In Need Of A New Main Sail

[Francis]

Hi Everyone,

My mainsail having turned into a ugly bag, I'm looking for a good reliable sail maker, preferably in Asia but anywhere would be OK too as cost is, naturally, one of the consideration. I'm looking for a cruising main sail for my Vagabond 47 and durability is the main concern. So if anyone has had good or bad experience I'll be happy to hear. The main was made by Lee Sail and I should say it was very well made, It came with the boat when I bought her 5 years ago so I am not sure how old it is, probably more than 10 years; the stitching remain in excellent condition.

Any tips are welcome.

[MMNETSEA]

Hello Francis,

Some time since we last heard from you.

A couple of Sail Makers in Singapore - however nothing positive to commend

Hong Heng in Ubi Ave 2.

& Evolution Sails - somewhere

In terms of proximity the nearest and easiest to get to :-

Quantum Sails in Melaka - a short bus trip from Singapore

Next Nearest Rolly Tasker in Phuket - expensive.

Hyde sails in Mactan Island off Cebu in the Philippines - not bad

Far East East Sails - Hong Kong; again nothing positive to commend

Neil Pryde - Hong Kong - expensive

and

Still the best, Lee Sails in Hong Kong in terms of getting it right at a reasonable price delivered to a yacht in transit.

Francis if you need further info give us a shout.

[JeanneP]

We had good experience with Rolly Tasker. Expensive, though. A cruising companion, a sailmaker herself in her previous life, spoke very highly of the quality of their new Rolly Tasker sail.

Have only heard one negative report about Lee Sails, and that from a Frenchman ( ).

No other info, rumors, scuttlebut to report.

J

[delatbabel]

Further south, in Yamba NSW Australia there is Scooter Sails. I had my mainsail made by them after the one I bought with the boat blew out and I can't recommend them highly enough. Reasonable price too for a large fully battened cruising sail, and the guy pulled out all stops, including travelling 3 hours up the coast to where the boat was on 2 occasions, to ensure that it fitted and was all ready in time.

[sailmaker]

Originally Posted by Francis

Hi Everyone,

My mainsail having turned into a ugly bag, I'm looking for a good reliable sail maker, preferably in Asia but anywhere would be OK too as cost is, naturally, one of the consideration. I'm looking for a cruising main sail for my Vagabond 47 and durability is the main concern. So if anyone has had good or bad experience I'll be happy to hear. The main was made by Lee Sail and I should say it was very well made, It came with the boat when I bought her 5 years ago so I am not sure how old it is, probably more than 10 years; the stitching remain in excellent condition.

Any tips are welcome.

Hi francis, Where is the boat based at the moment? I would tip Evolution sails as an affordable quality option.There is numerous lofts in Australia one in asia,Singapore.

[Gallivanters]

I believe every sailor owes it to themselves to first check and see what Bacon and Associates may have to offer. We've saved a BUNDLE of money with the sails I've bought thru them. My only affiliation with them is a deep appreciation for all the money they've saved me over the years. I've never been disappointed with any sail they've delivered... at a fraction of the cost of having new sails made. They're on the web and ship worldwide.

To Life!

Kirk

[Francis]

Originally Posted by MMNETSEA

Hello Francis,

Some time since we last heard from you.

A couple of Sail Makers in Singapore - however nothing positive to commend

Hong Heng in Ubi Ave 2.

& Evolution Sails - somewhere

In terms of proximity the nearest and easiest to get to :-

Quantum Sails in Melaka - a short bus trip from Singapore

Next Nearest Rolly Tasker in Phuket - expensive.

Hyde sails in Mactan Island off Cebu in the Philippines - not bad

Far East East Sails - Hong Kong; again nothing positive to commend

Neil Pryde - Hong Kong - expensive

and

Still the best, Lee Sails in Hong Kong in terms of getting it right at a reasonable price delivered to a yacht in transit.

Francis if you need further info give us a shout.

Indeed I have been quiet for a while, I was distracted by a number of things, some better than others, so is life.

Thanks for the inputs.

Heng Hong is a very nice man, he made lazy bags for both main and mizzen, a cover for the boomed staysail and cover for the cockpit cushions. All were well made except he did not used UV resistant webbing straps which desintegrated in no time. I didn't know he was making sails but since he is clearly not a sailor I am not sure I'd like to be a guinea pig.

