• Creator
    Topic
  • #82831
    Greg Pierson
    Participant

    Has any one tried to cut or have a sailmaker re-cut a main to make it into a headsail?..I recently aquired a mainsail from a J24 and the luff is the right length for my MacGregor 26 masthead rig…It has a nice shape…being very “High Aspect Ratio” compared to the stock genoa…Is that too crazy?..

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Author
    Replies
  • #82835
    Bill White
    Participant

    adding a lot of roach to a genoa would affect the sail balance and recutting a sail would be more than half the cost of a new sail and in the end you would still have an old sail

    #82841

    We agree with wewhite74. It’s not the best idea to convert a mainsail to a headsail. Re-cuts are expensive. Patches, batten pockets, reefs, etc. are rarely in the correct location for the new spec.

    #82842

    Looking a little further, the foot of a J24 main is only 9’9″. About the same as the J measurement on the MacGregor. Hoisting that sail at the angle of the forestay would mean cutting the foot of the main far enough up the leech to make the sail about 90% (rough guess). So now, not only is it expensive to do but the sail ends out too small.

    #82843
    Greg Pierson
    Participant

    All good points here…I got the sail for free… and after re-rigging the Mac from a fractional rig to masthead… I was looking for a more high aspect ratio headsail for more drive when the wind pipes up…In “round the buoys” racing , it’s all about the tiniest advantage…And bragging rights at the club (ha ha)

    #82996
    Bill White
    Participant

    high aspect is undesirable for stronger winds you will heel more as the pressure is on a longer lever a flatter cut sail will give you much nicer ride and easier to sail upwind without having to dump the main as much in the gusts

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.