Peak Sails?

[GreenLake]

When it comes, you'll at least know you'll have lots of water in your lakes

Think of the poor lake-sailors in CA...

[Alan]

Sigh...

I'm beginning to wonder if even Lake Tahoe is going to be sailable this summer. This is the second year in a row of not much snowfall, and the marina we use was becoming a mudflat during our stay last September.

Someone told me that my closest local reservoir (in the SF Bay area) was at 98 per cent capacity after our one big rainstorm, but it doesn't open for boating until mid-April.

In the meantime, I tinker with the boat and hang out here.

[jeadstx]

I'm fortunate that Canyon Lake (in Texas) that I sail most frequently still has usable ramps and water, although it is 12' down from full level. Lake Travis to the north of me is currently at 38% of capacity, it is about 55' below its' full level and there are no public ramps left operational. Many central Texas lakes are low. We've had rain, but not enough. But, if I want to drive a couple hundred miles, there is always the coast.

John

[diffusion]

They appear to fit well:





Haven't had a chance to sail yet to try them - soon though.

Only issue I had with fit was that the corner reinforcement patch for the jib tack is much thicker, thus the grommet is also much thicker, than the tack grommet from the OEM Neil Pryde jib. Because of this, I couldn't get the original tack snap shackle on the new sail because the neck of the shackle is too narrow to get over the grommet. I have a bigger shackle with a wider neck, but its diameter is too big to get through the hole in the stemhead fitting. ^&!@^%~~!

So to jury rig I used both - the big shackle through the tack grommet, then the small OEM shackle connecting this tack shackle to the stemhead fitting. That's why the tack looks higher off the deck than it should be. Now I have to look around for a new shackle that will fit through the stemhead fitting and also has a wide enough neck to get over the grommet.

The slugs in the mainsail are great. Much easier to deal with than the boltrope.

[JudyB]

[Full Disclosesure] I am a sailmaker, and a competitor of Peak Sails. My name is Judy Blumhorst, and I I operate an online sail loft http://www.hydesailsdirect.com, the official online soruce for Hyde Sails in the USA. ... I wrote the preceeding to establish my credentials as a expert in the sailmaking industry, and the online market in the USA. [End of Full Disclosure.]

...

[JudyB]

If the sail shape is good that seems like a good price for a nicely made sail. It certainly has nice features. My understanding is that a top full batten extends the usable life of a mainsail a fair amount as it helps to keep sail shape. It's really nice to be able to change the camber in the top batten for different conditions. You can even use two different weight battens for different conditions. My Main has a full top batten, also. I've got a medium weight batten and it has worked out for most conditions I've sailed in, though it might be nice to have a stiffer one for heavy air, especially if it's really heavy and reefed down. My sail also has a loose foot which makes adjusting the outhaul a bit easier for changing the camber of the lower part of the sail.

Keep us posted!

It appears to me that the jib has only two broad seams. and three main panels from what I can see in the pictures. The bottom 1/3 is one panel, the middle third is another and the top is another

IMO, the jib should have been designed with panels that are half as wide and with twice as many seams so that it has a decent shape to it. A good design should have twice as many panels and seams, with alot more shapping in the bottom 1/3 of the sail.

(but I have to say that the seams are hard to see in those pictures. I had to look really hard to find both seams in the jib. Maybe I missed one at the top somewhere.)

The DS class jib is has a luff of 15', leech of 13' and foot of 7 feet, which makes it about 45.5 square feet (rated area, not adjusted for foot roach or leech hollow). There should be at least 6 panels in the sail to give it some shape.

To illustrate the point, and for comparison, here are some similarly sized sails designed and built by Hyde.

BELOW: This jib for a Montgomery 15 is very similar in size to the DS1 class jib: luff = 15', and 45 square feet. Here's Hyde's design for it, with 8 panels to give it a nice shape. It's the same size at the DS jib, but it's got a lot more shape than the one in the pictures that has only three panels.



And here's another example: Here's a Hyde design for a Capri 18 storm jib, Luff= 18.75' . with 10 panels to give it some shape.



Judy Blumhorst
Hyde Sails Direct

[GreenLake]

Judy,

it's nice to hear about sail construction from an actual sailmaker. Unfortunately, the links for the images you provide are not viewable. Please make sure that you get shareable links from dropbox. The difference may not be apparent on your system, but we only see the word "image".

If the images are small enough, feel free to add them to your personal Gallery here and link them to your post using the "Gallery" button right above the editor, or, alternatively, upload them as an attachment (tab below the editor) and "place them inline" after you uploaded them (using the same tab).

