Head Sail Size for 1989 E 38-200

[sailorjdh]

My original equipment North Sail head sail is starting to require patching and I am eventually looking at the purchase of a new head sail.I currently have a roller furled 105.I sail shorthanded alot and race occasionally again with limited crew.I would be interested in opinions regarding head sail size and experiences of others with discount manufacturers.I have thought the 105 is adequate except in lighter air however I am concerned about having to deal with the boat being overpowered.I sail Puget Sound where light air abounds in the fairer months and in the winter sailing it can easily be a steady blow. I am also interested in opinions whether the tri-radial option is worth the additional expense. As of yet the boat does not have a spinnaker ( considering an asymetrical for the future ) nor a whiskerpole.
Thanks Jeff Hart
Sweet Surrender !989 E38-200

 

[e38 owner]

ericson 38 135

We also race. I have a 135 quantum cut with a low clue It is made of Dacron. It is a perfect sail for the boat. When there is not enough wind to fill it is time to go in. When it is blowing we often sail with it alone and that is good to about 25K without being furled. It will furl to a 105 but I have never done it because I really like its current shape.

At one time I bought a used 155 with a high clue. It was too much sail for our area. Let me know if you are interested I would sell it for $500. It has a blue roller cover. Due to the high clue it does not go to weather near as good as the 135.

 

[Bob Robertson]

Ericson 38-200 1988 150

Hi Jeff,
Our original Genoa was a 135. We used it for about 15 years and it worked well for us.

We replaced it with a 150 from North Sails. Our wind conditions are a mix of light, medium and strong.

I have always single handed the boat a lot. I used to reef much later rather than sooner, now I tend to reef sooner rather than later. I think it's a maturity/experience thing.

Today, I reef the 150 at about 12 to 14 knots. That keeps me within a 15 degree heel.

I really like the light wind advantage the 150 offers.

If I were to buy a new Genoa today it would definitely be a 150.

Enjoy,
Bob

 

[jimk]

hi jeff,
i had new sails made/design for my 1897 38-200 by Port townsend sails in 2008. the genoa size designed for me was a 125% . it seem to work well with the sailing i have done on the river in portland. generally start furling around 15 knots and have sailed with it up 27 knots so far. i do have drawings of my current inventory if you are interested, let me know.
jim

 

[ted_reshetiloff]

I had all new cruising laminate sails by Quantum on my 38. The headsail was a 150% and was great for light air which is common on the Chesapeake. We also took the boat offshore to New England and the sail was fine. It held decent shape reefed to about 110%. After that it started to look pearshaped but was still great as long as pointing wasnt as critical. We carried the sail reefed up to 44kts one day. Depends on you location and most common breeze strength. If it were San Fran bay I would say get a 110% and build it strong. Chesapeake you would be sorry with anything smaller than 140 and 150 would be ideal.

 

[sailorjdh]

Thanks for all of your input. I will take your experiences into consideration for all I think that the jist is bigger than 105 would be desirable and reefing is good earlier than later.
Jeff Hart