New Jib

In our 371 we have new sails from North. The main is Radian Dacron partially radial cut, full batten and the jib is 105% polyester laminate, full radial cut. I like more the jib as it keeps its shape very well in winds exceeding 16 knots helping to keep boat's stability. The radian main is ok, but experience with the jib makes me think would it be better to have the main also made of laminate. In my case the price difference with the main was about 25%, and surely if you purchased both at the same time it's a lot of money.

You are right, the sail has vertical battens to give a bigger head. It was also dimensioned and cut according to the exact location of the self-tacking bar and other rig dimensions on the boat to ensure a good fit. Sail dimension is 33m2, whereas a standard st-jib is 27m2, when the sail is furled in to self-tacking size it's reduced to 24m2. And when furled in, the head suffers a bit as always, but we can live with that. The jib is so easy to tack over, that there is no need to use self-tacking. 

Hello,

I am also potentially looking to replace original North Sails ST-jib on my 355. I am having problems trimming the sail especially when tacking with winds more than 14-16 knts true. Top part of the sail just does not shape as it should but becomes very round (due to tight or very tight halyard...) - eg top windward tell tales point straight into the sky - and the entire sail also flutters very easily when penetrating the waves.

Last winter I had 3 vertical battens installed - they improved the overall situation slightly but certaily did not fix it.

I believe this type of high aspect sail needs quality radial cut laminate (exactly right size too) to maintain shape and avoid excessive heeling. Eg North Sails are recommending replacement with Radial Dacron which is likely quality cloth but not optimal for this sail.

I will likely go for good quality cruising laminate with my purchase. To increase the sail area in 355 is not my primary objective but really to have a ST-jib which maximises the upwind performance and comfort with stronger winds as well...


Edited by Perttu - 14 September 2012 at 20:00

I got a new North selftalking Jib this summer.  The sailmaker from North was on board an have taking measurements.  North sails calling the sail:  Polyester Radian NDR 7.5 from there Maratonserie 200 . There area is increased, and the best is, that the sail is very easy too trim and the saling balance is must better. It have been a very good decision.

Hi all

It seems that the self tacker' s ease of use comes at a price
- poor performance in light winds
- poor performance downwind- hence the need for barber haulers and various other variations
- difficulty in controlling the leech - hence the need for laminate and vertical battens

On the other hand it does perform well in stronger winds going into the wind or in winds up to around 130%

So based on the feedback received thus far, it seems that if your sailing ground doesn't require a huge amount of tacking, then it may make sense to go for a conventional genoa with sheets led back to the genoa winches via the genoa tracks. If one opts for a standard genoa, then there may no longer be a requirement for vertical battens either.

Is it correct to assume that a 105% genoa is sheeted inside of the shrouds? This seems to be the case judging from the images posted. Is one able to stretch this to say 110%?

I seem to recall another thread saying that the sheeting angle on a genoa of 120% can only be optimised by mounting genoa tracks on the coach roof.