Cloth Weight of a #3?

[Roniszoro]

Is 8 ounce Dacron heavy enough for an offshore #3? This sail would be a 100%, used in real weather if it came, rolling it down to an 80% if needed.

Thank you for your input.

[wholybee]

It depends on the size of the boat. On my 40' boat, I have a 7oz 130%, which I have furled to (much) less than 100% in winds to 45kts. I was definitely pushing the limit-and the sail has lost its shape.

If your boat is 40ft or less 8 oz is probably fine. If larger, I would consider heavier. Or go to a high-tech cloth that is stronger.

I do also have a 100% sail that is 9oz. But it was rarely worth the effort to change sails when conditions deteriorated. The few times I expected to get hammered, I would change sails before leaving port.

[Roniszoro]

I should add that the boat is a 44 foot moderate to heavy displacement vessel (29,000 pounds) from the mid-70s.

[Joli]

Depends on the boat. Our last dacron #3 was two ply, 12 oz. per ply.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Joli

Depends on the boat. Our last dacron #3 was two ply, 12 oz. per ply.

So, a total of 24 oz? Holy cow... you must have used a sheet metal brake to get it into it's sailbag! How many square feet in the sail?

Jim

[Joli]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

So, a total of 24 oz? Holy cow... you must have used a sheet metal brake to get it into it's sailbag! How many square feet in the sail?

Jim

93' rig, 1,000 sq ft with a sheet load in 35 knots of about 8 tons.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Joli

93' rig, 1,000 sq ft with a sheet load in 35 knots of about 8 tons.

That's a serious sail! Not only needs machinery to fold it up, but a fork lift to move it around on deck. Since you mentioned that it was your last dacron #3, I'd guess that you went to some more modern and stronger sailcloth for it's replacement, and with some appreciation for the lighter weight.

Perhaps a bit bigger than the OP's #3... I'd think something on the order of 10 oz and radial construction for his application (assuming that this is a heavy weather upwind sail).

Jim

[Joli]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

That's a serious sail! Not only needs machinery to fold it up, but a fork lift to move it around on deck. Since you mentioned that it was your last dacron #3, I'd guess that you went to some more modern and stronger sailcloth for it's replacement, and with some appreciation for the lighter weight.

Perhaps a bit bigger than the OP's #3... I'd think something on the order of 10 oz and radial construction for his application (assuming that this is a heavy weather upwind sail).

Jim

Hi Jim,
We ended up with a load path laminate, great sail in the north but rapidly failing in the tropics. We'll probably order a hydranet tri radial with 343 cloth as a replacement this summer. Unfortunately all our sails are heavy, we move them with halyards. If we were racing we would probably buy 3di and a carbon rig but for cruising we cannot find much wrong with hydranet or an aluminum spar.

To give you an idea about the size of the rig, the misses changing out the main halyard in St Martin last year.

[Jim Cate]

^^^^
Interesting, because that's jus what we did on our last set of sails for our somewhat smaller rig: Hydranet Radial on both main and 120% genoa. Quite happy with both shape and longevity so far (~5 years of slowly diminishing annual miles).

Interesting (at least to me) but not helping the OP, so sorry about the drift.

Jim