Trimming your Ullman Genoa can be made easier by using the following rules of thumb as a guide or starting point.


WIND RANGES

Be sure to follow the recommended wind range for your genoa. Using the sail in too strong a wind will not only slow the boat, but could also damage or stretch it. If you are unsure what the wind range is for a particular sail, contact your Ullman loft.


SHEET TENSION

The most important variable is sheet tension. You should develop a relationship between spreader tip and the sail. Choppier water and/or lighter air needs more leech twist, so the sheet should be eased slightly. In flatter water, less twist will help pointing ability provided the boat has enough power. A careful eye on the knotmeter or other boats around you will help you determine how tight to sheet. You may also put a telltale on the upper leech to check for stalling. If it doesn't flow; ease the sheet. After tacking, the sheet should be trimmed short of full tension until the boat is up to full speed. In puffy wind, a trimmer should stand by the sheet to adjust it as the wind changes. Also, some communication between the helmsman and the trimmer will help them get the most out of the boat.


GENOA LEAD

The genoa lead controls fullness in the bottom third of the sail. It can be thought of as an outhaul for the genoa. The more power needed for choppy water or lighter air, the further forward the lead should be. To set the furthest forward lead, head the boat up and watch to see where the luff backwinds first. It should backwind evenly. The foot should be full and lay almost on the lifeline. This is your powered up setting. As the wind increases, the lead should be moved aft to flatten the foot and depower the top of the sail by allowing it to backwind first. The fore and aft movement can be as much as a foot on a #1 genoa.

At the top of its range, the genoa should be trimmed with the foot flat against the shrouds. In choppier water, the lead should be further forward for a given wind strength.

In and out placement of the lead is adjusted less often. Track placement determines the innermost lead. Most modern racing boats sheet the #1 genoas at 10 degrees off center in light-moderate air. To extend the upper range of your heavy #1, you can sheet further outboard by using a short sheet run to a second track or the toe rail. #2 genoas are limited by the shrouds and their shorter LP to about 13 degrees off center. But, a #3 genoa that can trim in front of the spreaders can be led as close as 9 degrees in flat water to allow very high pointing. Fore and aft lead movement is more critical and the range is much smaller - 3 to 4 inches.

Anytime you are reaching, the lead should go outboard. When the apparent wind moves aft of about 35 degrees, the lead should go to the rail and further forward. Again, the rule of thumb is to keep the luff backwinding evenly. To set the furthest forward lead, head the boat up and watch to see where the luff backwinds first. It should backwind evenly. The foot should be full and lay almost on the lifeline. This is your powered up setting. As the wind increases, the lead should be moved aft to flatten the foot and depower the top of the sail by allowing it to backwind first. The fore and aft movement can be as much as a foot on a #1 genoa.

At the top of its range, the genoa should be trimmed with the foot flat against the shrouds. In choppier water, the lead should be further forward for a given wind strength.

In and out placement of the lead is adjusted less often. Track placement determines the innermost lead. Most modern racing boats sheet the #1 genoas at 10 degrees off center in light-moderate air. To extend the upper range of your heavy #1, you can sheet further outboard by using a short sheet run to a second track or the toe rail. #2 genoas are limited by the shrouds and their shorter LP to about 13 degrees off center. But a #3 genoa that can trim in front of the spreaders can be led as close as 9 degrees in flat water to allow very high pointing. Fore and aft lead movement is more critical and the range is much smaller - 3 to 4 inches.

Anytime you are reaching, the lead should go outboard. When the apparent wind moves aft of about 35 degrees, the lead should go to the rail and further forward. Again, the rule of thumb is to keep the luff backwinding evenly.


HEADSTAY SAG

While the lead controls the fullness in the bottom of genoa, headstay sag controls fullness in the middle and top. More sag adds fullness, moves the draft forward slightly, and makes the entry rounder. Whenever your boat needs more power, some headstay sag can be beneficial. This occurs typically with the light #1 up. But if you get caught with a sail in wind below its range, sag will help power it up. Be careful not to use so much sag that the headstay bounces in choppy water.

As the wind increases, nearing the upper range of your genoa, you should remove as much sag as possible to flatten the sail. How you do this depends on your type of rig. If you have a masthead rig, backstay tension controls sag. But remember that overbending the mast can contribute to sag. This may happen if you have a flexible mast and don't use enough running backstay. In general, the backstay should be well eased in light air (as low as 500 lbs.) and tensioned as wind increases. The maximum backstay tension varies from boat to boat. On a typical 40 footer, it can be as high as 5000 lbs. A 30 footer would use about 3000 lbs.

On a fractional rig, running backstay controls sag and this adjustment becomes critical, especially in puffy wind. Small changes in runner tension greatly affect headstay sag, so you should have a Crewmember assigned to this job. As wind drops, the runner should be eased and then taken up as wind increases.


