Lots of questions to answer which is good. I thought my first response would kill the discussion.
Jim C.
I really don’t know if the location of the blocks was changed at the factory at any time during production. I had always assumed the location was standardized. That assumption may not be correct. For those interested in comparisons on my 26 the distance from the clew attachment point to the reef block is 20" and 56" to the second reef block.
The UK sail I have was made by the UK Sail loft located in Sidney British Columbia for a boat located in Sidney British Columbia. The original owner told me that he never had to put a reef in when sailing but as far as he could tell the reef points looked okay for his boat when he set them up at the dock. His boat did not have an enclosure and he may have had a longer pig tail on his topping lift. What worked on his boat may not have worked on mine for reasons other than the block placement.
Tom S
I have not bent on the Sobstad sail since about 2009 so I don’t remember what the performance was like. I do remember that when I first bent on the Botts sail that I could flatten it out like a knife blade. Over time it stretched so I could not flatten it as much. The Uk sail will also flatten out nicely. I don’t specifically recall the bigger roach adding to weather helm but flattening the sail does reduce weather helm. With the UK sail I have started to use a cunningham. Hardening it moves the draft of the sail forward and that also reduces weather helm. Between the choker and the cunningham I can reduce the power of the sail so that it feels the same as if I have a small first reef set.
Joe V
In the P.H.R.F. system used in British Columbia folding and feathering props are given a 0 code. If a fixed 2 blade prop is installed the boat is given an extra 6 seconds per mile and a three blade fixed gives an extra 12 seconds per mile over the feathering prop rating.
Lloyd H
I am not an expert on racing rules and handicap systems so be cautious when reading what I have to say on the subject.
If you go to the INA home page and use “Racing” as a search term you will find a link to the Nonsuch Racing rules. The rules provide in part:
“The intent of these rules is not to exclude boats, but to provide sufficient uniformity between boats that skippers and crews will perceive competition between yachts to be a fair test of sailing skills. Any owner whose yacht does not meet the rules, but who feels that his yacht’s performance has not been significantly improved, may request a ruling from the Rules Committee.”
In theory Nonsuches of the same size race against each other, boat for boat, however if a 26 is to race a 30 a handicap rating system can be used. When other types of boats entire the mix, such was in club racing, a handicap system is used. The most common handicap racing system used in North America is the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet system (PHRF). The system was designed with sloops in mind so it has difficulty coming up with a fair rating for cat boats. The PHRF is in part a local rating system so the rating given for a boat in the Pacific North West may be different than the rating given on the Great Lakes. As an examples the range of ratings for a Nonsuch 26 are from 201 to 240 seconds a mile and for a 30, 153 to 213 seconds a mile. The PHRF system in the British Columbia region uses the formula of P (luff) x E (foot) x .59 to come up with the mainsail area. The extra .09 allows for roach. The sail area for a 26 is therefore considered to be 41’ x 20.5’ x .59 = 495.89 sq. ft. as opposed to the 420 sq. ft. given in the brochure. The rules also have adjustment factors for non-standard mains, but the calculations are too complex for this discussion.
With regards to roach size the Nonsuch Racing rules use an upper LP (leech point) location and length. On a 30 the distance from the head of the sail to the upper LP is 11.8’ and on the 324, 12.6’. The length of the upper LPs are 7.9’ and 8.4’ respectively. If the sail is to have a good aerodynamic leech and be made to conform to that rule, the size of the roach is limited . If the length of the upper LP is ignored the roach can be made bigger and still have an aerodynamic shape on the leech but the sail will not be class legal for Nonsuch racing. The upper LP on my Botts sail is exactly to the class rules, I don’t have a measurement for the UK sail but I suspect it is longer than allowed in the rules. A bigger roach is not a problem for PHRF racing but an adjustment might be made to the rating. We have two 30s with slightly different rating in B.C. I understand the difference in ratings is due to differences in the sail size.
John,
the luff of your sail is 1/2’ shorter than the nonsuch standard. The upper LP is measured at 10.6’ down from the head of the sail and should measure 7’ in length. As noted above the formula used in B.C for mainsail sizers P x E x .59. With the shorter sail luff length on your sail the Racing committee may not have felt a need to make an adjustment to your rating.
Before you start moving blocks try all other available solutions to get a decent reefed sail shape.
It is a little difficult to see in the photo but it looks like the boom extension is the one designed by Murray Cressman. The extension might be illegal for Nonsuch racing rules but I don’t think it effects the speed of the boat so a Nonsuch committee should allow it. It is not an issue for PHRF racing. When I sail I generally have the topping lift slack enough that it does not change the sail shape no matter which side of the sail it hangs on.
Many sloop racers use a back stay flicker that should work for a topping lift flicker on a Nonsuch. Here is a link to a page with images of back stay flickers:
https://www.google.com/search?q=sailboat+backstay+flicker&client=safari&rls=en&sxsrf=ALiCzsbFhAbhT2GSY5XfhL45ovB4WKRt_A:1669855546132&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjz35zVmNf7AhXxIDQIHZEABqgQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1217&bih=969&dpr=1#imgrc=0UKDDlB2YXFiSM
Essential they are a fibreglass batten attached to the mast head with the batten sticking back from the mast head parallel to the water. An eye is attached to the outboard end of the batten and the topping lift would run through the eye. When the topping lift is hardened the batten will pull down. When the topping lift is eased the batted straightens and lifts the topping lift away from the sail. You will have to experiment with the strength and length of the batten and the length of the topping lift to get it to work correctly.
Mark Powers
But since you can’t have a deck sweeper sail you should get a credit.