Does anyone else hate their sails as much as I do?

Winston29

Active Member
What in the world was Catalina thinking when they made blue, purple and pink sails for the Capri 14.2?!?! :eek:

My God, they look like something you'd find on a Barbie Doll accessory! I've often said that if Barbie & Ken had a sailboat, their sails would look like mine. :p

Fortunately my sails are about 27 years old, so I didn't feel it was wasted money, investing in a brand new set of sails from SLO Sail & Canvass last month.

Wanting to maintain a slightly different look than most other boats, and keeping a splash of color for tradition-sake, I opted for a solid blue jib and white mainsail with blue hull numbers.

Pretty soon I won't have to take my boat out at night or on weekdays when the ramp is less crowded. :D
 

Attachments

  • fullsizeoutput_b09.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_b09.jpeg
    565.1 KB · Views: 51
My 34 year-old original sails are a bit less flamboyant in purple/baby blue/white/blue. My jib is all baby blue. I've never really put much thought into what others might think of them.
 

Attachments

  • 014.JPG
    014.JPG
    899.1 KB · Views: 70
My guess for those sails of yours is the marketing department struck genius with that scheme after analyzing the fashion trends at the time...
 

Attachments

  • Capture.JPG
    Capture.JPG
    96.4 KB · Views: 41
  • Captured.JPG
    Captured.JPG
    24.1 KB · Views: 31
  • Capturef.JPG
    Capturef.JPG
    34.4 KB · Views: 31
  • ffd.JPG
    ffd.JPG
    49.1 KB · Views: 30
  • starcade-game-show-twitch-marathon.png
    starcade-game-show-twitch-marathon.png
    441.1 KB · Views: 39
  • vintage vans style #98 slip-on 2-tone pink purple canvas checkerboard scene 1 made in usa VaVi...JPG
    vintage vans style #98 slip-on 2-tone pink purple canvas checkerboard scene 1 made in usa VaVi...JPG
    238.7 KB · Views: 39
  • x354-q80.jpg
    x354-q80.jpg
    19 KB · Views: 46
Yours don't look bad, but then they don't have shocking pink in the color scheme like mine do. imo, the pink is the deal breaker. I would't care so much if they were just blue and purple. That might actually look good.

I've had a couple comments from more experienced sailors who said my original sails looked a bit "bagged out", so replacing them is just a good idea, hideous color not withstanding.

I do look forward to having more "normal-looking" sails on the boat.
 
I've seen other 14.2's with colored sails that looked just fine. Blue and yellow, blue and white, yellow and orange, purple, white and blue. Great, no problem, but pink?? :eek:

My guess is Catalina was training their sites on families with small children, and wanted a color scheme that would appeal to mom and the kids.
Problem is, I'm a 53 year old man with no wife and no kids, and I don't want to show up at the ramp in something that looks like it was designed for very young girls, or babies. :p

I want something that's taken seriously and makes my boat look less like a child's toy and more like the fun, sporty boat it was designed to be.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a rant. That's not my intention. I'm just screwing around. Still, I knew before I bought the boat I knew I was going to buy, that one of the first things I would do is replace the sails.

I'll be sure to post photos of the new sails when they arrive.
 

Attachments

  • fullsizeoutput_b49.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_b49.jpeg
    722.5 KB · Views: 62
My jib is yellow, which is fine. But my main is horizonal blocks in a rainbow pattern -- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple. These days, it looks like I'm trying to make some kind of social or political statement. My 12 year old Daughter loves it though, and that's good enough for me.
 
Yeah, as a single, straight male, living in a very liberal part of my state, I don't think I'd be too comfortable flying rainbow colored sails... Not that I have anything at all against how other people live their lives, but I'd worry it would send the wrong message.
 
Let me know if you're interested in selling the Barbie Dream Boat sails for cheap. I'd hate to see them go to the landfill....
 