I am inclined to think that evolution and Quantum are into racing sails, so cruising may not be their field.

We are are thinking the same about Lee Sail, proven track record and reasonably priced.

Thanks again.

[Francis]

Originally Posted by JeanneP

We had good experience with Rolly Tasker. Expensive, though. A cruising companion, a sailmaker herself in her previous life, spoke very highly of the quality of their new Rolly Tasker sail.

Have only heard one negative report about Lee Sails, and that from a Frenchman ( ).

No other info, rumors, scuttlebut to report.

J

My dealings with Rolly Tasker, back in 2005, were not so good. When it came to re-cutting sails following modifications, he was only interested in selling new sails. A few friends of mine were quite disappointed with their new sails, did they give the right dimensions and instructions? I wouldn't know so it might be 2 sides to the coin.

PS: never trust a Frenchman on a boat, thinking about it, forget the boat....

[redbopeep]

The cheapest sail is not always the best sail for one's purpose. I know we're all counting our pennies and if one doesn't have money for a top-notch cruising sail, that's life, and we have to figure out the next best thing.

Top notch:

I've sat through a couple lectures given on sailmaking via Port Townsend Sails owned by Carol Hasse. Carol is knowledgeable and really cares about the cruisers that her loft builds sails for. I've seen her sails. They're awesome. Last fall when boats were coming down the coast from Washington state to be part of the Baja Haha before jumping off into long term cruising, I saw numerous suites of sails by Port Townsend Sails. These are among the best of cruising sails that you can buy. And, they will last and last and last. Here's a link to a positive article about Ms. Hasse and her work ethic and sail loft.

Other resources--

there are many great sailmakers around the world. The only ones that I have personal experience with are in Southern California. One fellow that you might find gives you a great deal is Bob Kettenhofen in Newport Beach, California. We purchased a 12 oz dacron used sail (made by Watts) recently and had Bob shorten the foot (by removing the tabling along the luff and rebuilding the tack) which he did very nicely and at a very good price. Because my machine would have not been able to do this work, I was so happy to find Bob (through a cruisers' recommendation) who could do it for me. You can reach Bob via his phone 562-972-5616. Sorry I don't have an email for him.

Believe it or not, the "kit" sail people at Sailrite do a great job of designing and building sails for their customers. You can have them design and cut the material for you for a reasonable price or you can have them do some of the sewing leaving other tasks for you. We have a gaff rigged foresail and figure we'll be working with either Hasse or Sailrite when the time comes for a new sail because both have tons of experience with such sails. The Sailrite folks are honest and really want your sail to be right for your boat. Cost-wise, when I was getting quotes on a new mainsail recently (which we didn't end up purchasing because we found a wonderful used sail that only needed a quick adjustment as mentioned above) I found a Sailrite sail completely built by Sailrite with no work from me to be "in the ballpark" of Rolly Tasker. If I had them cut the sail and I did ALL the work, it would have been about 1/2 the price of a Rolly Tasker sail. We also discussed other "in between" options. It is well worth it to contact Sailrite.

All the other really good sailmakers that I can think of would have pricing close to that of Hasse and I'd prefer the quality of a Hasse sail if it were me.

One other thought-- you say your sail is getting baggy. You don't mention UV related problems with stitching and so forth. If the materials condition of the sail is OK, you might consider having the sail broad seamed to tighten up the leech and move the camber back forward where it belongs.

Good luck,

[BJSmith]

Just had a new 150% genoa and a mainsail fabricated by Lee Sails. The price was very reasonable and the workmanship. fit, and shape was what I wanted. I did email photos of all sail parts and the details were copied to the new sails. Shipping was via Fedex. The old sails were given to the Carolinian navigators on Satawal for their sailing canoes.

[sailmaker]

In addition to that previous comment about evolution and Quantum only specialalizing in racing sails I can say I have 1st hand knowledge from working for Evolution Aus for sometime now and can honestly say given the years of experience of the owners that cruising sails are is something that they have mastered the art of over the years and are built strongly and built to last.Much pride is taken in all sails built that are bagged in these lofts. Please give them a shot you will be surprised.