Van: HD Sails
Verzonden: donderdag 27 september 2018 16:11
Aan: mark@teamwildenberg.nl
Onderwerp: Re: Dutch Soloclass – Article on the HD Max Gold sail

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the email and your efforts writing a detailed article about how you progressed with our HD Solo sail.

I’m not sure what you mean when you say our sail is not standard. I’m not sure what a standard solo sail is.

When we first set out to design our Maxx Solo Sail we wanted something that could produce more power off wind, as we felt this was an area where the most gains could be made. The set up of the Solo rig means that downwind it is hard to keep the mast straight and generate power. When applying kicker off wind we see too much sideways mast bend at around half height which then depowers the sail. It is always a difficult compromise with all single handers to create a sail that will get you up and downwind quickly and perform well across the wind range.
With the Maxx sail we believe we have found a sail that works in a wider range of conditions compared to other designs.

The Maxx sail has more shape in the seams than our radial sail, it has been built with very straight exits in the seams so that it can be sheeted hard in light airs. This also helps to flatten the entry (which helps with pointing). It does require putting the traveller down further to keep the leech open and develop more power. The extra shape in the seams means that the sail can develop more power downwind.

The Maxx Finn laminate that we use and the cross-cut panel layout create a sail with more range and control, which has allowed us to create a more powerful sail for downwind that can be flattened and adjusted easily upwind.
The Maxx laminate provides a very stable leech much like a radial sail however there is less yarn in the kicker load direction which helps the sail flatten quickly when needed, it also has yarn to give greater support for the cunningham loads.

As you have found out in the medium airs the sail produces good power and pointing upwind. The traveller is sailed 50mm off the centre line to put the boom just inside the back corner, very little kicker is used to keep the mast straight and generate maximum power.

With the heavier airs the sail can be setup with more twist (this gives a much more forgiving steering groove), the traveller needs to be centred and the kicker/Cunningham to be adjusted so that boat feels balanced and tracks in a straight line with a little amount of wether helm. If the sail is setup correctly the boom should just sit on the back corner and a small amount of mainsheet used to trim and keep the boat flat.

With regard to our tuning guide it is a basic brief setup guide to get started. All sailors sail slightly different and each boat/mast can be slightly different which means the sailor will need to refine their setup. We do offer help and advice as much as we can for the customer and it’s usually just a case of picking up the telephone or a quick email.

Thanks again for choosing HD Sails;
All the best
Andy & Jim