensions:
Foot 25.5'
Leech 28'
Luff 10'

[Alden68]

.....about being sold a load of bull? That seems to be my specialty when it comes to boating

[USCGRET1990]

Originally Posted by Alden68

.....about being sold a load of bull? That seems to be my specialty when it comes to boating

what's that supposed to mean?

[USCGRET1990]

How the heck do you figure the area of a sail when it's not a perfect triangle?

[blt2ski]

Me thinks the foot and luff are backwards, the foot is probably 10', and luff 25.5'! This with a 2.5 luff to foot ratio puts you at the bottom end of the IOR rules, as an example, my foot is also 10', but the luff is 32.3'!

I was always explained that a 150 would be an LP of 15' if the J value was 10', it had nothing to d with the actual sq ft of the sail. as one takes teh LP divides by the J value to get the % of sail you have. Hence how I got my numbers in above post.

marty