Sail Question

A

alm168

New Member
Hi all,

The sail on my Phantom is what I believe is called a 'pocket' sail, ie the method of attachement to the spars is via loops in the sail material itself. My sail is at the end of it's life, and I would like to purchase a good shape used one, (NO EBAY) but I want to know the pros and cons of my pocket sail vs the sails used on true SF boats with the clamp rings. Can they be interchanged?


-Al
 
A member of my club did replace his Phantom sail with a new after market Sunfish sail and clips, works just fine. The SF sail may be a little smaller in sq.ft. but he says the difference in the new sail vs his blown out sail makes the change worth it, a good gain in performance. I believe he got his sail thru Masthead or Layline for around $175.
 
(Posted on behalf of John Howard)
Al,

The way I see it, the clips may take a moment or two longer to attach the
sail to the booms, but once on, who cares, most people leave the sails on
and roll the sail to the booms for storage/transport.

With clips, you can replace a select few (or all of them) with line to
facilitate adjusting the sail with an outhaul, cunningham or adjustable
gooseneck (if you have one). You also have a wider variety of colors and
types of sails (using SF Sails), just depends on what you want to do or
spend.

Pocket sails seem to be less adjustable, gooseneck is mostly fixed in
position by the opening in the pocket. And there seems to be less variety in
Phantom sails. The only advantage to a pocket sail is the air flow around
the booms is smoother than with clips, but at the speeds we can obtain, the
difference is minor (some racers might disagree).
Click to expand...
 
Al,
If color and design don't matter, and price is, you might consider having a sailmaker "recycle" a used sail. A sunfish sail can often be cut from a larger sail that was replaced because it had simply gotten edge-beaten. I got one for about $100 in Austin.
My boat is an Aquafinn, and the original sail was also a pocket sail. I asked the sailmaker what he recommended, and he said grommets. Less labor for him, cheaper for me.
John Howard's post is also correct, I have replaced the clips closest to the blocks with nylon parachute (550) cord to keep the mainsheet from fouling, and the gooseneck has all kinds of room to move.
Of course, you can also try the Tyvek option.

Tom
 
Bradley / Noodles;

Thanks. The previous owner had lost the original Phantom gooseneck so I am using a standard SF one. I had not thought about the possiblilty of the pockets limiting the flexability of the gooseneck placement, but you are correct.

Good idea of a recycled sail. I need to see if there is anyone here in NJ that can do this.

-Al
 
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