Buying new sails
- Thread starter Salty Jack
- Start date
Don't be afraid to shop the Sail Loft right here at SBO.
Henry:. Thanks so much. I'm on it !!
I've used Precision on 2 boats, very pleased. Shipping can be long so if you are in a hurry maybe not best
www.precisionsailloft.com
I have not used Mack Sails, but that is mostly because I decided to have my sails cleaned and refurbished, they are made in US, and have great reputation and gave me very fair price, not as cheap as precision, but very acceptable for faster turn around and us made.
macksails.com
As I mentioned above, I decided to have my 310 sails cleaned and reconditioned by sail care. My 2004 has had less use and overall my sails were still crisp and had a good shape. I sent my sails in to Sail Care and it was a significant savings. I had an honest look at my actual sailing needs which ment I really just day sail and am on a lake, so this worked for me.
I assume you are looking for c22 sails, all lofts should be able to make nice sails easily, just do not buy a "off the shelf" already made for a c22. You should do measurements on your boat, that a good loft will ask for before making your sails.
Used Sails: Lightly Used And Never Sailed | Precision Sails
Browse through a list of available second-hand and in stock new sailboat sails to buy used headsails, used mainsails, and used spinnakers for your sailboat.
www.precisionsailloft.com
I have not used Mack Sails, but that is mostly because I decided to have my sails cleaned and refurbished, they are made in US, and have great reputation and gave me very fair price, not as cheap as precision, but very acceptable for faster turn around and us made.
Welcome - Mack Sails Custom Sails
macksails.com
As I mentioned above, I decided to have my 310 sails cleaned and reconditioned by sail care. My 2004 has had less use and overall my sails were still crisp and had a good shape. I sent my sails in to Sail Care and it was a significant savings. I had an honest look at my actual sailing needs which ment I really just day sail and am on a lake, so this worked for me.
I assume you are looking for c22 sails, all lofts should be able to make nice sails easily, just do not buy a "off the shelf" already made for a c22. You should do measurements on your boat, that a good loft will ask for before making your sails.
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Best Loft is Waters Sails for a Catalina 22. After that Ullman makes a good cruising sail and if you call the loft directly in San Diego they can usually do better than Catalina Direct for pricing. Otherwise as far as high quality goes North, Quantum, etc. can make them as well. I have a set of precision sails on mine and they are just ok. It took them 3 tries and 2 totally different sail sets to get me a class legal sail with the correct insignia. The quality is ok but even being a radial cut they have not held their shape so well when used for both racing and cruising over the past 4 years or so.
Mack makes a good sail also and its very heavy duty. However they too struggle to make class legal sails for the Catalina 22 and their sails are quite a bit heaver than others leading to more heel.
In the end you want to decide based on the type of sailing you do and how long you plan to sail the boat.
If I were in your shoes I would call Joe Waters. He is by far the most knowledgeable sail maker for a Catalina 22 around.
Mack makes a good sail also and its very heavy duty. However they too struggle to make class legal sails for the Catalina 22 and their sails are quite a bit heaver than others leading to more heel.
In the end you want to decide based on the type of sailing you do and how long you plan to sail the boat.
If I were in your shoes I would call Joe Waters. He is by far the most knowledgeable sail maker for a Catalina 22 around.
If there are any local lofts near your home I'd start there. Maybe quote up a price with the online lofts and print it with you and bring it to the local loft so they know what they are competing against. Not a fan of Precision Sails personally as they built a stack pack for me that was of very poor design. I know some have been happy with their work, but I wasn't. They are local to me as well.
My local UK Sails loft is what gets our business. They've been fantastic to deal with.
My local UK Sails loft is what gets our business. They've been fantastic to deal with.
We've had great success with the Rolly Tasker sails we bought from thesailwarehouse.com eight years ago. We've logged 3,000 miles under those sails and they are still in excellent shape. Zero complaints.
Salty Jack:
I've offered you my opinion on engine (outboard) shaft length in your other thread. I can't recommend sail makers from experience but, I can tell you that I've ordered a new main with two reef points and 75% jib to match the conditions I expect with my new to me 1988 C-22 which will be berthed in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is one of those states where the winds blow often and, they can and do blow hard. Very hard steady, and the gusts pack a huge punch. Just this past weekend there were reports of sailboats capsized and some boats de-masted on Grand Lake, OK. There were no fatalities thank God. The weather was forecast to turn but until it did, it was a beautiful sailing day. It was no surprise to me as the front passed through and social media showed fishermen hunkered down under bridges with 2" sized hail on their boats. What I was doing on this fine sailing day was finishing up my re-rigging project on my new to me 1988 wing keel C-22. While I think that new sails should be on your radar (as they were on mine), unless you have provenance that the boat has new rigging that this be your priority. In my case - and I have no complaints, no issues and absolutely no problems with the PO and, he will be the first person that I invite to go for a sail with me - I ordered new standing rigging and replaced it this weekend while boats were being knocked down approximately 70 miles +/- away from me. What I did find, while doing the refit is that all the stays and shrouds looked great at first glance. The back stay was replaced once previously but looked sound. All other rigging looked in good shape until I went to replace the starboard rear lower shroud. That shroud had two broken wire strands where they passed over the upper thimble and the main halyard was frayed as the thimble was being deformed under the load while sailing. This only became apparent when I removed the shroud. Moral of the story? On older boats like ours, it is imperative to set priorities and rigging in my opinion, is one of those things that isn't readily apparent with a quick inspection or even the recommended "cotton glove" treatment. Unless the PO can state the rigging has just been replaced and you can confirm that, rigging needs to be close to the top of the list when improving your new boat. Sails, engines, leaks, spiderwebs etc. are all important but a sound hull and rigging are the foundation for making sure we are ready to sailing.
