review of new main

Had a new main build last winter by Elvstrom-Sobstad (now just Sobstad again I think).  Sailed all last season with it and it's a good sail - good weight, nice shape, sets easily, well reinforced and made specifically for cruising (not racer/cruiser), all fittings installed neatly and strongly.  I went with a loose foot, which I've never had before, and rigged a simple 3:1 purchase for an outhaul.  On the good side, it makes it easy to set the foot tension and keep a nice sail shape all the way to the bottom.  On the down side, it's a bit more of an effort to bundle and tie the sail once dropped because the length of the foot is not captured along the length of the boom, so it has a tendancy to end up partly under the boom instead of piled neatly on top.  Could have slides or bolt rope put on the foot later if wanted, but so far so good. Also opted for three rows of reefing which I don't regret.

Given the range of options from no battens to full battens, I went with one full batten just at the very top and extended battens for the other three.  Extended battens go from the leach to about the mid-line of the sail.  The batten pockets that Sobstad put in the sail have a little fold of fabric at the leading edge that, while adding a little drag in the flow over the sail, I think will prevent pocket failure that makes battens a problem in some cruising sails.  Only time will tell.  The sail sets well and is easy enough to handle in this configuration (I don't use lazyjacks).  I agonized a bit over this decision - whether to go dirt simple and foolproof with no battens and the resulting sail shape (smaller sail, hollow leach), or with the original short batten design, or with the battens I did choose.  The configuration I chose works well for the way I sail in the waters I sail on (Great Lakes, light winds in mid-summer, stinkin' windy in the spring and fall).  If (when) Virago goes for an extened voyage, I think it will still be a viable choice.

One thing I will have Sobstad change this winter is the way the sail slides are attached.  They used plastic  shackles but I want them replaced with webbing loops as on the original sail (which I had assumed they'd do so had not specified).  It's not that I don't trust the shackles, but I find that they can bind slides in the track when raising or lowering the sail if the boat's not dead into the wind.  As I sail alone with with no one on the helm and no autopilot or such, I am not often dead on the wind!

All in all, it's a good sail - Sobstad made a nice product (my choices are what they are).

Oh ya, it clocked in at under $1700.00