Sails: sailcare.com or not?

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mdbrown
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Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by mdbrown »

When I bought my 26S I was told that the sails were like new. Being a new sailor, I didn't know the difference. An experienced sailing friend went out with me and said while they weren't original he certainly wouldn't call them new. After more research it looks like the sails are at least 5 years old, have been kept rigged on the boat continuously, but sailed sporadically. There weren't any battens in them when I got them. I fixed that with some good quality tapered battens at the top and non-tapered at the bottom. The main is much better now but not as good as other sails I've seen. I was out on a Thistle last week and those were new sails - clean, crisp - almost stood up by themselves. I'm not planning on being a racer, although I do like to chase other sailboats around the lake.

I checked out sailcare.com and sent them a request to check on prices and turn-around on getting my main and genoa refurbished. The total price comes out to be about $350. If I compare that to the price of a new main at around $600 on the low end, I'm wondering if I should put the money for refurbishment into a jar and wait two years and buy a new main.

I talked with another experienced local sailor and he said to just save my money. His point was that if the sails work for what I'm doing now then don't spend the money.

What do you think? How do you make the decision as to when to buy new or to even try refurbishment?
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Signaleer
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by Signaleer »

Stiffer is always better... so I'm told...

Ok, now that that is out of the way. Its a little hard to answer because this is so personal. I've no experience with reconditioned sails. However, the question at hand is (I think) "Does the sail hold its shape?" A 'blown out' main will have a draft that is unpredictable and moves when under pressure from the wind. The dacron will have become 'flexible' in that it stretches under pressure (I think) and therefore you cannot get a predictable angle of attack or sail shape.

If your sail will not hold its shape under pressure, I'd probably get a new one.

But again, have no idea how a 'reconditioned' sail works. Are they going to cut the leech and attach a new clew point? or recut it to make it a little smaller? What is their process I wonder?

Ed.
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kmclemore
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by kmclemore »

I can only tell of my experience with Sailcare when they reconditioned the sails for my Boston Whaler 4.6 Harpoon. They did an excellent job and they were virtually like new when I got them back - lots of 'pop', crispness and they repaired all the holes, loose threads and even gave them new logos. THis was over 15 years ago and they're still in great shape.

They will give you a full evaluation of your sails before they do anything, so if yours are truly 'shot', they'll tell you and won't do any work on them.

Personally, as long as your sails are in reasonable shape, I'd pack them off to Sailcare and save yourself about 3 boat-bucks for other stuff.
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by Catigale »

$350 is a long way towards a new main from JudyB... :D
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by paul I »

I have used sail care in the past. They do a great job reconditioning sails. They will inspect, make any needed repairs, and nicely clean the sails to get them in really nice shape. They will even do some custom work like adding UV covers and such, on request. They have some patented system for reconditioning which does seem to improve stiffness and sail shape.

All that being said, I cant really say that your reconditioned sails will be what you are looking for with regard to crispness when they are returned to you. I would tend to think that a good portion of sail crispness is inherent to the material the sail is made from. Any reconditioning can only get them a bit closer to new. But "new" might not truly be what you are after. You may really want "different". Unlike kmclemore, I cant say that the reconditioning process was long lasting. Although all the repairs and custom work has held up nicely over time, I really cant say they feel the same as when I first got them back from Sail Care.

I'm also not sure what they can do for you in regard to blown out sails. They probably can recut them if needed, but I'm not so sure that is something they actually inspect for unless you ask them. And if they have to do all that, you may be very close to the cost of purchasing new anyway.

Maybe Judy B. can tell us more.
mdbrown
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by mdbrown »

Thanks for the responses. I looked through my phone and I don't have any good pictures that show the sails in trim that I'd be happy sharing. :)

I'll get some pics and post them and see what everyone thinks. I agree that $350 is a good way towards a new sail.
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kmclemore
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by kmclemore »

Catigale wrote:$350 is a long way towards a new main from JudyB... :D
Not knocking JudyB - she makes great stuff and her prices are reasonable - but notice that the $350 he talks about is for refurbishing BOTH the main and genny... it's $600 (at the low end, as noted) to get *just* the main.... you've still gotta do something about the genny.
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Judy B
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by Judy B »

paul I wrote:I have used sail care in the past. They do a great job reconditioning sails. They will inspect, make any needed repairs, and nicely clean the sails to get them in really nice shape. They will even do some custom work like adding UV covers and such, on request. They have some patented system for reconditioning which does seem to improve stiffness and sail shape.

All that being said, I cant really say that your reconditioned sails will be what you are looking for with regard to crispness when they are returned to you. I would tend to think that a good portion of sail crispness is inherent to the material the sail is made from. Any reconditioning can only get them a bit closer to new. But "new" might not truly be what you are after. You may really want "different". Unlike kmclemore, I cant say that the reconditioning process was long lasting. Although all the repairs and custom work has held up nicely over time, I really cant say they feel the same as when I first got them back from Sail Care.

I'm also not sure what they can do for you in regard to blown out sails. They probably can recut them if needed, but I'm not so sure that is something they actually inspect for unless you ask them. And if they have to do all that, you may be very close to the cost of purchasing new anyway.

Maybe Judy B. can tell us more.
If the sails were stretched out before they were recoated with resin, they will be stretched out after they are re-coated with resin.
If you recondition dirty, soft and baggy sails, they will be cleaner, stiffer, heavier, and just-as-baggy after they are re-coated with resin.
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kmclemore
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by kmclemore »

Judy B wrote:If the sails were stretched out before they were recoated with resin, they will be stretched out after they are re-coated with resin.
If you recondition dirty, soft and baggy sails, they will be cleaner, stiffer, heavier, and just-as-baggy after they are re-coated with resin.
Absolutely agree, Judy. That's why I suggested having Sailcare look at them and see if they're worth fixing - they may not be bagged out and just needing freshening. The OP says that the boat was only sailed sporadically, so maybe they're still good?
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grady
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by grady »

I have just perfected my magic Sail shrink and renew dust. Only $99 an ounce. Free dilevery by Peter Pan.

PM me with you CC number and billing address.
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by Catigale »

Harpoons come with pretty good sails ( North?) I think,,,in contrast to the damp washcloth Dakrone that Roger managed to collect from Doyle's dumpsters at night.

Wait, that's a little harsh. After all, they still sail better than I can sail them
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grady
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by grady »

Catigale wrote:Harpoons come with pretty good sails ( North?) I think,,,in contrast to the damp washcloth Dakrone that Roger managed to collect from Doyle's dumpsters at night.

Wait, that's a little harsh. After all, they still sail better than I can sail them
Only a little. its not the sail manufacturer it the specifications the customer wanted. They definitely were trying to improve profit by reducing quality.
mdbrown
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Re: Sails: sailcare.com or not?

Post by mdbrown »

It's pretty hard to get a good picture while your sailing single handed.

EDIT: Fixed the link to the photo. What do you think about the condition of this main?

Image
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