SeaHawk - Sails
Page updated 6 April 2009
The Standard Sail Plan
Up till the end of manufacture by R. Moore and Sons all new SeaHawks were supplied with sails made by Jeckells of Wroxham. The handful of boats made since then had sails made by an Essex-based supplier.
Reedcraft offered a mainsail, jib and genoa on their boats though it is possible that many customers opted not to have this full set. Initially the same options were offered by Moore. Wintin, #344, is a Moore built boat that is typical of this period.
The main sail includes three short battens. On more recent sails the lowest of these is set horizontally, but early boats have all three set at right angles to the leech. There are no reefing points as the sail was intended to be rolled around the boom.
The standard jib appears relatively small by modern standards. The tack is secured to a short strop to allow the sail to clear the cabin and the luff does not extend to the full height of the forestay.
Many owners consider this jib to be the preferred sail for sailing the Norfolk Broads and other confined spaces where tacking is frequent. It passes easily round the mast and using the forward fairlead on the cabin roof means the sail sets well for close hauled work. In comparision the full genoa is cumbersome to tack.
The genoa fills the luff but still should use the strop, both to clear the cabin top and, where one is fitted, to avoid snagging on the pulpit when on a broad reach or running. Its size means that the forward cabin-top fairleads are by-passed completely and the sheets taken outside the shrouds to the fairlead on the aft corners of the cabin. This obviously, affects how it sets when tightly close hauled.
The furling genoa is, of course, more adaptable than either of the fixed head sails. However, it is not working optimally when working at the same size as the standard jib. Even if the sheets are re-rigged to use the forward fairleads to allow for close hauled work the cut of the sail means that the angles are not ideal.
During the Moore's period of manuafacture, the sail options changed. Initially a roller reefing head sail was offered as an option. However, the December 1991 price list indicates that by then this had become standard rig and the small jib was no longer offered on new boats. This new rig, according to Moore's, provided a total sail area of 168sq ft, although, as seen below, the sail area figures cannot be relied upon.
Dimensions
The table below, which presents measurements provided by Jeckells, shows what they provide as the standard rig, plus a "reduced" set giving a sail area of around 86sq ft. For how long this has been available is not known.
|
Sail Area (Standard Mast): Standard: Main: Jib: Genoa: Reduced: Main: Jib: Genoa: |
sq ft 76.5 36 70 60 26 ? |
sq m 7.03 3.31 6.43 5.51 2.39 ? |
By extrapolation, the reduced Genoa is likely to be about 53sq ft (4.87sq m), although this figure conflicts with Moore's figure of 50sq ft, given on their 1986 Price List.
The figures in this table conflict with those given in the original Reedcraft brochure which says the total sail area of "Main and Jib" was 126 sq ft. The brochure was produced early in the boat's life, and never changed, even in Moore's time. As the SeaHawk was conceived as a coastal cruiser, it is possible that it was anticipated that the normal rig would be a standard genoa and reduced main, which approximates to the 126sq ft figure. Alternatively, it is a figure for a completely different design that was changed before production began.
Equally puzzling is the figure that Moores give for the later standard rig with furling head sail that, again, does not agree with any of the figures provided by Jeckells.
Age of Sails
New owners frequently want to know the age of the sails on the boat they propose to buy. The label that Jeckells sewed to the sails when new changed over the years. Beneath each image, below, is the year in which that style of maker's label was introduced.
1970
1976
1989
1994
1998
2002
Chris Jeckells reported the 1976 design as "a black square in plastic" and reckoned it is very rare as the plastic became brittle and broke up easily. If your boat has old sails and only a trace of a sailmakers logo then yours may be of this vintage. The 1994 design was described by Chris as "printed". It would appear that its unique feature was, in fact, that it is not sown but fixed by adhesive. If you can provide a better photograph of this type, let us know via the Feedback Form.