Before you look at our inventory you need to know what size sail you need for
your boat. The best way to figure out what size sail you need is to measure your
boat. Please look at the drawing to the left. These are the basic rig dimensions
for a sail boat. For sizing head sails be sure to measure the forestay length.
If you have roller furling, it is important to have the length from the bottom
of the top swivel to the drum, or the pin to pin dimension on the furling system.
The I, J, P, and E, dimensions refer to the dimensions
of the boat. Sails are described with another set of terms. The luff is always
the leading edge of the sail. The leech is always the trailing edge of the sail,
and the foot is always the bottom of the sail. The LP of a Genoa is used to figure
what size sail it is. Multiply the J dimension times the size sail you want and
this will give you the LP of the sail. For example, lets say your boat has a J
dimension of 12 feet, and you are looking for a 150% Genoa. Simply multiply your
J of 12 feet times 1.5 to get an LP of 18' for your 150% Genoa. Head sails that
are not Yankee cut (high cut) have an LP 1'-1.5' shorter than the foot of the
sail.
Don't worry. Measuring your boat for a new set of sails is easy to do yourself.
All you need is a long tape measure.
The first thing you need to do is hoist a tape measure up your main halyard. You
may want to tie a line to the halyard in case your tape breaks, you won't have
to go up the mast to get the halyard. Hoist the tape all the way up until it stops
and measure down to where the tack of the sail attaches at the front of the boom.
This will be the maximum luff of the main sail. While the tape is
at the top of the mast, pull it to the back of the boom where the clew
of the sail will be. Hold the boom at the height you want it to be when the sail
is up. This measurement will be your leech dimension. After you
get these two dimensions, lower the tape. Then take a measurement from where the
tack of the sail attaches at the front of the boom, back to the
maximum useable space at the end of the boom. This will be your maximum
foot dimension.
The only other information we will need for the main sail is the slide size
and for New Custom Main sails we will also need the tack offset (see diagram).
Hank on head sails are easy to measure for. Simply hoist a tape measure up
your jib halyard. Remember to tie a line to the halyard so you don't lose your
halyard if the tape breaks. Hoist the tape all the way to the top of the mast
and measure down the forestay to the deck. This will be your maximum luff
length. While the tape is up, measure straight down the mast to the working deck,
not the cabin top. This is your "I" dimension. After you have
these dimensions, lower the tape. Then measure from where the forestay connects
at the bow, back in a straight line to the base of the mast. This is the "J"
dimension.
If you have a roller furling head sail you will measure everything the same except
for the luff. To measure the luff, attach the tape to the
top spindle of the roller furling system, just like you would the head of the
sail. Hoist the spindle all the way to the top and measure down to where the bottom
of the sail attaches to the top of the furling drum. If you have a roller furling
head sail we will also need to know the diameter of the luff tape.
The luff tape is the small cord on the luff of the sail that
attaches the sail to the furling system. The last thing we will need to know for
a roller furling sail is which side of the sail you would like the cover cloth
to be on, port or starboard.
If you take all the dimensions above, we can make you a head sail that will
work great for 99% of the boats on the water today. If you have a short Genoa
track, or a track that is very far aft, or very far forward you might want to
take a few more dimensions. If you have a fairlead that is fixed
and not on a track, you will have to take these dimensions. While you have
the tape measure at the top of the mast measure down to the forward end of your
Genoa track, and measure down to the aft end of the Genoa track. If you have a
fairlead that is fixed, measure down to it. After you get these
two dimensions, lower the tape. Then measure from where the forestay attaches
to the bow, back in a straight line to the front of the Genoa track, and to the
back of the Genoa track. If you have a fixed fairlead simply measure to it. If
you supply us with these dimensions, we can help you choose an in stock sail that
will sheet in correctly. If we are making you a New Custom Head Sail, we will
need these dimensions to be sure it will sheet in correctly.
If your are purchasing a New Custom Racing Head Sail we will need your fairlead
track location in order to ensure optimum performance.
Measuring for a Spinnaker
is very easy. The only dimensions needed are the I and the J measurements. Hoist
a tape measure to the top of the mast with the Spinnaker halyard. If you do not
have a dedicated Spinnaker halyard use your Jib halyard. Remember to tie a line
to the halyard in case your tape breaks. Measure down to the top of the working
deck, not the cabin top. This is your I dimension. Lower the tape measure. Now
measure from where the forestay connects at the bow, back to the base of the mast.
This is your J dimension.
