That means ensuring accurate measurements, selecting the most appropriate
cloth and panel layout, and taking care over every detail of the design and
construction. We also need to know about your rig, to make sure we incorporate
the right amount of luff curve to match the bend in your mast - a particularly
important consideration with fractional rigs.
Some of the design aspects to consider when making your choice are:
Cloth, panel layout, bolt ropes or luff sliders, reefing points, battens.
The following features are either
standard or available as an option with most of our mainsails:
- Telltales - indicate whether the wind is flowing cleanly off the
leech.
- Camber Lines - make it easy to see the depth and shape of the sail.
- Loose foot - substantially increases the ability to control the sails fullness with
the use of an outhaul.
- Leech Line Exits at Reef Points - lets you elimiate any 'leech
flutter' when the sail is reefed.
- Luff Cunningham - allows you to tension the luff in stronger winds,
pulling the draft forward and opening the leech.
- Leech Flattener - lifts the boom and flattens the lower section of
the sail in heavier conditions.
FULLY-BATTENED MAINSAILS: what
makes a Kemp sail different?
Being more costly and complex to build than conventional Mains,
fully-battened sails provide ample scope for sailmakers to cut corners. for
example, you may find some quotations showing only four battens on boats up to
around 35ft. At Kemp we use a minimum of five. This way, the high compression
loads on the luff - a feature of full-length battens - are more evenly
distributed, giving you smoother running cars. Since one of the major benefits
of fully-battened sails is their ease of handling, it's pointless to skimp in
such a crucial area. Of course, the larger the boat (and the bigger the roach)
the more battens we use. Another important feature we always incorporate - even
in the coastal sails - is a Cunningham hole, because Cunningham tension is
essential in fresher winds to move the draft forward and open the leech.
Just as important is the right choice of batten end fittings and mast
sliders. That's why we'll ask you for details of your mast, including its
section and a profile of the aft edge; only then can we select the hardware
which will ensure the best performance and the lowest friction.
KEMP SAILS
Unit 2, Sandford Industrial Estate,
Wareham,
Dorset BH20 4DY.
England