Now, to your rudder questions. Keep your rudder as is. It will work for now but plan to replace your rudder with a Rudder Craft Kick-Up Rudder. Last year they had a long wait and if that's the case this year, you might consider discussing with them how long the wait is expected to be this year. In my opinion, Priority One - Hull soundness. Priority Two - Rigging. Priority Three - Toss up - engine, sails or rudder.
I've offered you my opinion on engine (outboard) shaft length in your other thread. I can't recommend sail makers from experience but, I can tell you that I've ordered a new main with two reef points and 75% jib to match the conditions I expect with my new to me 1988 C-22 which will be berthed in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is one of those states where the winds blow often and, they can and do blow hard. Very hard steady, and the gusts pack a huge punch. Just this past weekend there were reports of sailboats capsized and some boats de-masted on Grand Lake, OK. There were no fatalities thank God. The weather was forecast to turn but until it did, it was a beautiful sailing day. It was no surprise to me as the front passed through and social media showed fishermen hunkered down under bridges with 2" sized hail on their boats. What I was doing on this fine sailing day was finishing up my re-rigging project on my new to me 1988 wing keel C-22. While I think that new sails should be on your radar (as they were on mine), unless you have provenance that the boat has new rigging that this be your priority. In my case - and I have no complaints, no issues and absolutely no problems with the PO and, he will be the first person that I invite to go for a sail with me - I ordered new standing rigging and replaced it this weekend while boats were being knocked down approximately 70 miles +/- away from me. What I did find, while doing the refit is that all the stays and shrouds looked great at first glance. The back stay was replaced once previously but looked sound. All other rigging looked in good shape until I went to replace the starboard rear lower shroud. That shroud had two broken wire strands where they passed over the upper thimble and the main halyard was frayed as the thimble was being deformed under the load while sailing. This only became apparent when I removed the shroud. Moral of the story? On older boats like ours, it is imperative to set priorities and rigging in my opinion, is one of those things that isn't readily apparent with a quick inspection or even the recommended "cotton glove" treatment. Unless the PO can state the rigging has just been replaced and you can confirm that, rigging needs to be close to the top of the list when improving your new boat. Sails, engines, leaks, spiderwebs etc. are all important but a sound hull and rigging are the foundation for making sure we are ready to sailing.
Now, to your rudder questions. Keep your rudder as is. It will work for now but plan to replace your rudder with a Rudder Craft Kick-Up Rudder. Last year they had a long wait and if that's the case this year, you might consider discussing with them how long the wait is expected to be this year. In my opinion, Priority One - Hull soundness. Priority Two - Rigging. Priority Three - Toss up - engine, sails or rudder.
Wow what great advice. Would you be willing to email me so I can correspond with a few other questions. Mine is: kayakangler1950@gmail.com. thanks! Jack
I second Rolly Tasker and thesailwarehouse.com. I purchased a new 110 jib from them when I bought my '72 (no jib -- raccoons). I also sent my main to Sail Care over the winter that year and can definitely see the difference in it. I should have had them put sail slugs on it (I think it's original, though it has 2 reef points) but didn't.
If your sails are decent-ish, sending them to Sail Care for refurbishment is cheap and does seem to really help. If they're awful, there's not a lot they can do. But, in my experience they're honest about what they can and cannot fix. I've seen people say bad things about them in forums, but I know several people who've sent their sails in and all of them have nothing but good comments.
If your sails are decent-ish, sending them to Sail Care for refurbishment is cheap and does seem to really help. If they're awful, there's not a lot they can do. But, in my experience they're honest about what they can and cannot fix. I've seen people say bad things about them in forums, but I know several people who've sent their sails in and all of them have nothing but good comments.
Good stuff to keep in mind. Thanks. I once owned a Hunter 23 Wing Keel and it came with original sails in ok shape. I wish I could remember who I sent them to for reconditioning but they came back beautiful. The seller underrated the sails on my new boat.. Turns out I won't need to buy sails this year. All the buying sails recommendations for this post I'm keeping in my C22 notebook. All the best!. Jack