Dart 15 Forums

Ouch.....thinking about a new sail for the 2014 season, the blue trim number now the thick end of £700. Any offers on??

Kevin
1615

£786.18 !!!

The white ones are fairly quick....
Steve Sawford had a decent 2nd-hand one for sale last year but I don't know if he still has it.

Liam wrote:£786.18 !!!

Expensive stuff, this dacron . Add battens and sail numbers. But then you've probably got battens, I guess.

Yes that's a cool 1K with battons and numbers. Is it necessary or advantageous to purchase new battons with a new sail?
My current sail bought through the association is ok, I still have the original 1991 'fashion' both with a complete set of battons. The plan was to swop them all over with a new one and retire the old sail.

Had some cash for xmas to start my new sail fund off, but the price increases make saving the rest on a monthly basis quite a long challenge. I know compared to other classes our prices aren't to bad.

Kevin
1615

Stuart reckons his new battens for 1982 were worth getting but I didn't change mine and it still goes quite well. You could add them one at a time, if Erling will allow you to buy them off him... but that might be more expensive as you'd have to go to some TT's to collect them. Just a thought.

Robert wrote:Stuart reckons his new battens for 1982 were worth getting but I didn't change mine and it still goes quite well. You could add them one at a time, if Erling will allow you to buy them off him... but that might be more expensive as you'd have to go to some TT's to collect them. Just a thought.

Corr, I have never replaced battens until they break (and often then I would repair them). The benefit of new ones is that they are made to tighter quality control and are less likekly to break. The performance difference (in my view) is very slight. It sounds like you have adequate battens so my recommendation is to move one of your old sets to the new sail. Once a sail has not got any battens in it you tend to not use it so you definitely need 2 sets for 2 sails.
Kevin - if you are a bit short of readies you could consider:
a) buying an all white sail (the blue is just cosmetic - though it does look nice).
b) why not sell off one of the old sails? There is a ready market for half decent sails and as explained above you are unlikely to to use 3. You might get £200 to help buy the new sail.
Regards
Bob
PS Buying a new sail give you a psychological boost - a feel good factor - as well as a little better performance - so good to do if the old sail is getting a little tired.
PPS If you buy a new sail the key thing to do before fitting the battens is to make sure that the battens are radiused on all their edges. Have a go at them with some sandpaper. The most important area is at the front end as sharp edged battens wear holes on the sail inside the plastic endstops. I always radius the batten end and then apply a couple of layers of duck tape around the end of each batten to provide a cushion and to reduce wear on the sail.

I'd opt for new battens too..

If you got a white one with battens it might actually be cheaper than an equivalent DX sail with battens and numbers etc.
Oops! What am I saying?

Robert wrote:If you got a white one with battens it might actually be cheaper than an equivalent DX sail with battens and numbers etc.
Oops! What am I saying?

You are going to be in so much trouble.

Robert wrote:If you got a white one with battens it might actually be cheaper than an equivalent DX sail with battens and numbers etc.
Oops! What am I saying?

Only thing is, it's not actually true. Your sails which must not be talked of are £920 compared to our plain white ones at £922.88 if you want battens and numbers. £991.06 if you want blueness.

And that's before you stick a window in, which the other sail doesn't need.

Thanks for the info.....as you say Bob, a new sail gives you a feel good factor plus a little extra speed if you use it correctly. I always prep the battens as you suggest, and use the sponge tape to protect against shroud damage. I've looked after my sails and the association bought one has lasted well.

Do new sails come with the slug thingy on the bottom of the bolt rope? I had one fitted and it works well.
I will carry on saving and go for a white one ready for Abersoch Dinghy Week in July (entered last year, I was the only cat there).

Kevin
1615

Liam wrote:

Robert wrote:If you got a white one with battens it might actually be cheaper than an equivalent DX sail with battens and numbers etc.
Oops! What am I saying?

Only thing is, it's not actually true. Your sails which must not be talked of are £920 compared to our plain white ones at £922.88 if you want battens and numbers. £991.06 if you want blueness.

And that's before you stick a window in, which the other sail doesn't need.

Shh! I don't think anyone has noticed.

Ha Ha,
The Item of fabric that should not be spoken about with nice white stick things now in 5 country's

Steve Sawford wrote:Ha Ha,
The Item of fabric that should not be spoken about with nice white stick things now in 5 country's

Fibrefoam - what lovely things!!