I picked up a < 100% #3 with battens for 22+ kts. North quoted three different materials including their new warp oriented polyester cloth.
http://nsdnn.northsails.com/Radian/tabid/17344/Default.aspx I ordered it in NorDac Radian NDR 7.5. It works well, so much so that even down to 18 kts it is comparable in VMG to my 140% #2. Well, at least upwind. Michael Brown Windburn C&C 30-1 From: Josh Muckley <muckl...@gmail.com> As others have said at such a heavy weight you probably won't notice a difference between the tri-radial and the cross cut. I experience the same thing with wines. A great wine doesn't distinguish itself from a good one unless tasted side by side. A crosscut sail tends to stretch diagonally to the lay of the weave, on the bias. The tighter the weave the less bias stretch. Fabric makers heat shrink and urethane coat their products to reduce this type of stretch. As the material gets heavier the thicker the threads get and the tighter they can be packed which further reduces bias stretch. Spinnakers, being made of such light weight and untreated materials are most likely to experience stretch. Since downwind stretch isn't much of a concern but strength IS aligning the fibers in the direction of stress (tri-radial) is a method of strengthening the sail. Unless serious offshore aspirations are in your future I would consider reducing the cloth weight. If tri-radial is absolutely desired then even lower weight may be acceptable. Couple those options with some of the newer cloths which incorporate vectran, spectra or other hi-tech fiber and you could achieve a lower weight. All of this builds into the reason why we see racing sails built with tri-radial designs and lightweight, hi-tech fabrics. Obviously, as with everything, it is a compromise. There is a third option which you may not have been aware of. Bi-radial. For a furling sail this might be a good option. Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD
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