Sunfish sail question

[Salty Sea Dog]

What makes a sail "class legal"? On sunfishdirect.com they sell 6 ounce dacron sails for $315 that are class legal. At this link, ( http://www.sunfishsailboats.com/sails.php ), there is a 3.8 ounce dacron sail, supposedly class legal, that is being sold for the same price, but I know that there are also plenty of 3.8 ounce dacron sails for $149
( http://www.neilprydesails.com/store/sun.htm ). Is a 3.8 ounce sail class legal or does it have to be 6 ounces or do you just have to buy it from the right supplier?

 

[Zeppo]

Presumably class legal refers to the sails measurements, and the sails material (Dacron vs. Mylar or Kevlar), weight is more related to the wind velocities in which you will be sailing, light weight for light air and vice versa. I don't know whether the Sunfish class has a set weight or whether that is up to the individual, I'm guessing it's an individual choice.

 

[mike4947]

Class legal sails come from one North sails loft in IIRC Singapore. There are basically two class legal sails. The "recreational sail" and the "racing sail".
You take a chance buying from other than a dealer as to wether or not the sail is "class legal".
FYI IIRC the current price for a racing sail is $415.

 

[Wayne]

What makes a sail "class legal"?

The Class Rules ...
http://www.sunfishclass.org/ISCA_CLASS_RULES_10052006.pdf
(if you are a Class member participating in Class racing events. Otherwise, none of that applies to you any more than NASCAR requirements apply to your family car)

To insure all boats are the same, the Class has established rules governing the source of part so their design and dimensions can be assured to be equal in competition events. This is the basis of the "One Design" category for race boats..., all race boats have the exact same equipment leaving the competition between sailor's skill.

The determination has been made that the official approved sail come from only one sailmaker, North Sails, and can only be purchased through Sunfish dealers.

On sunfishdirect.com they sell 6 ounce dacron sails for $315 that are class legal.

The 6 ounce statement is a typo.

3.8 oz ... 3.9 oz per sq yard

Sailcloth comes on rolls from the mill in different widths, like all fabric. There is a "standard" width (not 3' x 3') for sailcloth, but not every mill conforms. Between calculating the weight for different "yards" and from converting square meters to square yards there is sometimes a rounding error that shows up as a 0.1 oz difference. I read those two numbers as being the same weight cloth.


Dacron is the DuPont company's trademark name for their brand of Polyester fabric.

 

[beldar boathead]

The way you can tell if it is class legal is it will have a North Sails sticker on the sail and it will say that it is a Sunfish class legal sail. BTW, these sails are currently made in Sri Lanka.

I do not know why the manufacturer does not crack down on these fake Sunfish sails. I am sure that they would have a trademark on the Fish logo, but maybe they do not.

BB

 

[Salty Sea Dog]

Thanks guys. I guess it's probably not worth it to shell out the extra $150 for recreational sailing.

 

[Gail]

Thanks guys. I guess it's probably not worth it to shell out the extra $150 for recreational sailing.

Actually, if you're going to sail a lot recreationally, you might want a rec sail on other spars for that and reserve your racing sail for racing only ... Watch Craigs List, note boards at hardware stores, yacht clubs, etc., for a spare set of spars.