I wouldn't be so quick to declare the demise of J/30 one-design racing. If you look at the
J/30 National Championship History you'll see that except for least year when the economy tanked, J/30 NAs have continuously grown in participation over the past 5 years. I see the same thing on Narragansett bay. It is a matter of shaking the trees to get participation up. Some boats just aren't racing, PHRF or OD. Is it the main sail material causing that? I doubt it.
Personally, I'd like to maintain a reasonable cost for the OD main sails. I don't think laminates are the answer because of longevity. That's why
I'm investigating Vectron - a woven material that looks like Dacron but better strength and aging characteristics for about 10% more than Dacron. There was a market for my 1998 and 2002 Dacron sails sold to people who can use them for cruising and delivery. I wouldn't have been able to do that with a laminate sail the same age.
ps - I'll take one of those sails bought by the class too!
I'm going to start a different thread that is "what-if" for brain storing ideas on equipment that have been in this thread, emails, and other threads. Let's keep this thread on topic for the mainsail only.