Vmg

[Unregistered]

Hi sirs!
First, congrats with the new foruma and the new sails lines for 2004.
You have my attention with the VMG sails for formula..
What is the recommend masts for?
And, what is the sails guaranteed?
Regards
Pupo

[Steve]

Hi Pupo:

Thanks for the kind words about the new forum. The 2004 VMG was developed with our new 100% carbon mast line called Epic. The masts and sails will be available in January. The sails were also tested on Powerex as well. All Aerotech sails have a 1 year warranty against manufacturing defects. These sails should be real tough. For 2004 the VMG sails are 100% grid construction. The Pentex panel above the boom is now even larger which allows these sails to be both lighter and more durable than any race sail produced yet.

[Unregistered]

Thanks a lot Steve!
Another little question about the VMG sails..
What is your principal focus with the 100% grid construction?
What material is?
When you go to put VMG sails full colors sailing pictures in your web page?
Thanks again!
Pupo

[Steve]

Hi Pupo:

Every sail in the Aerotech line is 100% grid except for the Air model. The only reason the Air is not 100% grid is to reduce the price. There are many reasons for the all grid construction.

1) By laminating two layers of film together a UV inhibitor can be used between the laminates. This keeps the sunlight from penetrating all the way through the sail and allows the sail to last two to three times longer.
2) When laminating two pieces of thinner material together it softens the hand of the material which makes it less susceptible to creasing which is what causes premature tears in most monofilms.
3) By using hi-tech grids like Pentex we are able to use thinner materials and actually make the sail lighter and more durable.
4) The grid material also has rip stop characteristics by arresting the tears before they spread across the whole sail

We will be adding more pictures to the web site as they become available.

Best Regards
Steve Gottlieb
Aerotech Sails

[Chris Davey.]

Guys,

I have just purchased 2003 VMG 11m and 9.8 m and am looking forward to trying them out. I see that the ideal mast for the 11m is a 550/40 and the 9.8 is a 520/34.

I am wondering what the effect of rigging them both on a 550/38 mast will be. The 9.8m should fit as its luff is about 544-549cm from memory, but will its shape be effected greatly. It may well be less than ideal, but can it work reasonable well???

I am 95-8kgs and sail a Starboard 186 and the 9.8 will also be my big sail for my Hypersonic 133.

Regards,

Chris Davey.

[Too Fat]

How come people think the pentex (fine grid) fabric is heavy? Isn't it lighter? Is it stronger than regular Xply, BTW?

[Steve]

Hi Chris:

I have never tried a 550 in the 9.8 VMG. It might physically fit in the sail but I doubt it would work well. If you are talking about a 550 Powerex it is a very stiff mast. The cams would over-rotate which would make the entry very full and difficult to rotate. You would also have trouble getting the sail to open up in the leech which would limit top end speed. If at all possible I would recommend getting a 520 mast for this sail.

Best Regards
Steve Gottlieb
Aerotech Sails

[Steve]

Hi Too Fat

There are a lot of misconceptions about grid materials. Just like monofilm they come in many different weights. With grid material you can often use a thinner material and still get an increase in durability while getting the benefit of a lighter sail. Pentex is a higher tech grid that is only 3 mils thick and used in all sizes of the new VMG sails.

Best Regards:
Steve Gottlieb
Aerotech Sails

[Chris Davey.]

Steve,

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I have a NP Racepro 520/32 which I will use for the 9.8. I thought I might be ble to get away using the 550 and sell my 520 to buy some of the smaller VMGs.

The 11 will rig up OK on the 550/38??? How will it be different than if it was rigged on the 550/40 (fuller/flatter)??

Thanks again,

Chris Davey

[Koen B-12]

Chris,

the 11 works great on the 520 also. As I sail already somewhere else, why buy an expensive 550 if you can go for a mast that fits on the 9.0/9.8 and 11m.

[Steve]

Hi Chris:

When comparing a 40 IMCS mast to 38 IMCS in a 11.0 VMG you would notice the following. The stiffer mast will make the leech tighter and the entry fuller. This will cause a stiffer feel to the sail and a slight loss of top end speed. Bigger sailors may like the stiffer mast better but most sailors will prefer a mast in the 34 to 38 range for this sail.

Best Regards:
Steve

[Unregistered]

I am waiting for the 2004 VMG's to come out and noticed in the post you are using a New Epic mast. I have Powerex, Sailworks and Fiberspar 550 and 520 masts. Will these work ok? I am 6', about 235lbs.

[Steve]

The Powerex masts will work fine. If it is a modern Sailworks mast it should be the same as the Powerex. I have had mixed results using the Fiberspar.

Best Regards:
Steve Gottlieb
Aerotech

[Koen B-12]

Powerex, Gunsails, Neilpryde even Nautix all work in some degree. Fiberspar: NOK.
It looks like the fiberspar is to soft in the lower section, if trying to get normal loose leech, you take away all the profile depth in the bottom part of the sail, where you need it most.