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North Sails invites our cruising clients to write to our in-house "experts" with questions and comments about North cruising sails. We encourage questions that will help other cruisers and we'll post your questions (with answers) to this page on a weekly basis. As always, North Sails is interested in constructive questions and observations from all over the world related to the performance, design and manufacturing of our complete line of quality cruising sails. Dan Neri (above) is one of North's cruising sail experts.

We look forward to hearing from you! Email NORTH SAILS cruising experts to submit your sail-related question.

NEW! December 25, 2005 submitted by John Secuianu
I am considering a code 0 or a code 1 for fast cruising/local racing. We will be fixing a removable carbon bowsprit and alter the masthead with an extra plate in titanium. Can you tll me the maximum forces on the bow and mast?
NEW! December 16, 2005 submitted by Ed Kossick
I just purchased a 1987 Hunter 26.5. The headsail is a North Sails aeroluff zip stop. The roller furling system has a north Sails label on the drum housing. I have never owned a furling jib system, so I have some questions.
NEW! December 12, 2005
I'd like to get a storm trysail for my boat (Sweden Yachts 36). Mainsail dimensions P=43.5 E=13.2 feet. What size sail do you recommend?
NEW! December 6, 2005
When considering if you want one or two dousing patches on your spinnaker, which is best for a buccaneer 18?
NEW! December 5, 2005 submitted by Keane L. Boyd
I have a Tanzer 7.5 with an old Collinbrook furler. The furler itself worked great until hurricane Wilma. The spool that holds the furling line around the drum was damaged. Is there anyway to repair this with a similar replacement drum/spool?
NEW! November 27, 2005 submitted by Charles Deitz
Help. I have a 38' Irwin Citation with a 4'11" keel. Can I have the keel shortened so it will work on the west coast of Florida? About 4' would be Max in the winter.
NEW! November 21, 2005 submitted by Iain Finden
I would like to know what Dacron sailcloth weight you would recommend for a big mainsail like a Nonsuch 33?
NEW! November 19, 2005 submitted by Russ Irwin
We have just begun design on a 52' blue water cruising boat. In a perfect world we would have a minimum number of sails, all permanently rigged, providing good performance and safety in all wind conditions. What do you think?
NEW! November 15, 2005 submitted by Martin Snyder
I have a 1994 Beneteau First 210. Its underpowered in light air and I would
like to use a large roach full batten main with a performance roach profile
but the backstay is in the way. Can I do without the backstay?
November 13, 2005 submitted by Alan P. Kefauver
I recently purchased a 1975 Pearson 39 Yawl. The boat came with an older Shaefer wire luff furling system, which needs to be replaced. What furling system would you recommend?
November 10, 2005 submitted by Ray Milhollin
I am in the process of purchasing a new main sail for my 1979 Spirit 28. Can you tell me the advantages and dis-advantages on a full vs partial batten mainsail?
November 9, 2005 submitted by Stephen Phillips
Thank you for your thoughtful, very informative reply regarding an older 40' ketch. You have saved me from a lot of grief and disappointment. I guess the question I should have asked is: what keel type and sail plan do you consider best for single-handed sailing the coast of Maine in a 40' boat?
November 8, 2005 submitted by Peter Anoia
I am considering adding a 135 genoa to my inventory. The boat is an O’day 22 using hank-ons. Where should I put the tracks, i.e. how far back from the bow chainplate where the sail tacks?
November 8, 2005 submitted by Ted Steadman
I am considering a yankee and staysail sail plan for a year of long range cruising for a couple and 8 year old daughter on our Little Harbor 44. What is your opinion on this approach?
November 7, 2005 submitted by Jim Mulholland
I have a North Genoa made of NorDac that has developed a few mildew spots and I plan on doing some year end maintenance cleaning. I have read conflicting reports about using bleach on nylon sails....
November 3, 2005 submitted by Stephen Phillips
I am looking for a 20 year old 40' full keel boat to cruise the coast of Maine. Is a ketch rig a practical single-hand solution with today's modern sails?
