New Sails . . . if You Have to Ask, You Can't Afford it !

[Alm0d0g]

Learning my first boat, a 40ft wooden boat, sloop rigged. Both my 150 and 120 jib are shot. The previous owner obviously never read about UV protection...

At any rate, I am here in the PAC NW and went to my local shop yesterday and fielded a quote for about $3400....

Are there any other options? I have poked around for a used sail with very little luck given the size of the sail (also a roller furling ready). It is a cruising boat and I am looking for a durable sale to last about 5-10 yrs.

I don't begrudge the sail maker one bit, this was a mid level Dacron nothing special. It appeared a decent value for a newly commissioned sail. Although one thing that grated on me a little is that he kept calling it a "custom" sail when in reality it is a made to order standard size. It was not a replica of my original sail, but a standard size he makes upon ordering.

[sarafina]

Blue Pelican in Alameda is having a sail sale in the next few weeks I think... Call up Tom and see if he has anything in his inventory. He's a straight up/shooter kinda guy.

Blue Pelican Marine Nautical Consignments - Home

[witzgall]

check these out:

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Chris

[Bash]

Even with custom sails, it's amazing how much difference you'll get in quotes between lofts. On my last jib I got a quote from three local lofts, North, Hood and Pineapple, and there was more than $1,000 difference between the high and the low quote despite having given them all identical specs.

If you're serious about saving money, a far better alternative than going with the discount houses for pre-made sails is to wait until the dead of winter, when even the best lofts will be offering significant discounts in a desperate attempt to keep their staffs busy.

You'll never get a great deal buying sails in July.

[Vyndance]

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[silversailor]

I just bought a new sail from Somerset Sails. Contact martin@somersetsails.com. Tell him Silversailor sent you. Best pricing and product that I'm aware of.

[Sam Plan B]

Try BaconSails.com They are located in Annapolis and deal in second hand sails. There is a large racing community in Annapolis, no surprise there. They use sails for a couple of seasons and then have new ones made. Steve Reeves owns the store and he is 100% dependable. I have known him for 35 years.

[tropicalescape]

go on line and type used sails there is this guy in FLA. Ibelive and he has lots of used sails none over 400.00 I think, his ad states that he sold a couple a sail that came off of Walt Disneys sons boat (a kevlar sail I think)or maybe Walt Disney himself cant remember..he states that the couple were amazed that they could get a sail of this particular type for 400.00 something like that ..he also buys used sails....good luck DVC

[Amgine]

The price you quoted sounds quite reasonable for a new mainsail for a 40' boat; I can give you a name or two in the PacNW who would be likely to come in about twice that for a cruiser's main.

Keep in mind your sails are your main propulsion; you wouldn't repower your car with the cheapest possible quote. The single best purchase I made for my boat was a new suit of sails; the entire character of the boat changed with efficient sails. It meant a summer with few marinas or restaurants, nights at anchor or heading back to the home dock, but it is worth it.

[Butler]

I got quotes from three major producers all within the same mid 3thousands so your quotes are not out of line in my experience. I went with Hood who I had used before and who offered a more simply made sail using lighter-more durable cloth (vectran) at the same price as two others offering standard dacron with a lot of offshore bells and whistles. I don't think my service with Hood was that great either time I used them but the sails were cut properly and well made. I do believe that lighter is better if one can get good durability/less stretch out of it so that's where I went.

Having said that I wanted us to make our own but got vetoed by the person who was paying... silly I thought since she was good with a sewing machine and we have a beautiful machine that would have managed the job handily and I still think that would have been the best way to go. Even if we had done a kit it would have cut the cost in half including renting a loft space if we had to. I understand that such a solution isn't for everybody though.

The less expensive alternative was buying from overseas or buying used... would not do the former and really put some effort into the used possibility but wasn't happy with anything I found.

[savoir]

You want a sail for a 40 footer that will last for 5 - 10 years but won't pay $3,400 ?

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Alm0d0g

Both my 150 and 120 jib are shot.
my local shop yesterday and fielded a quote for about $3400....

You don't mention which sail you got quoted on, or if it was both sails.

2 genoas 150% and 120% for $3,400 is a bargain at a local shop and you should jump on it before the dude changes his mind.

If its just for one sail then its expensive for a standard ordinary sail.
You can do better buying from Asia (like Rolly Tasker in Thailand) however you can't take the sail back for adjustments so you need to factor that risk cost in.
I think you would find the sails coming in about about $1,500 each on average (considering the size is different)

[Alm0d0g]

Originally Posted by savoir

You want a sail for a 40 footer that will last for 5 - 10 years but won't pay $3,400 ?

I never said I wouldn't. I simply asked if there were other options. By the looks of it, it would appear that is about market price.

[Alm0d0g]

Originally Posted by sarafina

Blue Pelican in Alameda is having a sail sale in the next few weeks I think... Call up Tom and see if he has anything in his inventory. He's a straight up/shooter kinda guy.

Blue Pelican Marine Nautical Consignments - Home

Thanks for the tip.

[toddsgirl0323]

Wow, I feel your pain. We lost our mast AND sails this february, in the bottom of the georgia straight. Yup, they're still there. the boat was a 76, and I know it will cost more to fix her than was PAID for her. We are getting a new boat next year, c'est la vie. talk about price gouging...more to fix than it cost!

Ah, adventures at sea!

Good luck