new fangled mainsail covers

[peter north]

I,m finally getting to the point in my project boat of making real sail covers to replace the dumpster canvas I've been using. Does anyone have any experience and or opinions about the type of sailcovers that attache to the top of the boom and hang from the lazyjacks, staying in place while sailing? Seems mighty convenient. One thing I don't get is why they don't have the big hump on the foward end to cover the part of the sail where the slides are bunched on the mast. They all seem to have a straight upper edge angling up from aft to foward but not high enough to cover the foward part of a normal sail, as far as I can tell. Any comments greatly appreciated.

[Figment]

I'm of the opinion that those sail covers are popular on modern yachts for three reasons:

1) The lead-all-lines-aft-to-cockpit craze, which has turned the coachroof of such yachts into a hazardous field of lines and "organizers" and such.

2) Tall coachroofs for greater interior volume, combined with the now-compulsory rigid boom vang, have raised the boom to a height unreachable from the cockpit.

3) Ever-larger cockpit dodgers make it even more difficult to reach that 4' section of the boom.

If your boat fits the above criteria, then yeah that kind of sail cover is probably the thing for you. If not, then go with the normal sort. Your sail will thank you in the long run.

[Noah]

Peter, it sounds like you are talking about the Doyle "Stack Pack" system. I've used one on a J-105, and it's pretty nice. One zipper and you have the main covered.

I'm of the opinion that the faster you can get on or off the boat the better. More time for sailing, less for screwing around with covers.

As for the "hump" I'm not sure why they don't have them. Probably because most of the modern boats you seen them on have stiff highly resonated mainsails that don't bend much.

Noah

[ssor]

Consider the purpose of the sail cover, Protect the sail while idle from the sun and help to keep it reasonably clean.
I am not sure but I think that a sail cover that opens on top will have problems keeping out the dirt laiden rain.
In our marina after a heavy rain we have sandy grit on board three hundred feet from shore. And it doesn't come off the bottom of the bay. There are highway bridges and railroad bridges within a quarter mile and I am sure that these contribute some of the trash.
I have seen these open at the top sail covers and think that they would be very convienent but I doubt their true effectiveness.

Ross in Bel Air

[Dan McCosh]

I've been sailing on two boats with varients on the system, and generally they work quite well. The reason for the lack of a "hump" is that they have a batten on each upper edge to keep the cover from flapping while the sail is raised. This is pretty tricky to curve into a "conventional"shape. Also--the Doyle system is closed at the bottom, which collects water. This is an easy fix. The only reason we didn't adopt somthing similar is because all in all,we are happ with our existing cover--which is not too conventional. We have a "regular" cover with panels added to the bottom edges, which pull out via cords and make a kind of tarp that also covers the hatches, varnish, etc., as well as the sail. The Doyle setup would require a second tarp to do the same thing.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I am with Figment.

I delivered a boat with the Doyle Stack Pack system and whilst it may be fine on the Solent on a summer afternoon, at 0200 on a January morning, trying to reef, in the southern North Sea, it is a stinker. Too much friction as the little lines meander back to the cockpit, and the batten cars jam, so you end up dancing around on that high curved coachroof anyway.

Horrible.

[landlocked sailor]

Yep, we had one on a charter boat in the BVI last winter; it was very convenient for the lackadaisical kind of sailing we did in the balmy tropical climes. I don't think I'd want one in a hard chance however. Rick

[Dan McCosh]

Of the two top-opening setups I've used, one was the Doyle system on a charterboat. This was combined with a full-batten main, and includes some tricky reef line leads and a kind of extra flap that smooths the cover when the sail is raised. The other one was set up on a conventional sail, with the lazy jacks attached to a batten at the top. The latter works better than conventional lazy jacks, even in high winds. The full-batten sails have issues, such as the cars jamming, but seem to have a good reputation. The Doyle system itself is too fussy, particularly with the leads through the cover. A friend also completed his fourth circumnavigation, on a 36-ft. cutter, about a year ago with a top-opening sail cover with battens, and liked it. (The first three trips were with conventional covers.)

[wyndham]

Seems like theres some confusion about whether or not a sail cover works well and whether or not the batten cars are working properly. The Doyle system works very well, it is simple and easy to use and is an integral part of the mainsail itself. If the sail with full battens won't drop like a rock when the halyard is eased it has nothing to do with the sail cover, Doyle or otherwise. If the sail doesn't come down it's because the batten cars are incompatable with the slot in the mast, the battens are too long, too tight in the pockets or a host of other reasons.

[George.]

Put a gaff on the sail, and she'll come down, whether she wants to or not...

BTW, The Windham is my favorite in NY, NY...