November 1, 2005 submitted by Troy Scott
I own a Cape Dory 36. I'm interested in options for shorthanded downwind speed without the hassle of a conventional spinnaker pole.
October 24, 2005 submitted by Bart Toby
We have just bought an 1984 Elite 32 MkII centerboard; we have never sailed her, but understand that after 15kns of wind she needs a reducion of sail area, ie reef in the main or roll in some of the furling 150% genoa. Would a flatter sail with more stiffness allow the boat to sail longer with the existing sails up before reefing?
October 23, 2005 submitted by Alan Langmuir
I've heard about using paint as a UV protector for roller furler sails. What do you think?
October 18, 2005 submitted by Dale Hedtke
I am planning to buy a new RF 145% genoa for my Morgan 383 and received a quote on a miter cut sail from Mack Sails. They claim that the cloth panels are better oriented for the higher leech and foot loads. Is this correct?
October 12, 2005 submitted by Bob Skene
I recently bought a Pearson 35. The mainsail was originally equipped with a LazyMate System. Unfortunately, the previous owner fremoved all the control lines and rings although the sail is still equipped with the original grommets etc. Can i purchase the missing parts to make the sustem work again?
October 5, 2005 submitted by John Ringrose
I have sailed a great deal but never a ketch. I am considering buying one. Can you give me any tips hints or general advice on sailing a ketch as opposed to a Bermudan sloop?
September 27, 2005 submitted by Howard Staley
I have a Catalina 36 with North Genoa and Main. The Genoa has become very dirty with what appears to be mildew. How can I clean this sail, or to whom can I send it for cleaning? The sail itself is in excellent condition.
September 25, 2005 submitted by Michael Hesse
Can we use the blooper as some kind of asymmetric spinnaker to be rigged the same way, or is the sail shape unsuitable?
September 20, 2005 submitted by Paul Lomas-Clarke
I have a 1997 Jeanneau 36.2 with inmast furling. When drawing the mainsail
out with the outhaul it jams both up the mast and mainly where the leech
come out of the mast. What is wrong?
September 19, 2005 submitted by Larry Green
I have a Tayana 52’ we had built in 1999. I have two questions about the head of the genoa and the placement of the lower forward shrouds.
September 18, 2005 submitted by Dave Kingstone
I have a 1988 CS30 with the original #2 furling genoa from North. he sail appears in good condition however the blue uv strip has a hook, or curls at the leach. is there a practical solution.
September 15, 2005 submitted by Ken Alt
I have just purchased a boat with in-mast furling. I was told by a fellow sailor (a very knowledgeable /experienced sailor) that one really should never reef an in-mast furling mainsail.
September 7, 2005 submitted by Dick Gross
We recently purchased a Catalina 38' (1979) with a hydraulic backstay. Do have any suggestions for the range of settings we should be using?
September 7, 2005 submitted by Jochen Marntiz
As a cruising sailor with occasional participation in regattas (Scandinavian 43 ft cruiser racer) I plan to buy 3DL sails. The decision is to be made between S600 taffeta and marathon.
September 4, 2005 submitted by Robin Leigh
I have a Gemini 3000 cat. I am looking into getting an asymmetrical spinnaker for off-wind and light air use. How do you measure luff length for these sails?
September 1, 2005 submitted by Neil Thompson
I am looking to install a boom roller mainsail system on my 1987 40' Hunter
Legend sailboat. Can you help me?
August 31, 2005 submitted by Brian Wise
I am a fairly new sailor and am concerned about the % of draft depth in my main. I can measure the % of the draft depth at the boom. Is this a number I can use to represent the percentage of draft in the whole sail?
August 31, 2005 submitted by Bil Hansen
Are North U. Sailscopes still available?
August 31, 2005 submitted by Tony Magee
I purchased a Kettenberg 50 with in-mast furling. Would a vertical batten main help restore balance & let me get more power from the main?
August 27, 2005 submitted by Sergio Medir
I would like to know if an Asymmetric Spinnaker is the same as a Gennaker?
