Submitted on September 1, 2002 by Bill Crowder

Question: I am in the last stages of purchasing a new Catalina 400mkII. The only remaining issue is furling main or standard. The boat will either be in Charleston SC or Oriental NC. 99% of my sailing will be coastal cruising, shorthanded or fairly inexperienced crew. I've chartered for 25 years bu this is my 1st owned boat and I've never used a furling main. Your advice please, and what about a cruising spinnaker?

Answer: Hi Bill, The choice between an in-mast furling mainsail and a conventional slab reefing mainsail comes down to sail handling convenience vs. sailing performance. An in-mast furling mainsail is significantly smaller and the rig is larger and heavier, so the boat will sail more slowly. However, rolling the sail in and out of the mast is pretty effortless and for many boat owners the tradeoff in performance makes sense.

North Sails manufactures two product lines of Gennakers that would be appropriate for your Catalina 400mkII.

The Cruising Direct Gennakers come in standard sizes to fit a wide range of boats up to about 40'. The sails are in-stock with a choice of colors: all white or white with a colored star pattern in red, green, yellow or blue.

You could also choose a G-3 gennaker that would be designed and built specifically for your boat. The G-3 will be a little larger and the color scheme is up to you. A North Snuffer is recommended with either model. Contact your North Salesman for pricing information.

Regards, Dan Neri

Email North Sails with your question today!

Go BACK to Solutions for Sailors Main Page.