Why you need a storm sail for your boat

If you love to sail off-shore more than just cruising along the coastlines, obviously you will need to keep a number of good storm sails aboard. It can be a storm jib or a trysail. Ideally you should have both. We wish you don’t get trapped in storms often but you need to keep your eyes on storm sails for sale offers to grab best deals.

Apart from off-shore sailing, storm sails do have another part to play. These are essentials in yacht racing. Sailors need storm sails made of strong Dacron to participate in the raching competitions. This is rule you’ll find everywhere. Storm sails can bear the force of high wing knots. Not only the material, stictching too is important.

But a sailor needs to be experienced enough in order to judge whether the prevailing weather will require the use of storm sails or not. You cannot set these sails when the storm has already taken you in its grip. Ttiming is highly important--when to reach for these sails and when to set them.

When we talk about the right and suitable sails, the basic requirements are:
• It must be constructed with a very heavy-weight sail cloth, ideally a strong Dacron
• This must be suitable to the size and dimension of the boat.
• The color of the sail must be bright (usually sailors prefer orange), so that it can be easily visible in the gray and white sea.

A variety of Storm sails for sale are provided by many manufacturers and you will obviously choose according to your budget. Pick a company or supplier who has earned a name. Check the credentials, learn who is the sailmaker and then decide. Don’t go for the gloss, experience is what you should value.

But we must say that although the sail is designed to safeguard you and your crew aboard it is much better to avoid risk. Pay attention to the weather forecast before you start.  

There is something about the mainsail battens

The speed of a boat and the shape of the mainsail is highly affected by the battens that mainly aim to support the roach of the sail. 

The battens are usually available in two types:

• Full length battens: this kind of battens cover the extends of the entire sail; from the leech to the luff. These are further categorized on the basis of their bend and draft position.

• Leech battens: It extends from inboard to leech and available in a large variety such as hard, medium-hard, medium soft, medium and soft. 

It’s the sail manufacturer who chooses the battens according to the shape, size and material. 

Although, the battens are selected to set the draft position of the sail and not to alter it, yet the batten stiffness and tension can be changed to maintain the desired shape of the sail.

Installation of the battens 

The mainsail leech has two types of pockets where the battens can be attached:

• The leech pockets, where no further adjustments are possible.

• The pockets where batten tension can be adjusted as per the circumstances.

Choosing and changing the battens

According to the experts’ recommendation, always the middle two battens, that your sail manufacturer has provided to you, should be used. Further the batten should be used to the softer bend so that the lower leech may receive improved power and pointing. To make things easier and simpler, one should carry the two top battens. When you are buying online and checking the 

Mainsails for sale available, you must inquire for the batten details.  

It’s also good to carry some extra battens on a sailboat and keep changing them according to the circumstances. Though it seems a tricky and troublesome task; if you can do it properly that will help increasing the speed of your sailboat.

When you are buying a sailboat for the first time

The idea of buying a sailboat of your own is of course an exciting one, but it also is a daunting task if it’s your first sailboat. Needless to mention that you’ll need to do a proper research and homework before making a deal with the seller, whether you are going to buy a factory-fresh one or have your eyes set on the one that has already been into stranger shores. There are some points that must be considered so that you can feel a proud owner of your first sailboat.

The purpose
You may need it solely for recreation, to take your friends and family on board for weekend trips or vacation coastal cruising or the purpose is absolutely commercial like fishing or touring. Apart from all these, you may want a super-performing boat that will make you win races. Off-shore boats, racing boats and simple weekend sailing boats further differ in terms of hull type and keel type. One that’s best for extensive saltwater sailing may not be ideal for river cruising.

The cost 
This is the next most important point to be considered. It includes the basic cost along with the insurance charges, dock fees, training (operational and functional), upgradation, safety equipments, regular maintenance charges and many other applicable costs.

Online research is a must 
The very basic step to be taken by the first time buyers is to go online and conduct a proper research about available options, model, configurations, comparative prices, opinion of the experts and the reviews by the existing owners. It could be a catamaran, a yacht or a racing dinghie, find every detail available on the web.  All these can increase your knowledge to find the best deal.
You should do the same while buying sails. Find a reputed supplier who can provide you both custom and stock sails, be it Headsails, Mainsails or Spinnakers.

Inspection and trial
Before buying the boat you choose, a trial ride is a must. Inspect properly, every inch of it. Ideally you should hire a consultant and take him along. 

Why people prefer sailboats over the motorboats

Sailboats and motorboats are different in terms of craft, construction, engineering and the ‘fun’ factor. People prefer one over the other according to their convenience and will. While a motorboat is fast, don’t require air to sail forward and is a hassle-free vessel for short trips with friends and family, sailboats combine the thrill, adventure, and excitement of manual sailing. Although motorboats are convenient and easy to sail, those who are passionate about sailing will always vote for the sailboats. Many of such Pro sailors even sail with kids on board.

First of all, sailboats are less burdensome so far as the maintenance is concerned. Not only the buying cost, day to day maintenance expenditure of the sailboats is low. It’s absolutely wallet-friendly. By spending a small amount for engine maintenance and parts, you can enjoy sailing the boat for many years. Besides, since fuel requirement is low, these boats are economical. Just a few gallons of gas and it can last for the season. You and your friends can plan long trips, whenever you like, without feeling weighed down because of the fuel charges.

Now let’s get to the main point, the real reason behind sailboats being preferred by the bravehearts. With a sailboat you can set yourself free with the wind and the waves. Nothing can match the thrill of finding your way against the odds and the excitement of feeling the adventure on your skin while the high knots and waves throw a challenge to your courage. This cannot be experienced on a convenient motorboat.

But if there’s a hero of the show in sailing, then it’s the sail itself. We always suggest sailors to go for custom built sails, if they are not in a hurry. Custom sails provide better performance and control than stock sails. Do check the link to take a look at our inventory.

Popular sailboats and their uses

When we visit to a seafront, we often see a large variety of the sailboats sailing on the water. It’s sometimes hard to differentiate and identify. Let’s take a look at some popular sailboats, how we can identify them and their uses.

There are three main criteria or the characteristics on which sail boats can be classified:                        

•Keel type: The lateral surface on any sailboat is the keel that aims to counter the force of wind and create the lift by generating the forward motion. Some types of keel used in the sail boats are wing keel, fin keel, centerboard, daggerboard, etc.

•Hull type: A hull is the main part of any sailboat that is usually made up of fiberglass, wood or metal. When we say types of hull, we mean the number of hulls in a boat-- Monohull (one hull), Catamaran (two hulls) and Trimaran (three hulls). A Trimaran hull gives comparatively more stability to a sailboat.

•Sails and mast configuration: (catch, schooner, cutter, cat, yawl, sloop, fractional rig sloop, etc.)
Uses: From the ancient time, sailboats are being used for many purposes like trade, sport and naval defense. With the advancement in sailboat engineering, propulsion now is less dependent on the wind-force. Contemporary sail boats are very versatile and comfortable. These can be extensively used for a number of coastal cruising itineraries, recreational activities and racing.

Spinnaker boats, dinghies and some other newly developed models have redefined sailboat racing. The trend has picked up more pace in recent years and in a country like US that boasts of such long shorelines it’s quite natural that we’d have at least one yacht or boat racing championship in every month of the year.

So hobby sailors get busy all the year around, cleaning, polishing and repairing their boats, testing the spinnakers, placing order for a new one or working hard to improve race timing.