All,
There has been a lot of discussion within the fleets about the possibility of opening up the restriction on Mainsail material. There are an endless number of opinions out there, both from the sailors and the sailmakers. This question came up during the recent Board of Governors meeting and discussion eventually narrowed to an interesting potential comprimise. That would be to control the material by means of limiting the overall weight of the sail. This does not mean the sailcloth weight (oz. per square yard), but total weight of the as-built sail. The arguement is that by doing this, the sailmakers can get creative by using heavier/stronger material in high stress areas and lighter material elswhere. Super exotic (expensive?) materials would probably not be practical to use since they wouldn't contribute enough to the total sail weight to make the minimum. This would theoretically provide for a better value sail (Some more money, but longer lasting) which, of course, would be just another part of the decision process when considering new sails.

Again, this is an opinion request only as I'm required to respond with a representative position from the SNE region in 3 weeks as a "Positive" for the above sail weight option, or "No Change". These are the only questions on the table right now, and will not be considered conclusive either way at this point. Just a more focused discussion.

Feel free to post your thoughts and further discussion here.

Thanks for your input,
Mark

Mark,

Having been the listening post for many having strong opinions on this over the past few years, my opinion is that it personally doesn't matter to me. That being said, I do not want to force a change that will not be received well by the majority of the class because of the perception that in order to be competitive at One Design, you have to go out and buy a more expensive sail. The J/30 Class OD rules are established to make racing affordable without having the newest technology.

If a majority of people feel that main sails with unrestricted material are affordable and offer longevity - I'm ok with that.

So - my opinion since I have no strong sentiment one way or the other... either approach is ok.

ps - Nemesis does very well with a (very) old Dacron main... for what it's worth.....

Positive. and probably a poll that should be opened to the entire membership.

Bill:

I have a class-legal, almost-new main rolled up and stored in my basement, and a full-batten, Pentax main on my boat at this time, so I can switch between them if I so choose. In short, I'm not in a desperation situation regarding needing a new main. BUT, if I were to replace my main, today, I would probably look at high-tech kevlar string sail with the option of taffeta on one or both sides, simply for longevity. I'm experimenting with such a genoa this summer. Since most of my sailing is with a #2 on a furler (since I race light-handed, most of the time), I'm not strictly one-design. I have always believed in the concept of one-design, though, but for now, the PHRF option provides more enjoyment. If I sailed on the Chesapeake where the winds are lighter and there's a big OD fleet, I'd probably sail OD. I guess my point is, people are going to comply or not comply with the OD rules depending where they find the most satisfaction...in equipment and/or in the competition. Translated: People are going to purchase the equipment they want and where they sail.

Bob Rude

We've had composite sails on Wildcat since 1998. From our experience, the main takes a lot less abuse than the head sail.
Not sure if you have to be as concerned about the taffeta on the main.

Bumping this thread for a reminder.....

Mark will be voting to represent the Southern New England District at the J/30 board of governors meeting next week (15 Sept 2011). Please take this opportunity to let him know your sentiments on the mainsail proposed rule change so he can represent the desire of the district. Here is a link to the proposed change for further reading:
http://j30.us/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/12215/Proposed_change_in_class_rules.html#Post12215

Feel free to post in this forum, or email Mark directly.