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Kestrahl

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Posts posted by Kestrahl

  1. We sailed out Davidson 35 from NZ to SE Asia, had a stack pack with lazy jacks which was great. Easier to reef and less effort to close up when your tired after a long passage, so less UV on the sail. Only hassle is the the battens going under the lazy jacks when hoisting, but that is the price you pay. After being based here and only racing twice a year, I removed the lazy jacks and went back to the normal cover. With the lazy bag the sail traps water and you need to hoist it often to dry it out, with the regular cover and open bottom its not an issue. 

     

  2. You guys should get some local quotes, they are scratching for work with the Covid situation affecting exports. If you want cheap, there are options like Rick Royden if he is still around. Far East may get it right some of the time, but I've seen a lot of disasters and corner cutting here in Asia, then you annoy the local sailmaker when you ask him to fix it. 

    Actually if you go sailing in Hong Kong, you would notice that UK Sails has the biggest market share locally there. At the end of the day you get what you pay for. 

  3. I recall it was NZ on air or one of those websites some time ago, but can't find it with google. I was going to share it with some cruising friends who haven't seen it. 

    I actually have a copy and could upload it to youtube, but then I mite get my account banned for copy write violation! 

  4. Do any of the main sail makers use Hydranet as standard?  and what is the premium?

     

    It is expensive... Maybe a little overpriced. Incidence and Elvstrom are the two biggest users and I think get the best deals on it. NZ sailmakers pay more due to the shipping, going though the local dealer etc. 

    Most of the seconds grade hydra-net finds its way to NZ and Aus which makes it more affordable, but more likely your sail is going to lose its shape due to issues in the weaving/finishing. 

  5. It is a German invention and they actually sell a lot of these in Europe for exorbitant prices. It just shows you what good marketing can do. 

    Really its just a little more forgiving than a well designed regular spinnaker, if you don't mess the lines up. But doesn't do any greater wind angles, doesn't lift the bow, still needs a spinnaker pole on a mono-hull to be stable etc.  

    • Upvote 2
  6. Its an impossible question to answer as it depends on the conditions the sail ends up being used in. 

    I did UV testing on different dacrons which had some interesting results, just from UV alone some dacrons these days would only do around 20,000 miles ( 65% daylight sailing, 35% night sailing ) in the tropics before they tear like tissue, and this is only from UV and not fluttering or actually using the sail sailing, so real life would be less. I suspect some companies are using yarns from China without any UV inhibitors. A good dacron sail should do at least 50,000, and Hydra-Net a lot more. DP had a Hydra-Net sail they were showing off at boatshows which had done over 200,000. Of course none of the woven sails hold the shape that great, but most cruisers are okay with that as they spend the majority of the time reaching and running. 

    Our spectra cruising laminate mainsail only did around 10,000-15,000 before the you could tear the taffeta with your fingernails, but it still had a good shape for racing and no de lamination. 

  7. Raced against and met the owners of Tuxedo Junction a few years ago in Tonga. This one was foam sandwich construction with rod rigging etc and very quick, with a very nice interior. The downside was they didn't have a very comfortable trip to Tonga, but then beat all the 50fters doing the local races - on line. 

  8. Try vincewilliams@xtra.co.nz or Alex Bruce on facebook. I have a copy of the latest class rules. You can email me Phil@lytsails.co.nz

    P.S. our sail designs won almost every nationals in the last 10 years including the last one.  

  9. Glad everyone is safely off. Must be seriously frightening when the keel starts letting go - at least they had some warning and it didn't just randomly drop while sailing. 

     

    Didn't this boat have some serious keel issues before, the ram broke and the keel smashed though the side of the wet box off Gisborne or Napier. 

  10. Its designed to look fashionable, and some of these European scale button Open 60's mite do okay but they defiantly aren't show stoppers.

     

    Delher 30 Displacment 2500KG, Gennkaer 85sqm

    Shaw 30 Displacement 1800KG (with crew) Gennaker 120sqm 

     

    My money is on the Shaw, and its an offshore racer - Rob sailed it 2 handed around the north island  :thumbup:

  11. Kick’s builder/first owner Ian Harvey and plenty of other guys who sailed on her are still around the BBYC area (Ian may be up in the islands on his yacht by now). Easy to put you in touch with them. You know about the cockpit mods, also the keel was quite different to the standard jandal (maybe the same as backchat?) and I believe the mast is taller than all the other boats. The boat needs the runners on to perform.

     

    Plenty of info around on the others, there have been lots that have had keel mods and various prod and square top setups.

     

    With Fineline, Spearhead and Kick imported back here now, I wonder if there are any more in Aus.

     

    There is a 10.5 cheap compared to the one forsale in NZ. http://www.yoti.com.au/listing/elliott-10-5-high-anxiety

  12. Hi Mark

     

    aussie prices do seem a bit cheaper than NZ but you have to factor shipping/delivery costs plus gst so that does add a big chunk on and of cours the exchange is going the wrong way currently

     

    The Aussies mostly sail under IRC and are buying newer boats, the Elliotts sail fast downwind but rate badly so they aren't worth much. 

  13. Problem is there are no decent small (under 30 foot) racer/cruisers worth importing. Well none that are better then the current NZ range or Ross, Young, Elliott etc...

     

    IRC has a bit to answer for, we have some of the english designs in Singapore, the Corby 29 and Ker 32, they are terrible boats compared to something like a T30... 

    Melges 32 or Mumm 30 are still nice boats, but the cost of transport/importing is restrictive for a small boat compared to a bigger boat you can sail home. 

  14. I used to make about 20 or 30 a year. Never used the old dodger as a pattern, always patterned directly from the frames and boat, and installed the grommets on site when fitting.

    The old Sunbrella stretches and the clear shrinks over time. If it has been reinforced with PVC or leather that also shrinks. So the old dodgers often end up all warped, especially if the window has been replaced a couple of times. The sections will not be flat anymore. 

    The poly thread does vary a bit in quality and its very rare for it to match the lifespan of sunbrella, normally needs restitching one or two times. Better to use Tenara or equivalent PTFE thread then you know its never going to need restitching. 

    • Upvote 1
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