August 24, 2005 submitted by Marc Auslander
I will be replacing my cruising, roller furling 130 Genoa. I am wondering if there is a way to get better leeward visibility than with my current deck sweeper, and what the performance trade-off would be?
August 23, 2005 submitted by Kirk McAnsh
How much would moving my jib/staysail leads outboard affect my boat's windward performance?
August 18, 2005 submitted by Dick
I bought new and still have a 30 year old Cal 2-29 with the original North main and working jib sails. Could you please direct me to a source on proper tuning of the mast and rigging for a sloop of this size?
August 14, 2005 submitted by Brian C.
I have a question about the cunningham. I accept through experience that the cunningham moves the draft forward but I cannot visualize how this is done. I know that the mainsail is a right triangle and the cunningham pulls from the head more than the clew and wouldn't this flatten the luff?
August 9, 2005 submitted by Charles Grassl
I'm 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.
August 6, 2005 submitted by Dale Mukavetz
I was searching the net for information on furling mains. We recently rented a Hunter 33 with such a rig. In light winds the rig was easy to handle but when heavy winds came up it was not.
August 5, 2005 submitted by Doug Bedient
There's a lot of talk about cleaning sail but is there anything that can be done to clean corrosion from the grommets?
July 29, 2005 submitted by Norris Glass
I ran into a problem with the roller furler last week. I have a 1974 tartan 41 with a 130% on a harken III roller furler . I bought the boat this spring and as this is the first roller furler I have had, I want to make sure all is working properly and I am following the correct procedures.
UPDATE! July 20, 2005 submitted by Jan Willem Dorst
I would like to use a removable furling (non reefing) gear such as the Profurl EC range as an inner forestay to deal with medium to heavy weather conditions instead of the regular forestay. Will this work?

July 16, 2005 submitted by Peter Strock
In the past North Sails made a mainsail for a Vindo 45. North used a slide shown here made of white nylon or perhaps Derlin.. The part missing is the top part of the eye that permits it to be seized on the sail (0001.jpg).
July 15, 2005 submitted by Mark Ningaloo
We are sailing with the family in the med and plan to sail back to Australia with a Lagoon 440 cat. We have an asymmetric kite with a sock and after some other sails to help up wind and also use dead square with the main down. Would you recommend a code 0 and can it handle wind speeds around 30kn?
July 5, 2005 submitted by Larry Shulman
I have a 2000 Catalina 400 with a 155% jib. Not sure if sail is shaped correctly and if I am trimming correctly? I went out today in 15 k and tried looking at it without main up and found it did not fill or have tell tales flying textbook like.
June 17, 2005 submitted by Sam Mazza
I have four questions related to my asymmetric spinnaker, spinnaker pole, wisker pole and running backstays. I hope you can help.
June 21, 2005 submitted by Terry Bowman
I have a 2003 MacGregor 26M and suspect I will be replacing the mainsail in the next couple years and the headsails shortly thereafter. I am leaning towards the laminates but my question is, can you improve on the OEM sail design and produce a better sailing performance sail than the one I am replacing?
June 17, 2005 submitted by JJ
I’d like to get a 150% radial cut roller furling genoa for my Ranger 33 - for beer can races day sailing in light air. I’d like something light weight and UV protected when rolled up. Is there another option besides Soft Norlam?
June 17, 2005 submitted by Ed Morgan
I bought a new Morris M36 and am getting a Gennaker with it. I was wondering if I should choose the G2 or G3. I will be sailing the boat in the Chesapeake Bay.

June 16, 2005 submitted by Marty Czarnecki
How do I keep lazy jacks from interfering with the mainsail when lowering or raising the sail? I have a conventional lazy jack set-up with lines attached to the boom and mast.
June 9, 2005 submitted by Ron Baden
I plan to use the mizzen mast of a ketch racer as main mast for a 55 foot cat. Do slides for such a system still exist? Is a change to a fully battened mainsail with new track and slides (needed, I understand) prohibitively expensive?
