Is this headsail really a genoa?

[townpiper]

:?: Just bought a used headsail . Original boat specs call for a 6ft foot for a 100% jibThe old worn out one was 9ft at the foot ( 150%); this one is about 10 ft. Its a good quality sail from Masthead Enterprises ( bought 2 from them - very pleased) It's 5 oz dacron. It hangs over the mast foot when down.

Are there advantages/disadvantages to a sail this size? My boat is 18ft, with a main foot of 9ft. Do I need a smaller sail? Exclusively used on an inland lake.

Thanks

[seandwyer]

What kind of boat is this? The DS is 16' 9" - I think we would need to know the type of boat and mast height to know if the sail is proper.

[townpiper]

Hi SeanDwyer

My boat is a 1982 18ft USYacht- not a" Daysailer" daysailer, but the hull configuration is almost identical.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks
Paul

[townpiper]

Sean here are the original sail measurements
Main: mast: 17' (luff) 204" (P)
boom: 9' (foot) 108" (E)
19'6"(leech) (actual max)


Jib : Max Luff 17'9"
mast 16.9' 202.8" (I)
deck 6' (foot) 72" (J)
150% Jib -> 9' (L/P)

Waterline to top of mast -21'7''

Hope this helps
Thanks again and fair winds to you

[townpiper]

Sean here are the original sail measurements
Main: mast: 17' (luff) 204" (P)
boom: 9' (foot) 108" (E)
19'6"(leech) (actual max)


Jib : Max Luff 17'9"
mast 16.9' 202.8" (I)
deck 6' (foot) 72" (J)
150% Jib -> 9' (L/P)

Waterline to top of mast -21'7''
Original can be seen at http://www.pbase.com/sloopsailor/image/46059377

Main: mast: 17' (luff) 204" (P)
boom: 9' (foot) 108" (E)
19'6"(leech) (actual max)


Jib : Max Luff 17'9"
mast 16.9' 202.8" (I)
deck 6' (foot) 72" (J)
150% Jib -> 9' (L/P)
Hope this helps
Thanks again and fair winds to you

[Roger]

Unless you are restricted by class rules, you can add any sail to any boat, as long as it fits or can be made to fit. The sail you speak of is 10' on the foot, where the original was 6'. Assuming the corresponding additional area is proportional, I would suggest that by standard measure, you have a 170 which technically would fit into the Drifter or even DRS (drifter reacher spinnaker) category. A drifter is typically a very light sail, (similar to spinnaker cloth) with a bit of draft, (more than a genoa, but not as much as a spinnaker). It is typically used in very light airs, and is not typically a good upwind sail. If it has a big belly, it may be an asymetrical spinnaker although that is typically obvious. Other clues are the cut of the luff, and any assymetry built in to it. IE, the leech slightly longer than the luff. There is no luff wire in a drifter typically.

If it is made of regular sailcloth, (3.5 oz) and looks like an oversize jib with little draft, then I would think it might be a genoa for a larger boat. That's not uncommon either.

Standard measure is to divide square footage of the sail by the square footage of the foretriangle. The percentage, (in your case 166.666) rounds off to a 170. I think the largest genoa would be around the 150 mark.

Hope that helps.

[townpiper]

Thanks Roger

There's a a wire luff, and it has a good size belly to it. made out of 5 oz dacron.( same as the main) No asymmetry. Another guess is that it's a storm jib from a larger boat.

My take from your comment is that if it fits and works, OK.
I'wanted to get max performance in lighter ( 4-7 knots)winds, so I don't know whether this was a good choice or not. But it works....

any other suggestions will be appreciated

Thanks and fair winds to you

Paul