Musclehead opinions please

[markh1f]

Looking to replace my main sail and am considering the Musclehead from KH, my first thought it the extra sail area high on the mast would just make the that much more tender and force earlier reefing. I am sure it would be an improvement from the factory main which I think is horrible but has anyone compared it to a well made standard aftermarket main? Would welcome any opinions from those who have with sailed it.

Thanks,
Mark

[K9Kampers]

Doing a search on keyword " musclehead " gives 10 pages of results.

[c130king]

Mark,

I can remember more days on the St. John's with very light winds than I can remember days with fairly brisk winds. Thus the Musclehead sail might be good for the Jacksonville area. Even the three times I have been out the St. John's on the Atlantic I had fairly light winds twice...but the one day I had good winds it was VERY good...probalby would have had to reef the musclehead that day.

And another thought, every time I have ever had to reef my stock main it meant good winds and nice fast sailing. So even if you have to reef a new musclehead you probably have good winds and decent sailing.

Good Luck,
Jim

[puggsy]

I have mentioned this once before, but I had the 'supplied' mainsail repaired by the local ] Fremantle] DOYLE sailmaker, who said that the mainsail supplied with new 's are made in Brazil and are of POOR quality....Now when a DOYLE agent says that, you have to believe it.
I was never happy with it. Thats why I suggested that Roger sells his hulls BARE and let us do the fitting out with GOOD gear. How about it Roger...You DO make a good hull.

[AJ]

I've had the sail for about 6 weeks and can honestly say it's the most effective sailing modification you can make to the boat. The most noticeable difference is that the boat now points like a proper sailboat (30 degrees off apparent)! The flatter stiffer shape is way more efficient to windward than the baggy stock main. I've used it in conditions to 25 knots with no significant difference in heeling despite the bigger sail area. The flat controlled upper surface is easy to twist off with more traveler up in order to depower the sail. With one reef and a number 4 headsail and a pair of IDA rudders (got sick of the stock ones breaking) the boat is well balanced in 25 knots. Downwind the extra sail area adds oomph but the swept back M spreaders do mean it's best the gybe down wind rather than go directly down (too much wear on the sail).

I was out in 10-15 knots the other day grinning as I caught and passed a 30 foot(admittedly long) keel boat to windward. They tacked off (through embarrassment?)

It's a well made sail at a great price. The only down side was I had to supply my own battens (too difficult to ship here). This did mean that I managed to scrounge a bit of carbon fibre rod from an old Americas cup boat (Kookaburra) from my local sail makers parts bin for the top batten. Now I'm carrying a little bit of history aloft!

AJ

[NiceAft]

AJ,

I read your post with a great bit of interest. Since I have both the Musclehead and KH 150 Genoa, I am always attracted to posts which discuss the Musclehead. This is what caught my eye:

The flat controlled upper surface is easy to twist off with more traveler up in order to depower the sail. With one reef and a number 4 headsail and a pair of IDA rudders (got sick of the stock ones breaking) the boat is well balanced in 25 knots.

I want to understand correctly. While reefed, If the wind is from port, and you are heeling to starboard, you move the traveler hard to port to "depower" the sail by twisting the flat top of the sail, all the while the boat retains good balance. This is better, and easier than just letting out the mainsheet? If so, I am interested in understanding the concept. It would help my sailing abilities.

If anyone else who owns the Musclehead wants to chime in, please do. You would not only be helping me, but also Mark.

Thanks
Ray
P.S. Mark, if you check through other threads on the Musclehead, you will find that it is more sensitive to the wind, and you will reef earlier than you do with the stock main.

[Currie]

I'm sure AJ will chime in, but FWIW....

Leon and I have gone back and forth on this one as well. The technique is sometimes called "spilling". Leon hasn't had good luck with it - but - he uses nice Quantum sails that one can get a good blade going with - which is really preferrable.

Basically, when spilling the mainsail, you pull the traveller to windward *and* you then let out the mainsheet. The boom is basically in the same position as normal, but the sheet is pulling more from the side, and not-so-much from below. You also need to ease the vang. This allows the boom to rise and creates more twist in the sail - the sail-head will begin to luff slightly. When this happens, there is no lift being generated at the top. Leon pointed out the problem that you can then get too much draft in the lower half of the sail, defeating the purpose. My feeling is - with my factory mainsail - I'm not able to really blade it in heavier wind, leaving spilling as the only option. I'm not sure about the Musclehead, but I'm really interested to find out. Hopefully, AJ has tried both and can comment on the results.

FWIW - when blading, you keep the traveller down to leeward where the downward pull helps tension the sail. The vang will also be tight here. In any case, heavier winds call for a tight halyard and outhaul, plus a tight cunningham and backstay (if you have them).

~Bob

[delevi]

I would add that with full battens on top, like my sail and the musclehead, you aren't going to spill much... so, go with the flatter sail shape and blade it, as Bob describes. Don't know how flat the musclehead is cut, but with a powerful outhaul and cunningham, I figure it would blade nicely. The stock sail is cut fairly fat and gets fatter with every use in brisk winds, so spilling may be your best option. Either way, a powerful outhaul (lead aft) is a great control to quickly flatten or fatten your sail.

Leon