June 6, 2005 submitted by Ron Baden
I am planning on installing genoa tracks on an Irwin 23, prior to ordering new sails. How do I determine the best location and length of tracks to install to improve windward performance?
June 2, 2005 submitted by Ken Pole
I have acquired a C&C 27 with newer North sails, including a fully-battened main on which the North logo is inscribed with "lazy jacks." I have no idea how these are rigged. Is there an illustrated guide of any kind?
June 2, 2005 submitted by Mark D'Amico
I bought a Beneteau 311 and it came with a really nice North Gennaker and Snuffer system. What is the purpose of the "wide belt" that is attached to the tack? Any rigging advice would be greatly appreciated.
June 1, 2005 submitted by Thomas Gardner
I have just been given a Columbia MKII 26-foot sailboat. It has just been sitting for the last two to three years. Both the main and the jib are dirty. Is there a safe way to clean these sails?
May 23, 2005 submitted by Jim Kelly
What does the designation of 100% or 150% genoa mean? We are new at this and have roller furling jib which extends back to the cockpit when fully extended on our 25 ft. C&C.
May 22, 2005 submitted by Bill Old
I am rigging my new mainsail on my CS 36. My mainsheet has 3 blocks on the boom that go to block on traveller, which is on top of the cabin. Should I pull the pin out of the blocks on boom so that they will swivel or should I leave the pin in, so blocks will stay in line with the boom?
May 17, 2005 submitted by Philip Clinton
What type of sheet would you recommend that I use with my gennaker? The boat is a Tatoosh 42 that I use exclusively for cruising. Type and length would be most appreciated.
May 9, 2005 submitted by Richard Schmidle
I recently purchased a 2002 model year Hunter 170 with original equipment sails from North. There's a feature on the mainsail that I don't recognize and don't know how to use...
May 9, 2005 submitted by Richard Anderson
Took old sail numbers off head sail but it left red sticky residue. What will take this off a Mylar / Kevlar sail?
April 29, 2005 submitted by Jim Miller
I do a lot of single-handed cruising on Lake Michigan, spending many nights at anchor. My boat, tends to "sail" on the hook. I am considering a riding sail. Any advice on size?
April 29, 2005 submitted by David Kozera
I just purchased an S2 9.1 with North sails. The main, which is loose-footed, has a couple of velco strips which are to be used somewhere on the outhaul. What are they for and how should they be adjusted - if at all?
April 26, 2005 submitted by George Sekely
I have an old Hood furler on my Moody 34 - used for cruising. It is about time to change the furling line and I think mine was too thick. What size and type of line would you recommend?

April 24, 2005 submitted by Alan
I just purchased a J-27 with a Kevlar head sails. They are all rigged for tuff-luf racing. I want to add hanks added to grommets aft of the bolt tape. Can the grommets hold in Kevlar? What should the spacing between hanks be in order to reduce the stress?

April 24, 2005 submitted by Arthur Koenig
Please explain the difference between your Gennaker snuffer and the ATN snuffer. Please note that the Gennaker I intend to buy is the G-AP3.
April 19, 2005 submitted by Orhan Kayrakli
I have North Mylar sails on my boat and for the last two years, I left the sails on board unattended throughout the winter. Now there are large black stains allover the sails which I suspect is mold. What is the best way to clean them?

April 19, 2005
I bought new laminate sails from North last Spring. After taking them out of winter storage, my genoa has some areas of what I think is mildew. Would it be best to send the sail back to the loft I bought it from? Or can I clean the sail myself?
April 10, 2005 by Ken Byrd
What would be the best Genoa option to improve light air performance on our Beneteau 423? We currently have a 140 RF Genoa, which has plenty of power in 15 plus knots but seems under powered below 10 knots.
April 10, 2005 by HD McDermid
I am about to take delivery of a new Malo 40 from Sweden. I read in one of your replies to a question that Dan Neri has serious doubts about in mast furling vs f/b mainsails. Any thoughts?
