Submitted on August 9, 2005 by Charles Grassl

Question: Hello,

I'am trying to adjust the draft on both my genoa and main sails, but the sails do not have draft lines. Is it possible to add draft lines? (My boat is a C&C 99 and I bought a main and a 135 genoa from North Sails this past spring. Perry Lewis handled the sale.)

I have seen a piece of plastic with calibrated lines for use in calibrating
the sail draft. Where can I get this item? Is it necessarily calibrated
to a particular sail?

Thank you,
Charles Grassl

Answer: Hi Charles,

You can add draft stripes to any sail. The North loft in Chicago has stripe material in a range of colors and they could install the stripes for you in the correct locations. You could also add stripes yourself using a large, permanent marker. The stripes are normally located at positions 25%, 50% and 75% of the luff. Mainsail stripes go on at about 88 degrees to the luff (slightly angled UP at the leech end to make them parallel with the waterline on a mast with aft rake). Headsail stripes go on at about 70-73 degrees.

We do not use the plastic gauges anymore. Since digital cameras are cheap and easier to use, it is more effective to take a picture and then measure it on your computer. Your North rep could scan the photos for you and give you a nice report showing where the draft is positioned at each location.

To photograph your sail, lie down on the foredeck or cockpit floor and, looking through the view finder, turn the camera diagonally so you get the effect of a wider screen fitting the sail into the view from upper left corner to lower right corner. An example of a good sail shape photo is above.

Regards,
Dan Neri

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