which sail would you keep?

[tjspiel]

Hello all,

I normally post in the Precision forum, but am seeking a wider audience on this one.

My Precision 18 needed new sails and last year I bought a "new" mainsail from "SailBrite". It was made by SailCrafters (a local loft) but somehow ended up at Sailbrite which is in Chicago.

It's not a P18 sail but was pretty close in dimensions. The big difference is that the foot is about 3 to 4 inches shorter than the stock sail. But at under $400, it seemed like a great deal for a brand new sail.

It's a heavy duty sail and seems to be well made. I've used it all Summer and have been happy with it, - except that I'm slightly bothered by the unused inches that it leaves on the boom.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when the owner of 2013 P-18 that was crushed under 12 feet of snow last year, decided to have a fire sail on his remaining parts.

So I bought the main. It's 10 years old but this boat was trailer sailed and I get the impression that it wasn't sailed a lot. The current owner never even got to sail it from what I understand. Bought it last fall and it was crushed over the winter.

It's a much lighter sail. Now, I'm not an expert on how to tell how worn or stretched out a sail is, but this one seems pretty good.


Which one would you keep? The brand new (heavier and stiffer) sail that's narrower than stock, or the 10 year old lighter stock sail that still appears to be in good condition?

Here's the new sail:

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I put the logo and numbers on. Curious as to why it ended up at Sailbrite. Was it a custom sail that was refused for some reason? Does it have a flaw I'm not aware of? Guess, I'll never know.

Here's the stock 10 year old sail:

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Wide angle of iPhone camera distorts it a bit. Does it seem worn to your eyes?

[Brian N.]

It is a tough call Tom. My first thought is that the stock sail (most likely Rolly Tasker) will give you better performance. The SailBrite might give you a longer working lifespan. From the picture the stock sail looks like it has lots of life left in it, and cut well.

[Curtis]

I would keep both; my old mainsail is on a shelf at home in case my new sail gets damaged or stolen.

[tjspiel]

Thanks Curtis and Brian. It is a Rally Tasker.

There's probably not enough time left this season to get a good sense of any performance difference between the two but I was out in a good, stiff breeze Saturday and a nice moderate one on Sunday. The stock sail seemed to do pretty well.

Keeping them both has crossed my mind because I have a feeling that I'd have some regret no matter which I sold. But eventually I'll probably end up using primarily one or the other and at that point it won't make much sense to keep two unless I planned on holding on to the boat a long time.

My kids will be done with college in a few years and at that point I might get a slightly bigger boat but who knows.

[Captain Kidd]

Ditto on keep both.

[AlanW]

I would keep both sails.  I would also send the older sail to sail care to clean and evaluate to see what if anything needs to be done.