As others have said at such a heavy weight you probably won't notice a difference between the tri-radial and the cross cut. I experience the same thing with wines. A great wine doesn't distinguish itself from a good one unless tasted side by side. A crosscut sail tends to stretch diagonally to the lay of the weave, on the bias. The tighter the weave the less bias stretch. Fabric makers heat shrink and urethane coat their products to reduce this type of stretch. As the material gets heavier the thicker the threads get and the tighter they can be packed which further reduces bias stretch. Spinnakers, being made of such light weight and untreated materials are most likely to experience stretch. Since downwind stretch isn't much of a concern but strength IS aligning the fibers in the direction of stress (tri-radial) is a method of strengthening the sail.
Unless serious offshore aspirations are in your future I would consider reducing the cloth weight. If tri-radial is absolutely desired then even lower weight may be acceptable. Couple those options with some of the newer cloths which incorporate vectran, spectra or other hi-tech fiber and you could achieve a lower weight. All of this builds into the reason why we see racing sails built with tri-radial designs and lightweight, hi-tech fabrics. Obviously, as with everything, it is a compromise. There is a third option which you may not have been aware of. Bi-radial. For a furling sail this might be a good option. Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD On Aug 15, 2016 7:05 PM, "Rick Brass via CnC-List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m in the process of getting a new set > of sails for Imzadi. Thank you to the listers who recommended lofts and > commented on their experiences. > > > > The specs for the new main are pretty well set. All the quotes so far have > recommended cross cut, loose foot, full batten sails (using my existing > Strong Track hardware), made from Challenge sailcloth. > > > > But there seems to be a range of opinion about the 135% roller reefing > headsail. I’m looking for a 135% sail that can be reefed down to about > 100%, with a balance of durability and good performance – and performance > is probably worth some extra money to me. The quotes I’ve gotten all > recommend a cross-cut sail made from Challenge High Mass Fiber sailcloth > between 8.88 and 9.1 oz. > > > > I’ve always understood that tri-radial construction offered superior > performance and shape over cross-cut construction. > > > > But one of the sailmakers has commented that both his cross-cut and > tri-radial headsails would be designed using the same (virtual) mold so > there would be little performance difference – not enough to justify the > increased cost for a cruising sail. A second sailmaker says the tri-radial > sail will “hold its shape better over the long term”, but said the > significant increased cost (about 15% for tri-radial construction) make > cross-cut a better option. > > > > So what is the experience (or opinion) of the list about the value of > tri-radial construction? Give me some guidance. > > > > Rick Brass > > *Imzadi *C&C 38 mk 2 > > *la Belle Aurore *C&C 25 mk1 > > Washington, NC > > > > _______________________________________________ > > This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you > like what we do, please help us pay for our costs by donating. All > Contributions are greatly appreciated! > >
_______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you like what we do, please help us pay for our costs by donating. All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
