WHICH GRADE OF SAILS ARE RIGHT FOR YOU?

For technical questions about sails, please email to: info@bwyachts.com

NEW FOR 2015, LOOK FOR THE BWY EXCLUSIVE LABEL ON MANY OF OUR SAIL OFFERINGS!!

These sails are custom built in the United States to our design specifications and are available ONLY at Blue Water Yachts. The BWY staff has over 100 years of combined experience with MacGregor boats, we know what works!

At Blue Water Yachts we offer a wide range of sails from very basic and very low cost sails up to custom high performance cruising and race sales. All of these sails are a good value and we have tried to provide plenty of information to help you decide which sails are right for your sailing style and budget. On the sail pricing pages we have made note of the sails that we feel are a particularly good value, not necessarily just the least expensive, or the very best, but offering an excellent balance of cost and features for each specific boat model.

BWY EXCLUSIVE SAILS: Throughout our sail listings you will find sails listed as BWY Exclusive, these sails are custom built in Seattle to our exacting standards. Design features as well as shape and draft have be optimized to enhance the sailing characteristics of the various MacGregor, Venture, and Tattoo Models. We have chosen to include features that give the greatest possible value at each price point. While this designation does not indicate a specific grade of sail, most of these sails will be found in the Coastal Cruising / Performance Sails, or Custom Sails Grades.

MACGREGOR FACTORY SAILS: These were the sails that came with every new MacGregor and are no longer available as replacement sails. All upwind sails were made with 3.9 OZ Dacron in a cross cut design. Mainsails were built with a single reef point (actually the second reef, there is no first reef) and a bolt rope luff edge without slides. These sails are very lightweight and easy to handle, but do not hold good sail shape nearly as long as most of our replacement sail options. In our opinion these sail were also more "full" cut than they should be for optimum upwind performance on most models, even when new. These sails will last quite a while before they fall apart, but if you sail very much, or frequently in windy conditions, they will be soft and pretty stretched out of shape after just a few years.

STANDARD REPLACEMENT SAILS : For some models we offer very basic sails that are essentially the same cloth and build quality as the original factory sails. Typically headsails are 4.0 OZ Dacron and mainsails are 4.0 or 4.5 OZ some of the mainsails have 1 reef point but some do not have any reef points, although they do have luff slides. These sails offer the least expensive way to replace a very tired or torn old sail. In many cases going to our Upgrade Replacement Sails, or even our Coastal Cruising / Performance Sails is not a lot more money and really a better value if it fits your budget.

UPGRADE REPLACEMENT SAILS: A definite upgrade from your old factory sails or our Economy Replacement Sails, but still very reasonably priced. Made with high quality 5 OZ High Modulus Dacron in a cross cut design. These sails feature all stainless steel corner rings hydraulically pressed into the sail as well as larger corner reinforcements. Upgrade mainsails have at least 1 reef point (the first reef) and luff slides. While slightly heavier and stiffer to handle than the factory sails, these sails will last much longer, perform better through a larger wind range (your boat will go faster and heel less), and hold their shape better in high winds than the factory sails so you won't have to reef as often. Mainsails are available with full battens for some models. Depending on model, roller furling jibs and genoas may be available with or without UV covers.

COASTAL CRUISING / PERFORMANCE SAILS: The next step up from our Upgrade sails, Jibs are made with 5.5 OZ High Modulus Dacron in a cross cut design, most Genoas are 5.0 Oz High Modulus Dacron. Made for more rugged use and longer life than our standard sails, with reinforced corner rings, heavier corner and reef patches, reinforced headboards, and double stitching. Mainsails use 5.0 OZ or 5.5 OZ High Modulus Dacron and have 1 or 2 reef points, luff slides, and on many models a modest powerhead design with 2 full battens at the top. On some models, roller furling Jibs and Genoas are available with White or Black UV sun covers. We feel these are often among the best values we offer.

OFFSHORE SAILS: The ultimate in durability for Dacron sails. Made with premium 6 OZ Dacron in a crosscut design for super durability under extreme conditions. Mainsails have 2 reef points, draft stripes and extra telltales to better visualize sail shape, sail slides, external corner rings with webbing and leather reinforcements, and triple stitching. Genoas feature a foam luff pad for better shape when reefed, external corner rings with webbing and leather reinforcements, extra telltales, and White or Black UV sun covers. These sails are quite heavy and stiff to handle (especially mainsails and non roller furling headsails) and are, quite frankly, overkill for most Mac sailors. If you feel you want this level of strength and durability, you should strongly consider our Custom sails which use laminate cloth that is stronger, lighter, and easier to handle.

CUSTOM SAILS: Our premium sail offering for cruising or racing. These sails use laminate sail cloth with a light taffeta on each side to provide the durability of a very heavy woven Dacron sail, but without the weight and handling difficulty. The laminate cloth used in these sails has the strength of 7.4 OZ woven Dacron but with the weight and handling ease of a 5 or 5.5 OZ sail. Mainsails and Jibs use a Tri-Radial design for maximum performance, smooth shape and a very racy look, Genoas are cross cut design. Mainsails feature 2 reef points, luff slides, premium RBS tapered battens (standard or full battened), draft stripes, cunningham ring, and heavy duty fittings and stitching. Jibs and Genoas are available hank on or roller furling. Can be ordered with White UV suncovers or your choice of Sunbrella Cloth colors, although at this performance level we recommend using a pull up sock type cover that provides both UV protection and damage protection while trailering without the negative effects on sail shape caused by sewn on covers.