April 8, 2005 submitted by Mike Laight
I am always short handed and considering a gennaker. What's the difference between cruising chute and gennaker? Is a gennaker easier to handle than a spinnaker?
April 7, 2005
I have a Potter 19 with bimini and would like to hold the mainsail above the bimini framework. Can I reef it to shorten it? Will this harm the Mainsail? Is there a way to hold the Lapper off the deck for visibility?
April 7, 2005 submitted by John Tucker
Could you please tell me what a "zipper attachment" for a headsail is? I'm thinking of purchasing a used North headsail and it is listed as having a zipper for the attachment.
April 4, 2005 submitted by Simon Wall
I own a custom Beneteau 50 with in mast furling with a North main (Spectra composite). Some friends recently borrowed my boat and managed to completly jam the main inside the mast. Any ideas how to get the sail out?
February 19, 2005
Is it possible when cruising to use a spinnaker pole with a gennaker, but when jibing to leave the pole against the headstay and not move it from side to side with the jibe?
February 14, 2005 submitted by Rich Schultz
I have a 38 foot cutter rigged boat. There are a ton of books, advice, etc. on getting the most from a sloop rig, and even some on double masted rigs. I can't find anything on cutter rig sail tuning. In particular, does one adjust the staysail first or the headsail? What do I look for?
February 5, 2005 submitted by Judy Blumhorst
Can you give us some tips about doing inside gybes with a Gennaker on a cruising boat that doesn't have a sprit?
February 5, 2005 submitted by John C. Cotton
I have a 48 ft. ketch. I can not find the best way to set the sails for the boat to heave to. I have tried numerous variations of this tactic, including no using a headsail, but none of them seem to work. Any ideas?
January 29, 2005 submitted by Mathieu Genest
I'm planning to buy a Hanse 342 which is equipped with a small self-tacking 100% jib. Since this type of rig is known to have less power while reaching, will I be better served with a 140% genoa and an asymmetric spinnaker or with a G-0?
January 28, 2005 submitted by Chiro Kirk
Are there major differences in sails made for cruising multihulls vs. for monohulls?
January 17, 2005 submitted by John Pufahl
I have an Alerion-Express 28 and am considering a spinnaker for the boat. What are my options and what do you recommend?
January 14, 2005 submitted by Thomas
What would be the ideal size Genoa for cruising on my Hunter 37 Cutter?
January 12, 2005 submitted by Nicola Lanza de Cristoforis
I have just purchased a never used main designed for a Catalina 36, fitted with a Dutchman system. I have questions on how to adjust it. Where can I find a setup manual?
January 12, 2005 submitted by Julian Lakin
I bought a North Code 0 furling gennaker for my new Beneteau last year. Lovely sail and works well – when I get it up! Can you suggest an article with handling tips on raising, dousing and gibing using this set-up?
January 11, 2005 submitted by Richard O'Connell
I want to add a system to aid flaking my mainsail on my 38' Alden Challenger yawl. Can you give me any advice about the relative merits of lazy-jacks vs. Dutchman systems?
January 10, 2005 submitted by Kelly Quinn
We are looking for a roller reefing mainsail rig to attach to our 58ft spruce mast for our Tayana 37’ We have seen several in-mast products but none other. Can you retro fit a Harken or Profurl or something similar?
January 10, 2005 submitted by Roy Barkas
Could you possibly email me a copy of the Gennaker Packing Instructions that I understand North has available?
January 3, 2005 submitted by Robert Fernandez
What is the North solution to compete with Mack Pack or Stack Pack systems?
December 31, 2004 submitted by Thomas
I have a 1981 Hunter 37 Cutter. It has the original sails as well as a 155% genoa. Will the use of the genoa preclude use of the staysail? Any suggestions on using the 155% genoa and keeping the staysail rigging in place?
December 31, 2004 submitted by Karen Kaelin
I own an O'day 25 centerboard that I club race and cruise shorthanded and I am shopping for a new mainsail. What is the advantage of full batten main on my design boat? Is there any advantage to just having the upper 2 as full battens.

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