To all,
Couldn't resist the urge to chip in.
As you may know, several of the guys here in the states have made their own 5M sails (myself included) Having done it as easy and simple as we could, (that being making it just tall enough to only add one full mast section while the boom remains the same length) it as brought us nothing but fun with very little tweaking from the first go round. Mostly a proportionate change in batten lengths. And we all know how sensitive the batten issue is :-) Simple AND fun .... sound familiar? Maybe like your own first time out on your new blokart, yes?
While the induced drag becomes painfully obvious to the eye in anything over 10 mph. it still handles well in moderate winds until one decides to change down. Interestingly, in side by side speed testing with a 4M, the 5 comes out of the corners with better speed but (as expected) is soon over taken in the straight.
If one were to take the racing perspective out of it, you end up with a very nice recreational sail that allows you to increase your sailable days by 20 to 25% at the light end of the wind range. So for a racer that only wants to go fast, the Guru and company have a nice set of three different size sails for you to pick from. Everyone else gets a 20 to 25% increase in FUN days with the 5M.
Back to a racing perspective, it would not be to difficult for the race officials to mandate any light air racing day as a 5M day. Better to race in light winds then not at all. Point- only those who can afford the larger sail get the advantage. Counter point - I remember a significant increase in the use of the POD and carbon fiber masts at the NZ Open between 2005 and 2006. To quote a line from the movie "Field of Dreams" - "Build it and they will come"
That's my 2 cents worth, what say you?
Mike Moody
Couldn't resist the urge to chip in.
As you may know, several of the guys here in the states have made their own 5M sails (myself included) Having done it as easy and simple as we could, (that being making it just tall enough to only add one full mast section while the boom remains the same length) it as brought us nothing but fun with very little tweaking from the first go round. Mostly a proportionate change in batten lengths. And we all know how sensitive the batten issue is :-) Simple AND fun .... sound familiar? Maybe like your own first time out on your new blokart, yes?
While the induced drag becomes painfully obvious to the eye in anything over 10 mph. it still handles well in moderate winds until one decides to change down. Interestingly, in side by side speed testing with a 4M, the 5 comes out of the corners with better speed but (as expected) is soon over taken in the straight.
If one were to take the racing perspective out of it, you end up with a very nice recreational sail that allows you to increase your sailable days by 20 to 25% at the light end of the wind range. So for a racer that only wants to go fast, the Guru and company have a nice set of three different size sails for you to pick from. Everyone else gets a 20 to 25% increase in FUN days with the 5M.
Back to a racing perspective, it would not be to difficult for the race officials to mandate any light air racing day as a 5M day. Better to race in light winds then not at all. Point- only those who can afford the larger sail get the advantage. Counter point - I remember a significant increase in the use of the POD and carbon fiber masts at the NZ Open between 2005 and 2006. To quote a line from the movie "Field of Dreams" - "Build it and they will come"
That's my 2 cents worth, what say you?
Mike Moody
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