I am running white dacron sail and have been happy with them with the exception of how noisy they are. They are more expensive, but have kept their crisp shape for a several years now. (My tequila sunrise sails were eaten by mice. :( )
 
I am running white dacron sail and have been happy with them with the exception of how noisy they are. They are more expensive, but have kept their crisp shape for a several years now.

Are they race sails? My new sails are going to be 3.9Oz. Dacron, but not the race version with the extra-heavy layers of resin, so they shouldn't be too noisy........ hopefully. :confused:
 
Are they race sails? My new sails are going to be 3.9Oz. Dacron, but not the race version with the extra-heavy layers of resin, so they shouldn't be too noisy........ hopefully. :confused:
Yes. They are race sails. They were a few owners in the Chesapeake Bay region that tried to get class starts at the regional regattas for a while.
 
I was given the option to order race sails from SLO, but when I told them my intentions for the boat, they talked me out of it. I did go for a reef point, though, as the winds where I sail can get pretty strong in the afternoon.

I can't wait to get brand-new, crisp Dacron on my spars and see how she sails. (that may be the first time I've referred to my boat as "she") :D
 
Ha! Proof positive that pink, purple and blue sails are for girls! (j/k) :p
 

Attachments

  • fullsizeoutput_b50.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_b50.jpeg
    2.6 MB · Views: 48
fashion trends at the time
Precisely :D

With another ISAF Youth Worlds just sailed, I reminisced about the first time I was involved with it, as a coach in 1993. As always, the boats were supplied, including the Laser Radials. We had no Radials in this country at the time, trained with Standard rigs, and didn't expect anything but white sails at the regatta in Italy. Well... they did have a triangle of white cloth in the front, but the aftmost panels were purple and pink. No problem except the sail numbers were pretty impossible to read, especially when the country code also happened to be pink!

The following year I thought they wouldn't make the same mistake again... but come 1994, and the same panels were now pink and pale blue! (Beginning to sound familiar?) The letters were dark though this time.

The year after that, when inquiring about Laser 2 details from Sunfish Laser, I suggested as an aside that the Radials might have all-white sails this time. The answer was short: "we don't supply colored sails". And so they've been white ever since :D

_
 
Just tell people the boat belongs to your girlfriend... until the new sails arrive, LOL. Nice avatar, BTW, looks like me after a long day of sailing, aye? :confused:
 
Another example of good looking, multi-colored sails.......... that don't have a trace of pink in them. :D
 

Attachments

  • fullsizeoutput_b64.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_b64.jpeg
    182.3 KB · Views: 42
Make a landsailer and use the "Barbie Dreamboat" sails on that rig... if the landsailer suffers a freeway-speed knockdown on some playa or dry lake, and the "Barbie Dreamboat" sails get torn up along with the rig, NO GREAT LOSS, LOL. :rolleyes:

Don't forget to wear helmet and safety gear, and be sure to catch the knockdown with a Hero Cam... I personally guarantee that the video will go viral, especially if you post it in the offroad racing & dirt biking forums, LOL. :eek:
 
Wilson want me to reserve these Craigslist sails for you?

I KID, I KID !!! :D:D:D

Your boat (and Avatar) look remarkably sharp with the new sails, KUDOS!
 

Attachments

  • sails.JPG
    sails.JPG
    109.9 KB · Views: 33
Meant Winston not Wilson, oops. Still... those sails give the Capri an exotic Italian sports car look, and wow the viewing windows on the jib!
 
Meant Winston not Wilson, oops. Still... those sails give the Capri an exotic Italian sports car look, and wow the viewing windows on the jib!

No problem, I knew who you were talking to. :D

The old sails were very dated, as we discussed back in July, but the new ones, IMO, make it look like the boat could have been built yesterday.

The jib windows are a huge improvement, too. Now maybe I can actually see other boats on the water that were in the past, blocked by the headsail and its puny window.

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to try them out on the water yet. I want to get my new Tiller Clutch installed first. It's the last thing on my list of necessary improvements.
 

Attachments

  • fullsizeoutput_c51.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_c51.jpeg
    1.2 MB · Views: 39

Back
Top