Genoa: Which UV strap (BWY)

[kurz]

Hello
I need a new genoa, the stock one just falls apart.

I want to order the better one with UV strips.
Here the answer from bwy::
The black UV cover is a canvas material, and the white one is made of Dacron, the same material as the sail. I recommend the white one because it is lighter. Yes, both of them are just a strip of material to keep the sail protected from the sun when it's rolled up.
BUT: Will the white dacron material also just break away in yearslong sunlight? Or is the dacron strap designet to get a sock over it?
I love to just roll the genoa in without another sock, leaving the boat all the year in the water.

Thanks!

[Loala]

Do you have a sailshop in your area that makes sails or one that will make you a genoa? I would think they would know the best material to use.

A lot of people have Sunbrella material sewn into the sail as it is quite durable. (that's the canvas stuff)

[Wayne nicol]

here is my opinion .. for what its worth
the genoa works best in light airs, works well too in stiffer breezes too- and you can furl it( i assume you have a furler- hence the uv strip) to get a kind of a jib type performance out of it- although not as efficient but still effective.
best to have both jib and genoa- but if i were to have only one , it would be the genoa

anyway point is, they really come into their own in lighter breezes, and that extra fabric will effect the sail shape and performance- especially in lighter winds- maybe less so in heavier winds.
i think the better option is a canvas sock.
quick off , easy on, protects the sail during transport etc, from rips and tears,and it stops any dirt getting into the sail if it is above deck while transporting- mine is strapped to the mast during transport , whereas the strip will still allow dirt and moisture and muck in!. and it protects from uv while on the boat.

and besides i do think it looks a whole lot better, than that dastardly black stripe around the perimeter of the sail.
just my opinion!

[Russ]

i think the better option is a canvas sock.
quick off , easy on, protects the sail during transport etc, from rips and tears,and it stops any dirt getting into the sail if it is above deck while transporting- mine is strapped to the mast during transport , whereas the strip will still allow dirt and moisture and muck in!. and it protects from uv while on the boat.

and besides i do think it looks a whole lot better, than that dastardly black stripe around the perimeter of the sail.
just my opinion!

Ask and you will get different opinions. Mine is totally opposite of Wayne.
I had the BWY sock and absolutely hated it. At the end of the weekend, I dreaded hauling that blasted thing back up and connecting and zippering each section. It really was a 2 man operation. Then I would feed the sheets through the gap in the sock and tighten everything up so the wind doesn't vibrate the whole mess violently. The sock acted like a foil and if I didn't keep tight tension on the sheets, it would flop around in heavy wind shaking the forestay and mast. I Hated it! I hated pulling it down, folding it up, checking for spiders before storing it below. Did I mention that I hated it.
True, the sock probably offers better protection, but I don't care, it's a total PITA.

I actually think the black stripe looks kind of cool. You see so many boats with stripes on their furlers. I view it like pinstripes, a fashion statement. I like having both sails match with the black covers.

Remember, we own power sailers. These are not performance sailboats and the lack or addition of a heavy stripe isn't really going to make that much of a difference. Our boats sail like barges and we have to face that fact.
So for me, convenience is more important than performance. That's my opinion. You will get others.

I would ask BWY to clarify what the Dacron is made of and if it is UV resistant. The black "canvas" is probably Sunbrella material. It is heavier, but it is a fantastic material that resists UV and just about anything else. Your sail will be well protected with the black (or other color) Sunbrella cover.
I would be concerned if the Dacron is simply a sacrificial cover that will be destroyed instead of the actual sail. If it's a sacrificial cover, I would not opt for that. It will eventually need to be replaced and the cost of doing that is as much as a new sail.

If it were me, I'd go for the maximum UV protection. Sail cloth is extremely vulnerable to UV damage. Also, a genoa tends to have more load on it, so a heavier sail cloth would also be wise here.

Overall, BWYs has some nice sails. I believe their loft uses quality materials and heavy cloth.
You may also look at Judy B's sails. She is an advertiser on this forum. http://www.judybsails.com/MacGregor-26M-Sails-s/59.htm
I bought my 150 genoa from her. It's a well made, heavy sail with lots of reinforcement. They ship from The Philippines, so customs and the shipping to Switzerland would probably be similar to the States. Mine has the luff pads which make it easier to reef in heavy winds. I believe it will last a long time. However it is heavy and as such hard to pull around in light winds. But then again, my Mac isn't good in any wind, so I doubt the sail is going to make a huge difference here. I fire up the iron genny when winds are too low.

I'm sure you will other opinions. For me, when I roll up my headsail, it's done. I don't need to go up on deck again. With the sock, I had to wait to get back to port to haul it up. I would never do that on a bouncing sea.

--Russ

[Highlander]

I have green sumbrella on both my jib & genny with no issues, in lighter winds u r going to go with a spinnaker or drifter

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010097.jpg

here,s my cutter rig with both head sails flying

http://s844.photobucket.com/user/TheHig ... 1.mp4.html

http://s235.photobucket.com/user/maccut ... 9.mp4.html

J

[yukonbob]

I second everything Russ just said. However I did end up keeping the sock for transport only. It's big enough to fit three rolled jibs in it, hence the flapping and shaking. If you twist the whole thing up from top to bottom it will reduce it a little.

