Submitted on December 8, 2006 by Joe McCann

Question: Earlier this year, I purchased an Alsberg Bros. Express 34 with a full complement of North sails (Full Battened Dacron Main, Kevlar AP No 1, Light No 1 (I think Mylar), and Spinnaker). The sails have had little or no use. To make the boat less tender when cruising with family, the prior owner added a 280 lb. bulb to the bottom of the keel. The bulb did not increase the draft or otherwise modify the keel. I sail on Long Island Sound (usually light air), but the YRALIS PHRF Committee hit me with an additional 3 second penalty for the bulb on the keel, giving me a PHRF rating of 102.

The boat has a masthead rig with rod rigging, a solid vang and hydraulic backstay.

I have sailed with some success in small one-designs for 40 years and more recently raced a J-30 with some success both PHRF and one-design. With the Express 34, however, I am having a lot of trouble sailing to my rating. Can you answer some questions for me?

First, do you have a tuning guide for the Express 34 or its older sister the Express 37 that might be able to get me in the right tuning range?

Second, what should be the expected wind range for the AP No 1 and Light No 1? Does someone at the loft need to examine the sails to tell this, or will your computer files give you that information?

Third, can you give me any guidelines as to how much luff sag I should be carrying for given wind ranges?

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Joe McCann

Answer: Joe,

Thanks for checking in with us about the sails on your Express 34. It’s a great boat and stacks up fine with similar boats like the Frers 33 and Soveral 33. Where are you having the most problem sailing to your rating? My guess is light to moderate air.

All three boats have comparable sail area, but the Express is the heaviest by at least 1000lbs over the Frers 33. LI Sound, especially the Western end, experiences less than 12 knots TWS most of the sailing season. So being heavier isn’t going to be helpful against the competition most of the time. Adding 280 lbs to the keel, will make the boat more stable for shorthanded cruising or in more wind. But, if he didn’t subtract that weight somewhere else, then the boat is even heavier and harder to get going in light air. You should discuss this with your PHRF measurer.

Let me try to answer your specific questions.

No, there is no tuning guide for the Express 34. There just aren’t enough sailing against each other boat for boat to gather the needed data. However, you can check out our tuning guide for the Beneteau 36.7 on our Offshore CDP Page. Of course you can also call your local North Sails office and talk to a sales representative; they can go over the basics with you in detail.

Typically, an AP#1 genoa has a shape targeted for 10-12 TWS, but is constructed to handle 15- 18 TWS. That way it can be made fuller by easing backstay and halyard in under 10 knots of breeze, but also can be flattened by tightening the controls in more breeze. Since it has to be versatile, it needs to be strong enough go up the wind range. A light #1 is usually targeted for 0-10 knots TWS, so it has a deeper shape and is more lightly constructed. If your sails were made by North Sails since 1994, we can usually find the order in our system with some research. In that case we can tell you how the sail was constructed and its size.

Here’s an idea of how much luff sag you should see:

0-10 TWS- 8”-12”
10-15 TWS – 4”-8”
15+ TWS - As little as possible.

Sea state and wind variability will make a big difference to the amount of sag you need for power vs. pointing. If you have a lot of chop, then you need the softer settings to add power, even in more breeze. In flatter conditions, you can use a tighter headstay to help the boat point higher. This is an area where keeping a log can really help you replicate fast settings. The North U “Performance Racing Trim” book has a really good chapter on this subject.

I hope these answers help out, please call your local North Sails office they can help with more specific answers.

Regards,
Jack Orr
North Sails, Connecticut

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