HALYARD TENSION

Halyard tension controls fore and aft position of the maximum fullness or draft, The draft should be about 40% aft of the luff. In underpowered conditions (usually with the light or all-purpose #1), a good rule of thumb is to leave some small horizontal wrinkles at the luff.

As the boat gets powered up (10-12 mph apparent wind) you should barely remove the wrinkles. In stronger breeze with the heavy #1,#2, or #3, key on the draft position. More halyard tension holds the draft forward and makes the head slightly fuller. Choppy water requires the draft to be further forward and the entry rounder. This makes the boat easier to steer. In flatter water, the entry can be finer and the draft allowed to slide aft to improve pointing. Always be careful of using too much halyard, especially in puffy wind. Too much luff tension is slower in light air than vice versa.

Because sails made with laminates (mylar /kevlar/technora, etc.) shrink approximately 1% during the first racing season, Ullman Sails builds the genoa Is with extra luff length and adds a Cunningham ring. The sail can be shortened by tying the Cunningham to the tack ring or by installing running rigging to adjust luff tension underway.


If you have any questions about your Ullman genoa that are not answered here, please call your Ullman Sails loft.

Proper sail care and maintenance can increase the life of your new Ullman Sails. Whether you race or cruise, proper storage and cleaning can mean the difference in speed as well as longevity. Over the last few years, sailcloth has become increasingly firm. The finish on cruising fabric today is what racing sailcloth was only 10 Years ago. The finish or resin is subject to faster breakdown. It is important to keep the luffing of sails to a minimum, as this is an easy way to break the resin down.

For the racer or race/cruiser with dacron or laminated (mylar, kevlar, etc.) sails, it is important to keep the fabric as wrinkle free as possible. It is the surest way to keep and maintain the racing edge. The best way to roll a sail is to start at the head of the sail and roll to the foot. When folding becomes necessary because of size and/or space, hold the clew and tack and fold accordion style towards the head. If your mainsail is stored on your boom, you may either roll it or flake it over the boom before putting on the sail cover.

Always store sails dry. Nylon and dacron are susceptible to mildew when stored wet. Also, heavily resinated sailcloth may soften up over a period of time when wet or damp, Nylon sail fabric can bleed when stored wet, so be careful to dry whenever possible. Dry your sails by lying them on a grassy area or hanging them up, if the wind is very light. Do not hang your sails in a breeze. Cruising sails, typically much softer than their racing counterparts, may be stuffed for weeks at a time without harm. In general, fold cruising sails whenever possible and store dry.

NOTE: All sailcloth should be frequently washed with fresh water and stored as salt free as possible.

Ultra-violet radiation can, over a short period of time, destroy both nylon and dacron. The use of cover materials for mainsails and roller furling sails is a sure way to prolong the life of your sails. It is important, especially on mylar and mylar/kevlar genoas, to have spreader patches to protect the sail from chafe. We make every effort to apply them before the sail is built. But many times we don't have the proper location, In most cases, we try to come to your boat and mark and apply the patches.

If we are unable to come because of distance or time constraints, we ask you to mark the patch position(s) and send the sail to us. We will apply the patches and return the sail. The best way to mark the position(s) is to hoist the sail at the dock on a light wind day and either 1) send a crew member up on a bosuns chair with a marker or 2)carefully note the locations relative to the seams.

It is also important to properly cover the spreader tips with either rigging tape or teflon tape. Go over the lifelines, stanchions and mast fittings such as spinnaker pole track and rings to make sure there are no sharp edges to cut the genoa.


CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR SAILS

DIRT OR CAKED SALT - Use a soft bristled brush and liquid detergent. Avoid hard powder detergents and stiff brushes as they may damage the finish and stitching.

OIL, GREASE, TAR AND WAX - Use warm water, soap and elbow grease. Hard stains can be removed with household bleach or common stain remover. Be careful to thoroughly remove all cleaning solvents or they will damage the finish.

BLOOD - Soak the stained portion for 10-20 minutes in a solution of 10 parts water to 1 part bleach. Scrub and repeat if necessary. Rinse thoroughly.

RUST AND METALLIC STAINS - Scrub with soap and water, apply acetone, M.E.K. or alcohol. Rinse thoroughly and dry.

MILDEW - Hot soapy water is usually all that is needed. If necessary, use the diluted bleach approach. If a residual chlorine smell is still present after rinsing, a 1% solution of sodium thiosulphate will remove all chlorine traces.

PAINT AND VARNISH - Acetone and M.E.K. should remove most common paint stains. Varnish can easily be removed with alcohol.

Use all solvents with care. Always rinse and dry thoroughly. Solvents and bleaches can damage nylon and dacron if not removed properly. Mylar and kevlar sails can generally be taken care of in the same manner as their dacron counterparts. Avoid solvents whenever possible as they can break down the adhesives used to laminate the nylon to the substrate.