[gabid]

I've got the genoa from BWY 2 years ago, with no strip cover; reasons: performance, price and jib. I have a regular size jib as well with no cover. I built my own sock with materials from sailrite.com following their on-line tutorial. So the sock can be used for both.
I find it very easy to put it on, I sail single handed most of the time.

[Wayne nicol]

yup, like Russ says- you will have a bunch of different opinions, so now you get to choose- and next time there is a question, you can add to the foray too
what russ ays is a very valid point, and we all loose track of this critical point at times-maybe myself more than the average person, but our boats are not the greatest sailors- they do sail like barges, so will the cloth on the genoa make any difference- ir reality- probably not, in theory - oh hull yes... and i need all the excuses i can when i need to justify something on the boat - outta boat bucks, or b'day presents etc...

valid points- just do what feels right for you- which i am absolutely sure is what you will do, after all you did buy a mac!!!!!
cheers!

[dlandersson]

I've had both - the UV strip is certainly more convenient, the sock can be used with lots of different sails. I have a sock (BWYachts) that I can tighten once it's up.

I found that putting up the sock at the end of a sail takes perhaps five extra minutes. Not a big deal.

[kadet]

Another thought I have the Genoa with white Dacron cover, 5 years old and needs replacing not so much from sun damage but the thing is so dirt and mould coated it is impossible to keep clean and looks nasty. For not much more than replacing the stripe I am getting a sail slightly larger than 100 jib size made with a black sunbrella stripe. I found I use my Asym for light air work anyway.

[mastreb]

+1 for UV stripe. Simple and works perfectly. The added weight merely improves sail shape and reduces flogging and luffing which means increased lift. I see zero downside excepting carry weight when you're lowering the mast.

[Russ]

I found that putting up the sock at the end of a sail takes perhaps five extra minutes. Not a big deal.

This is true. However, when I arrive back at the dock, it's hot, no air and my crew is ready to disembark. So, I was left up there hoisting this blasted thing and zipping each section. 5 minutes of my life that I don't have to waste with my sewn in sail cover. I roll that puppy up and look at the nice black cover already protecting my nice new sail. Wish my main had one.

Oh, and when the wind blows, my sock used to shudder and shake the whole rig. There was one night the wind was howling at 35mph plus that I was glad the sock wasn't on the sail. Rough night on the hook. Would have been worse if that dang thing were attached.

Did I ever mention how much I hated the sock?

--Russ

[dlandersson]

My crew heads to the cafe (right by the marina entrance) for hot dogs and juice while I put the boat up.

I found that putting up the sock at the end of a sail takes perhaps five extra minutes. Not a big deal.

This is true. However, when I arrive back at the dock, it's hot, no air and my crew is ready to disembark. So, I was left up there hoisting this blasted thing and zipping each section. 5 minutes of my life that I don't have to waste with my sewn in sail cover. I roll that puppy up and look at the nice black cover already protecting my nice new sail. Wish my main had one.

Oh, and when the wind blows, my sock used to shudder and shake the whole rig. There was one night the wind was howling at 35mph plus that I was glad the sock wasn't on the sail. Rough night on the hook. Would have been worse if that dang thing were attached.

Did I ever mention how much I hated the sock?

--Russ

[Judy B]

I found that putting up the sock at the end of a sail takes perhaps five extra minutes. Not a big deal.

This is true. However, when I arrive back at the dock, it's hot, no air and my crew is ready to disembark. So, I was left up there hoisting this blasted thing and zipping each section. 5 minutes of my life that I don't have to waste with my sewn in sail cover. I roll that puppy up and look at the nice black cover already protecting my nice new sail. Wish my main had one.

Oh, and when the wind blows, my sock used to shudder and shake the whole rig. There was one night the wind was howling at 35mph plus that I was glad the sock wasn't on the sail. Rough night on the hook. Would have been worse if that dang thing were attached.

Did I ever mention how much I hated the sock?

--Russ

Socks vs UV edge covers are a personal thing, but I'm with Russ on this one.

I'm biased towards UV covers for everyday cruising. Here's why:

Why I don't like socks:

1. I'm lazy. Socks take time to put on and take off, have to be folded and stowed, etc.
2. Socks flap themselves to death in the wind. (unless the sock has lacing built in to tighten up the extra cloth)
3. Noisy as heck. (unless the sock has lacing built in to tighten up the extra cloth)
4. Socks cost more than sewn-on UV covers. (about $150 for a cheap one and 200 for a good one with lacing.)

Why I like UV edge covers
1. I'm lazy. I don't have to do a thing to protect my sails.
2. They cost less than socks. Really.

Depending on where you shop for sails, you can get acrylic or weathermax UV covers built in, for half the cost of a sock. Prices have dropped significantly in the past few years, due to improvements in CAD-CAM manufacturing, newer cloths like WeatherMax80, brand name acrylics that compete quality wise with sunbrella but at lower cost, and consumer-friendly, competitive, internet pricing.

3. I take better care of my sail, without any extra effort. Sewn on UV edges automatically protect your sail when you pull into a marina or beach.

I can live with road dirt on the edge cover. I rinse my sails when ever I'm at a dock for the day and wash my sails once or twice a year.

Fair winds,
Judy B

[dlandersson]

I looked in to this. If you already HAVE a sail (brand-new, cents on the dollar) paying to add the UV stripe was not cost -effective. If you are looking to buy a sail, then getting a UV stripe can be a smart move.

They cost less than socks. Really.