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Mainsail torn in half

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C25OBrien
1st Mate

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USA
44 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/14/2012 : 10:02:35

My 32 year old mainsail ripped along the seam about near the reef point out in gardiners bay yesterday. I am looking to sell the boat this winter and move up to a Catalina 30, but I need a sail to sell with the boat and to use for the next couple months. I could have it repaired? It's pretty blown out. Anyone have a decent used main for sail? Any suggestions? Thanks

-Chris OB
Cool Yer Heels
1980 C-25 SR/FK L-Dinette
Sag Harbor, NY

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 10:10:35

Ask a local sail loft about repairs. My original mainsail tore about 3' below the head (along a panel seam) and the loft who made my new sail repaired the existing one for a low price. It was good enough to use for a couple of months until the new one was made.

Used mainsails are usually pretty blown out too, that is the only real reason to replace them. I bought my C-25 knowing that the mainsail was bad, I'm sure you'll find a buyer too. You can check sources like Minney's Yachts, Bacon Sails, or Atlantic Sail Traders to see if they have any suitable mains in stock. My boat is a tall mast or I'd happily send you my old/repaired sail for a cheap price.

Edited by - on

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 10:21:31

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by C25OBrien
 My 32 year old mainsail ripped along the seam about near the reef point out in gardiners bay yesterday. I am looking to sell the boat this winter and move up to a Catalina 30, but I need a sail to sell with the boat and to use for the next couple months. I could have it repaired? It's pretty blown out. Anyone have a decent used main for sail? Any suggestions? Thanks
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Mine ripped all the way down a seam. A local loft repaired it for $40.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 11:05:17

Try one of the used lofts - Bacon Sails comes to mind.

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 11:31:16

I disagree about replacing it. I would much rather pick my own as the new owner. The boat is headsail driven anyway, just offer a $400 credit toward a new sail.

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 12:38:19

A cheap repair might be worth it just to allow the boat to be tested and to allow the new owner to sail it in any form while a new sail is made.

I'm glad that my boat came with an almost dead main instead of either no main or a new cheap main. I used that almost dead main for a while waiting for the replacement to be made.

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PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 12:50:14

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by awetmore
 A cheap repair might be worth it just to allow the boat to be tested and to allow the new owner to sail it in any form while a new sail is made.

I'm glad that my boat came with an almost dead main instead of either no main or a new cheap main. I used that almost dead main for a while waiting for the replacement to be made.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Same here, have a new main now. Same loft that repaired mine did the new one.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 15:04:37

To test a sail, try and rip it - doubled over - by hand. If it rips easily, it is crap. That sail sounds like it is crap and falls under the kharma category if sold sans full disclosure. If you wouldn't want to be duped by buying a used boat with a very badly used sail, I wouldn't not tell the new buyer. Kharma is a bitch and that is especially true for those of us who ply the sea.

I'd say get a Bacons and then have a loft cut the sail to fit appropriately. Bacons has a lot of really good condition sails for cheap and that way you are selling a complete package, i.e. no discussion. Alternately, if you leave it off the list, I think you'll eat more than $400...

sten

Edited by - redviking on 09/14/2012 15:08:32

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 15:23:19

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by pastmember
 I disagree about replacing it. I would much rather pick my own as the new owner. The boat is headsail driven anyway, just offer a $400 credit toward a new sail.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">...but the typical buyer of a C-25 is not Frank Hopper--it's somebody buying their first keelboat, and maybe their first sailboat. They are looking for a complete package from somebody who has taken care of the boat. The mainsail, from the point of view of a novice sailor, is what a sailboat is about--thus the name "MAINsail". The jib is the "secondary" sail in his book. (We know differently about the C-25, but that's beside the point.) The boat needs a serviceable mainsail to attract buyers--not one that has ripped full-length and been sewn back together in order to sell her. (A surveyor will spot that in an instant.) As Sten suggests, the rip is probably an indication of the condition of the sailcloth--get another sail. (And be careful not to tie down the reef points, other than the clew and the tack, tight to the boom.)

