Used Racing Sail vs New Training Sail vs New Racing Sail

Karl

New Member
I recently purchased a used Laser. It needs a sail. I'm not sure if I'm going to race it... should I buy a new training sail $200 or a used racing sail ~$200? Or should I buy a new racing sail because performance will be that much better? I searched for a related post... Sorry if this is redundant. Thanks!
 
I recently purchased a used Laser. It needs a sail. I'm not sure if I'm going to race it... should I buy a new training sail $200 or a used racing sail ~$200? Or should I buy a new racing sail because performance will be that much better? I searched for a related post... Sorry if this is redundant. Thanks!
I think that depends on your budget. The new sail would obviously give a slightly better performance and also save you money in the long run because you would not have to go looking for another new sail to drop 200+ on when the used one blows out in a year or 2. Unless you can find a barely used racing sail for your price range that would be my advice. Hope this helps! As far as how much performance would be affected depends on the quality of the used sail like i said. The practice sails seem to be pretty similar quality for much cheaper and hold up longer bc they use a somewhat thicker material I think. So I would say if you are an intensely serious racer by a new sail, if not go with the practice sail and you will be just fine
 
I got a official sail used 4 times before for 150 euro compared to a new 1 which would be over 500... The top sailors try to get a couple of events out of a sail and then get a new 1 so keep your eyed peeled and youll find one
 
I think that depends on your budget. The new sail would obviously give a slightly better performance and also save you money in the long run because you would not have to go looking for another new sail to drop 200+ on when the used one blows out in a year or 2. Unless you can find a barely used racing sail for your price range that would be my advice. Hope this helps! As far as how much performance would be affected depends on the quality of the used sail like i said. The practice sails seem to be pretty similar quality for much cheaper and hold up longer bc they use a somewhat thicker material I think. So I would say if you are an intensely serious racer by a new sail, if not go with the practice sail and you will be just fine
Thanks for the advice! Going for the used racing sale.
 
Get an intensity or APS practice sail (USA), they are made from better dacron so you'll get more of sailing out of the practice sails,

Get a used class sail for racing if you intend on racing at the club level, use the practice sail when you can to save your class sail for class events
 
Get an intensity or APS practice sail (USA), they are made from better dacron so you'll get more of sailing out of the practice sails,

Get a used class sail for racing if you intend on racing at the club level, use the practice sail when you can to save your class sail for class events

Thanks for the advice. It's going to take a while to find the right used sail and I don't have the patience. I think a new training sail should work! I'm soaking the old sail, it was invaded by vermin (I bought it that way). Sail has both holes and urine. I don't think it will recover....

Any thoughts on i-Sails?
 
i-sails also makes practice sails, never seen one in person or heard much about them, their website doesn't seem to list the price

you can patch the holes with dacron sail tape,

Try this to get rid of the urine and stains on the sail:
Mix a mild-medium detergent soap solution in a bucket,
Lightly brush with a soft bristle brush,
Rinse completely with fresh water. Remove all soap residue.
Hang up to dry
 
i-sails also makes practice sails, never seen one in person or heard much about them, their website doesn't seem to list the price

you can patch the holes with dacron sail tape,

Try this to get rid of the urine and stains on the sail:
Mix a mild-medium detergent soap solution in a bucket,
Lightly brush with a soft bristle brush,
Rinse completely with fresh water. Remove all soap residue.
Hang up to dry

So far, so good. I used Tide and a little diluted bleach in a large tub, rinsed well (twice) and hung it to dry. I hope I didn't damage it with the bleach (it was less than a 1/4 cup for 6 gallons of water). The sail didn't fade -- looks the same and smells ok. It's a 30 year old sail, so it probably shouldn't be exposed to sunlight! Off to taping the holes.

Thanks for the sail suggestions. The i-sails site seems a little shady.
 

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