While we are waiting for the visuals, I did look at your site, but could not find out whether any of the sails you offer are class legal, and if not all, which ones would be. There's also a curious reference to an DS MK 2 with different measurements. AFAIK the sail plan for all class legal boats would be the same, so what is that MK 2 referring to. Just curious.

[TIM WEBB]

Something else I just noticed is that the Peak Sails main battens are not perpendicular to the leech like most other DS sails I've seen. Hmm ... ?

All I know is that I love my Neil Prydes!

[ChrisB]

Tim,

You should love your Neil Pryde sails; both still have excellent shape. Are they original?

CB

[TIM WEBB]

No, they're only about 9 years old, and yes, their shape is still pretty good, but they're starting to show their age!

The blood stains here and there don't help ... ;-P

I still have the originals: the jib is in tatters and the main is blown out. I only sailed with them for less than a year before getting the new ones. Man, what a difference!

[ChrisB]

Nine years is a lot of service particularly for a Florida boat. My OE Neil Prydes are not in tatters, but I own duffle bags with better sail shape!

[TIM WEBB]

Now *THAT'S* funny!

[JudyB]

Judy,

it's nice to hear about sail construction from an actual sailmaker. Unfortunately, the links for the images you provide are not viewable. Please make sure that you get shareable links from dropbox. The difference may not be apparent on your system, but we only see the word "image".

If the images are small enough, feel free to add them to your personal Gallery here and link them to your post using the "Gallery" button right above the editor, or, alternatively, upload them as an attachment (tab below the editor) and "place them inline" after you uploaded them (using the same tab).

While we are waiting for the visuals, I did look at your site, but could not find out whether any of the sails you offer are class legal, and if not all, which ones would be. There's also a curious reference to an DS MK 2 with different measurements. AFAIK the sail plan for all class legal boats would be the same, so what is that MK 2 referring to. Just curious.

Hi GreenLake,

Thank you for the instructions on how to upload pics to the gallery.

We can make class legal sails as described in the class rules. Or we can make non-class-legal sails, for example, a loose footed mainsail, with or without full battens. Every sail is designed and built to order, to meet the customer's sailing style and personal preferences. Need sails for sailing in very high winds all the time? Or very low winds? or a mix of conditions? Need a less-powerful-than average suit of sails for a couple of skinny kids? We build whatever the customer wants.

As for the DS Mark 2 or 3 - Our database indicates that somebody once ordered a sail and called their boat a Mark 2 or Mark 3. It's my understanding that there were some some DS built for a while in the late 1980's that are't legal for one design racing. I don't know any more than that about it.

Incidentally, our head designer, Richard Lovering, competes at the highest levels in the Flying 15, an Uffa Fox design too. Richie's competing in the UK Nationals the weekend of July 11-15. He placed 4th in last year's Nationals. He'll be competing in the Worlds in France at the end of August.

http://rncyc.com/flying-fiteen-national-champioships-2015/ff-results/

Judy B
Hyde Sails Direct

[GreenLake]

We can make class legal sails as described in the class rules. Or we can make non-class-legal sails, for example, a loose footed mainsail, with or without full battens. Every sail is designed and built to order, to meet the customer's sailing style and personal preferences. Need sails for sailing in very high winds all the time? Or very low winds? or a mix of conditions? Need a less-powerful-than average suit of sails for a couple of skinny kids? We build whatever the customer wants.

My comment was more that it wasn't obvious for me, looking at your online offerings, how to order a class-legal set of sails. About customization, are you familiar with the different types of masts for the DS, straight or tapered, with or without jumper struts and diamond stays still attached? Again, it's difficult to tell that from your website.

As for the DS Mark 2 or 3 - Our database indicates that somebody once ordered a sail and called their boat a Mark 2 or Mark 3. It's my understanding that there were some some DS built for a while in the late 1980's that aren't legal for one design racing. I don't know any more than that about it.

There is the DaySailer 3 which is not class legal, but AFAIK the sail plan isn't what's different, it's the hull (higher freeboard and perhaps other changes). The measurements that you post are quite different (IIRC). I don't want to argue against your database, but from someone who might be the new owner of a DS II with worn sails, and who's perhaps read up a bit, it will be very confusing. A DSII has the same sailplan as the DS1, and the same outer hull.

[GreenLake]

This jib for a Montgomery 15 is very similar in size to the DS1 class jib: luff = 15', and 45 square feet. Here's Hyde's design for it, with 8 panels to give it a nice shape. It's the same size at the DS jib, but it's got a lot more shape than the one in the pictures that has only three panels.

You made me curious, so I went back and looked at my jib (Jotz) and it has 7 panels. And it's made from a cloth that looks a bit like rip-stop fabric, with the square pattern of reinforced yarns.