Replacing A Sail (several Questions)

Alcort59224

Member
I am considering replacing the sail on my 84’ Sunfish and am looking for opinions. I sail recreationally and am not concerned with being “class legal”. That said I am not interested in spending $300+ for an official sail. I am considering Neil Pryde sails , FX sails, Kevane sails, APS recreational or race sail and the Intensity race sail. (They are all priced comparably)
Does anyone have any personal experience (good or bad) with any of these brands?
Should any of these brands be avoided?
Are any of these sails preferred over the others?
Would it be worth it to get a race style sail?
Is there a noticeable performance difference with a race style sail?
Would there be a noticeable performance difference between a new recreational sail and my current 25 year old but still in decent shape recreational sail?
Are there any other aftermarket Sunfish sails not on my list worth considering?
How is the quality/durability of these aftermarket sails?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get as much info as possible so I can make the best choice. Any opinions or recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

-Eric
 
I have a Neil Pryde sail that came with my boat when I bought it. The sail was new when I got it. It has been great to me. I've snagged it pretty good on stuff a few times when the wind catches it while rigging and it has not torn. I've sailed in 20+ mph winds with no issues (twas a dumb idea though haha). And you can get them in a handful of fun color patterns. If I ever manage to destroy this one doing something stupid, I'll almost definitely be buying another.
 
You won't notice a performance difference just sailing around with a new racing sail vs. a new rec. sail. You probably won't even notice a difference with a new race sail vs. the old rec sail if you are just sailing around. But no reason not to treat yourself to a new sail. The Pryde's APS and Intensity all get writtten about well - have not read much on here about the others. BB
 
I trained last summer on a fleet of sunfish. Each boat had its own quirks, mostly due to the sail as they were all 90's models. You may notice some difference with a new sail as you break it in. To me the new sails tended not to have the get up and go of the gently uses ones. If you have a terribly worn sail it may have some qurks. If you sail frequently you know your boat and it will change the feel depending on how fast you take it. I sailed on a river with multi-directional wind streams....we "raced" (here used VERY loosly) them to our training targets. I liked to grab the boats with the 2nd season sails becuse they were in good shape and well warn in. The older ones seemed to get brittle and never quite uncreased....which cant be condusive to speed. They also seemed to accidentally luff more while tacking. Mind you they were older fleet sails with there share of damages.

I've never used an actual racing sail so i cant say much for them.
 
I have the class-legal North race sail, as well as the Intensity race sail (1/3 the cost). The Intensity is at least as fast, and seems to be better made. I also have an APS recreational sail - it is slower because it is smaller, but I got it because I like the colors and I don't race that boat.
 
I'm thrilled with my new Intensity practice sail. Took it out yesterday in 12mph wind and smoked a few Picos that were racing.

It was also fun passing some 22' sloops that were heeled over and trying to go fast.
 
I've been using an FX sail on my Phantom for 3 years. It seems to be well made. It's still crisp and I've had the boat out in 20+ knot winds(not a good idea with an old boat,hull separated from the deck in 3 places). I haven't used any other sails on this boat, so I really don't have anything to compare it against. One thing I noticed is I think the FX sail uses fewer rings than other sails, not that that makes a difference.
 
I have the APS racing cut practice sail, and have been happy with it. If I bought a new one, though, I'd probably get the Intensity Sails racing cut one.
 

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