Dacron is the unquestioned choice for longevity; but, take a good hard
look at the new cruising laminates which are dacron sandwiched over
film.

Full or not ..... my present choice is: 2 full at top and two long
battens at bottom. Stable and quiet in higher wind ranges plus less
hassle when reefing.

Furling genoa ....usually ony a 30% reduction in area is possible and
still have good shape. Most racing folks are tending towards less
overlap. If you are a 'precise' sailor, consider a radial cut genoa
that has heavier cloth at the leech and lighter weight cloth at the
luff: when reefed only the heavier cloth is exposed, when not reefed
the lighter wight will help with 'weight aloft' - meaning you can carry
more sail into higher winds.

Brand .... the one that give you the best sail. They all essentially
use the same computer programs to cut/loft the sails. The local
sailmaker will come to your boat, ask how you sail (precisely or dont
give a sh_t), ask the purpose - drive into heavy chop, downwind %,
triple stitched and reinforced for blue water or simple construction
for marina to marina daytime only passages on the coast/bay, etc. etc.
.... in other words will build a sail EXACTLY to match YOUR sailing
preferences and abilities,etc.; and match to the exact tuning of your
rig - normal forestay sag, etc. etc. ... and, then make corrections
when it doesnt work out well. You usuallly get what you pay for.

If you can define better the *purpose* of the sails then I can expand
on what to consider Blue Water passagemaking, marina hopping,
cocktailhour at the dock, etc. etc. How precisely you can presentlly
shape/set a sail, the 'normal' conditions of wave height, etc. etc.
etc. etc.
If you just want a triangular piece of cloth for your Winnebago with
sails, a 'stock' off the shelf sail made an unemplolyable sheep farmer
in Lower Elbonia will be the cheapest.


In article , Daniel
wrote:

I need to replace the sails of my 1978 Swan 411. Dacron is a must but I
still have few doubts:
1) main: full batten or not?
2) which size of furling genoa, 145% or 150% or other?
3) which brand?

Advices are appreciated.

Daniel