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BCG-Woodbury
Mainsheet Editor

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USA
396 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 17:18:36

I tend to agree about repairing it, disclosing it to the new buyer, and offer a reduced price to go toward a replacement down the road. If you get it repaired and you are willing to sail on it for a few months then it is still usable, if not look for a newer used sail that will do the new owner well. As a new sailboat owner, I agree that it is important to get a usable package. It doesn't need to be new, but serviceable. Just my $.02

Regards,

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 09/14/2012 : 19:46:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by BCG-Woodbury
 I tend to agree about repairing it, disclosing it to the new buyer, and offer a reduced price to go toward a replacement down the road. If you get it repaired and you are willing to sail on it for a few months then it is still usable, if not look for a newer used sail that will do the new owner well. As a new sailboat owner, I agree that it is important to get a usable package. It doesn't need to be new, but serviceable. Just my $.02

Regards,

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

In my opinion, I'll bet the loft refuses to repair it, and if they don't, they are probably not a legit loft. When we took our main in for repair, they were honest with me and said I'd be better off using my onboard sewing machine and hope for the best for free. otherwise, buy a new sail or one from Bacons and have them cut it down. And that sail wasn't 32 years old. O'Brien is lucky that it lasted this long. I'm willing to bet the sewing machine will shred the thing.

sten

Edited by - on

MrKawfey
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Response Posted - 09/15/2012 : 10:21:37

Chris,
I have a used mainsail I could sell you. I believe it could be the original from my '84, but it is in decent shape. If you are interested I can pull it out and snap some pictures. I can tell you it has always been stored in doors and bagged in the winters and always under a sail cover in the summer (at least according to the PO). I am near Albany NY but I am down in NJ occasionally so we could meet up and save on shipping if that helps.

Edited by - on

Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 09/16/2012 : 13:40:15

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Couple of questions from the Noob... again<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Just a suggestion, when you have new questions, start a new thread, you will probably get more responses that way.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I went out for the first time on my boat with an instructor and he commented that my dacron sails had "stretched" and needed to be replaced. Does dacron stretch?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Most of us will refer to that as "blown out". They might be repairable, or they might need to be replaced. But only if you want the highest performance.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I have noticed that the rigging in the manual does not look remotely like my boats mainsail rigging; e.g., I have no winch on the mast. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
There seems to have been different options from year to year. My boat had no winch, but the halyard had been led back to the cockpit.. I later added a winch to the cabin top.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I have also noticed the mainsail comes no where near the aft part of the boom, and there is a block, not an eyelet. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That block is most likely to be for an outhaul.

Edited by - on

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1778 Posts

Response Posted - 09/16/2012 : 14:32:04

As your goal is to sell . . . .If your boat is in good condition and you expect it to be sold relatively quickly, I would buy a basic new sail from National Sail Supply, which will cost @$500-$600 and will ADD to the value of your boat. If you can have the old sail fixed for under a c-note,great, more value as you have a spare. Think about what you expect when you buy that C-30 -- my guess is you expect a suite of sails and if no main sail you would suspect the worst and not buy the boat. With so many C-25's on the market if I were looking for a boat missing pieces would communicate problems and I would move down the list to the next one . . . .

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calden
Navigator

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USA
194 Posts

Response Posted - 09/24/2012 : 08:30:31

I bought my boat 3 years ago, and one of the selling points was a basically new mainsail. The previous owner had replace the old sail with a basic model from Lee sails - he wasn't interested in racing, just recreational family sailing. The sail still looks and feels really good (I don't race much.) It was a big asset to find a boat with functional sails that would be around a long time.

Carlos

Edited by - on

C25OBrien
1st Mate

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USA
44 Posts

Response Posted - 10/15/2012 : 10:22:00

I brought it to the loft here on Long Island, they said it would be 200 to fix the rip, and another 100 to strengthen the seams on the rest of the sail. Plus Tax. I am looking for used sails currently, but may pull the trigger on one of the modestly priced cruising sails (new) but still waiting to hear back on how long shipping will take. Does anyone have a main for sale? Mr Kawfey do you still have one? I'd like to get one ASAP.

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MrKawfey
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Response Posted - 10/15/2012 : 11:18:09

Sure thing, i haven't really tried to sell it so i don't really know what its worth. How about $250 and cover the shipping?

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Ape-X
Admiral

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USA
662 Posts

Response Posted - 10/27/2012 : 05:18:57

...so how did this story turn out?
I was doing a search on sail repair in prep for posting about winter sail cleaning.

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MrKawfey
Navigator

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USA
124 Posts

Response Posted - 10/29/2012 : 10:16:59

Chris and I met up a couple of weeks ago and I sold him my sail for 240. I have not heard back yet to see if he was happy with it.

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C25OBrien
1st Mate

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USA
44 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2012 : 11:42:59

Sorry, Sandy was pretty crazy here, i still dont have power or water. The sail looks great and performs better than my old one, we got to go for a nice sail on Saturday. The sail actually seems like it is bigger then my old one, the foot is longer. It also has more battons. Overall I am very happy with it. I hope you enjoyed your hike, we hiked Giant Ledge in the catskills after breakfast, it was great!

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Ape-X
Admiral

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USA
662 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2012 : 15:02:24

:thumbs up:

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rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2012 : 16:00:38

BTW not only are sail lofts currently offering off-season build discounts, but so are their cloth suppliers.

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