I want to purchase a new Main Sail...

Wobegon · June 11, 2009, 03:08:13 PM

I would like to purchase a new main sail for my 1992 C34 Tall Rig. Does anyone have any reccommendations as to what loft I should purchase from? I use my boat for cruising on Lake Erie only. I want to get a good quality sail for a reasonable price (not too much to ask), but more importantly, I want to be able to get good customer service as well. Thanks for your thoughts.

jmnpe · June 11, 2009, 10:45:59 PM

Wobegon,

I recently replaced my 20 year old roller furled genoa on our boat, and explored many possible vendors. I finally decided to give National Sail Supply a try. [ www.nationalsail.com ] Dirk runs the place and is extremely helpful. Plus, he somewhat specializes in Catalina sails and is very knowledgeable. Dirk makes no claims to be the right vendor for anything that needs sail: his specialty is durable cruising sales at a fair price. Once I inspected and installed my new genoa, my opinion was that the workmanship and materials are every bit as good as sails I have bought from the "big boys" for a lot more money. After sailing with the new genoa just one time, I concluded that Dirk is seriously under-selling the capabilities of his sails: mine set beautifully and perform magnificently.

I have since bought a mainsail for a Catalina 22 that a friend and I own together, and while it is obviously a lighter sail, the workmanship and materials are excellent as well. The set and performance are also exceptional.

I can highly recommend Dirk and National Sail Supply without any reservations or caveats. Give his a call and see what you think.

John
1988 C34 hull 728, standard rig
Otra Vez

BillG · June 12, 2009, 05:59:24 AM

I replaced mine last year and am very happy with it and the service

http://www.kappasails.com/about.htm

steve stoneback · June 12, 2009, 06:34:30 AM

I replaced both the Main and Genoa 2 years ago with Kappa sails. Both the sails and the service have been great.

Steve

Lance Jones · June 12, 2009, 07:21:12 AM

I replaced me main and genoa with Catalina Yachts own sails. Call 'em, you may be surprised!

foursailing · June 12, 2009, 09:01:46 PM

Wobegon - I also replaced my main and genoa from Kappa a little over a year ago. Great quality and sevice - very happy with the sails.

Bill

waterdog · June 12, 2009, 11:41:09 PM

I just bought a new main from Sailrite. Great looking sail. Price is excellent. Service is great. Custom sail to my exact specifications.

Some assembly required.

Bob K · June 13, 2009, 01:33:06 PM

Wobegon ,
Check Mack Sails in Florida. We are very happy with our new main and genoa.

karista · June 13, 2009, 02:44:13 PM

Bought me new 150 Genoa from National Sails, gave Dirk the exact dimensions. The sail quality and fit exceeded my expectations. Price was more than fair.

Analgesic · June 14, 2009, 05:38:11 AM

Last year I looked around a little and wound up with North Sails Direct for a new 130 genoa. I was very pleased and this year added a new Main. The sails are exactly the same as one would get from a regular North loft but you sacrifice the on site service for which you get a deep discount. That said, the main arrived with an attached foot-I remember discussing wanting a loose footed sail but it didn't wind up on the order sheet. Steve at NSD immediately stated they want completely satisfied customers. They picked it up, recut and shipped it back correctly in 10 days at no cost to me so I don't feel like I got second rate service at all. The next week we finished 28th out of 200 in the Figawi race to Nantucket so I'm pretty pleased with the performance as well.

Stu Jackson · June 14, 2009, 10:38:30 AM

I just did a search on the word "sail" and came up with a ton of topics on purchasing new sails.

They run the gamut of making your own to the highest priced known to man.

Each of us has a different threshold of expectations and satisfaction.

With sails, the most important repeated comments are: 1) price and 2) personal service which can only be obtained from a local sail maker.

The two are rarely found together.

Joe and Carol · June 15, 2009, 07:07:22 AM

We have had our Kappa Sails for over three years now. Perfectly happy with them from day one. Personally, I believe Kappa sails perform well in lift and control, design and price.

Jim Hardesty · June 15, 2009, 06:07:24 PM

Try Sobstad in Cleveland 1-800-215-5165 440-331-8200
1200 Smith Ct.
Cleveland, OH 44116

You are close enough to visit the sail loft.

Ken Juul · June 17, 2009, 08:05:02 AM

The last time my wife was visiting our son in Alemeda she ran across Pineapple Sails. I spent a few years in Hawaii during my navy time, so there was much talk of the islands etc. She called me and handed the phone to Kami Richards the owner. He spent the next hour or so just talking sails even though I told him upfront that I wouldn't need new sails for a couple of years.

Maybe some of our SF Bay folks can provide more details, but Kami spent more time on the phone with me than any of the lofts I have actually spent money in.

Jim Price · June 25, 2009, 07:50:01 AM

I am very pleased with Kappa for my main. Love the added roach toward the top! Price was good with all the bells and whistles and service is supurb. I had a reefing accident (my fault) on third use, sent sail back to Kappa and within two weeks it was was repaired and on its way back to me. Repair cost was surprsingly low for what I did (under $150) and most sailors don't even realize the sail was torn unless I point out the new seams.