Category: Sails

Product reviews, Sails4 Comments

Product Review: Rolly Tasker Sails

$tingy Sailor

You’ve put off replacing that threadbare old sail long enough. Or maybe it ripped during your last outing. Or maybe you just bought a used sailboat and it’s missing a serviceable mainsail or headsail. You want to buy a new sail but you’re not sure where from, there are so many choices. Being a stingy sailor, you can’t afford to just write a blank check. But you also don’t want invest in poor quality that won’t perform or won’t last.
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Lessons on Spinnaker Repair

$tingy Sailor

This is a guest post by Andrew Evans, author of the book Singlehanded Sailing: Thoughts, Tips, Techniques & Tactics. For my review of Andy’s book, see Book Review: Thoughts, Tips, Techniques & Tactics for Singlehanded Sailing. The version of Andy’s book that I reviewed was an early version from before it was published under a different title by International Marine. The titles of the two versions are the reverse of each other, it’s not a typo.

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Sails, Sewing2 Comments

How to Flatten the Luff of that Baggy Old Sail

$tingy Sailor

Do you have one or more old sails that, after you hoist them fully, have scallops and wrinkles along the luff like in the picture above? Or do you have to winch them flat or overtighten your backstay? Instead of a flat, smooth leading edge, those wrinkles disrupt airflow and rob your sail’s performance. If the sail has a polyester bolt rope in the luff and not wire rope, you can fix that yourself for almost no cost other than about an hour of your time. And you won’t have to take the sail to a sail loft, wait days or weeks to get it fixed, and drop a Benjamin or more out of your wallet.

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Improve Sail Shape and Performance with a Leech Line

$tingy Sailor

Before I dive in to the main topic of this post, I want to wish all you stingy sailors out there a Happy Thanksgiving Day. Even if you don’t live in the US or don’t normally celebrate this holiday, I hope you can take some time today to express your gratitude for the blessings in your life with those around you that you love. Whether it’s good health, a loving family, a job that pays the bills, or just fond memories, we can all find something to be thankful for.

Let’s face it, if you’re reading this blog and you either already own a sailboat or are just thinking about getting one, you’re more prosperous than most of the people on our planet. I urge you to look for ways to share your prosperity with those who are less fortunate. On to the project!

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