# Shameless plug II. Yes. Everyone has one.



## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

New sails or talent to win a race?
Of course there is the boat design, luck, the rig tuning and the cleanliness of the bottom that can make a difference to throw into the mix as well. 
We learned to use our old blown out main sail pretty effectively but our new main sail seems to help a lot.
2012, July 11th. A reflection on main sails past and present. | Odalisque


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

Wow! What a difference! You should post the before and after shots. I am always amazed what people think looks ok, until they see what it SHOULD look like!


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

OK. I can do that.

Before and after.


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## Cruiser2B (Jan 6, 2011)

She looks good! yeah, our main was made in 1994 and is quite blown out, but i dont race so it gets me from a to b. I may get a new one in the fall. I am saving now for a windvane. Who made your new main?


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

CalebD said:


> OK. I can do that.
> 
> Before and after.


LOL! Oh my God Caleb, that first sail is such a rag! No wonder you're sailing better now. It makes the whole boat look wonderful and no doubt, perform better.


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## msmith10 (Feb 28, 2009)

Nice comparison. Very nice looking boat.


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## ccriders (Jul 8, 2006)

Caleb,
Looking at you photos, I find it interesting that you reef the jib before the main? Am I reading that correctly? If so, that is the opposite of what I do, which makes me wonder if that is one of the differences between higher vs lower aspect ratio keel.
The Tartan 27 is a really cool looking boat, one I was drawn to when I went boat shopping six years ago. But there was only one available here in South Texas and the owner was a "reluctant" seller, so no deal.
I experienced the new sail syndrome two years ago. Its a great feeling second only to a new bottom job. I think we are all racers at heart.
John


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## puddinlegs (Jul 5, 2006)

Sweet Jesus Caleb, that old main is a horror show.


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

puddinlegs said:


> Sweet Jesus Caleb, that old main is a horror show.


Yeah - but that's one sexy new main, dude!


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## puddinlegs (Jul 5, 2006)

ccriders said:


> Caleb,
> Looking at you photos, I find it interesting that you reef the jib before the main? Am I reading that correctly? If so, that is the opposite of what I do, which makes me wonder if that is one of the differences between higher vs lower aspect ratio keel.
> The Tartan 27 is a really cool looking boat, one I was drawn to when I went boat shopping six years ago. But there was only one available here in South Texas and the owner was a "reluctant" seller, so no deal.
> I experienced the new sail syndrome two years ago. Its a great feeling second only to a new bottom job. I think we are all racers at heart.
> John


I'm willing to guess it's simply choosing the 'easiest' option to reduce some sail. Ironically, if he had his new main on in the photo, he could have flattened it very effectively as the first step before reducing anything at all. Old, blown out sails lead to not only poor boat performance, but poor boat control as well.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

About time you made your blog public.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

I'm back to answer a few questions.

Our new main is a Rolly Tasker (sailwarehouse.com) made sail. Their US office is in Monterey, CA but the sails are made in Thailand. We priced this (almost) exact sail at a local loft and the estimate was $2800. Rolly Tasker made it for $1800 which left one boat buck undisturbed.

The picture of us sailing with the jib partially furled and the full main is exactly what you guys thought it was; mostly laziness. Our old main could not be flattened well and pulling in a bit of jib was a quick way to reduce sail area although it may not have helped the weather helm.

I really like the loose footed sail as it does make flattening it much simpler. The extra roach area also adds square footage, hence more sail area. 

Yes, we could have saved another boat buck by buying a used main sail but we opted for the brand new one instead and I am not disappointed. The only thing I miss about our old sail was the Dutchman flaking system that it had. Our new sail has to be hand flaked which is easier to do with two people. I'm resisting putting Lazy Jacks on it but that may be the next project we undertake.

Thanks for reading, one and all.


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## SkywalkerII (Feb 20, 2008)

Caleb,

Looks great! 

To add to the reefing conversation, I had a 165 genoa made for my T27. My main was pretty good, had a flattening reef and two deep reef points. We raced often. We always reefed the main first and flew the 165 in winds up to the high teens! 

Can't wait to get back out there.

Good luck!

Skywalk er
T27 249


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Thanks Luke, er, Chris.
You were the one who impressed upon me that the T27 could actually be raced semi-competitively with your account of taking Skywalker on the Around LI Regatta some years ago. 
Regarding reefing, the owners manual for the T27 suggests that reefing the main is necessary in about 18 knots of wind or higher. I try to follow this guideline and we have even done well in some higher wind races with a reef tucked into the main. Under higher wind conditions some of the larger, more serious racing boats had to retire because they did not carry a jib small enough for those conditions (gusts to 38 once). We had our genoa rolled up to a handkerchief sized sail and finished in 2nd place. Of course, only 2 boats in our division finished in that race but hey, win, place or show, right?
If you really want that Sardine dish trophy you have to show up week after week and cross both the start and finish lines.


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