Here's "The Deal" when anyone asks the basic question of "Where should I get my sails from?":
1. Website lofts are usually, but not always, less expensive.
2. Local lofts are usually, but not always, more expensive, but for a good reason: the sail maker can come to your boat and measure and be there, literally, for you if you have questions or need adjustments (which NO online source is going to do for you).
3. It's ONLY LUCK when folks respond with good sail loft experiences, since not everyone reads this forum every day. So the recommendation for XYZ sails from one respondent might be available one day, but if you asked this same question last week or next week on this or any other boating forum, a different skipper would answer with a different loft with which he just had a good experience. That's simple reality. You could do a search on this forum for "new sails" and find hundreds of posts. Really. Give it a try and see.
4. Catalina Yachts has their own in-house sail maker, I believe it is Ullman, they do very good work, too, and know Catalinas.
Good luck. On this one, as far as a price YOU are willing to live with, you have to do your own homework, since there are dozens of different sail makers out there. Google searches are your friend.
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New Sails
I wish you luck on your quest. Every time someone asks about "What new sails should I get?" on this and every other
boating forum known to man, pretty much the same responses occur:
1. folks will tell you their success with the sails they bought - which may or may not apply to you. I have experienced the same when asking my friends verbally. Same boat, two different friends with new mainsails, both used the same vendor, one hated it, one was very happy. Go figure.
2. It's a subjective issue, like anchors &
guns: there is no right answer.
3. There are all sorts of opportunities, and
Google is your friend.
Google used sails, you'll find places like
Sail Warehouse Store and others, but you get the idea).
4. As one regular respondent wrote here sometime ago, there's no substitute for you to do your own homework and
research, since, like I said in #2: Your boat, your choice. Too many variables.
5. Are you aware of the C30 association website and the C30 Yahoo group? They may help you get more specific to your boat.
6. Finally, with ALL sails: you can pay less for a mail-in loft or you can pay more for a local loft with someone who will come to your boat and measure it, and make adjustments if necessary after the
sale. If you think your "stock" boat can use stock sails, then do so, and consider the Ullman loft by
Catalina Yachts, they've been making good C30 sails for many many years.
Good luck.
PS
sorry for the references to Catalinas, but I've written this so often, I simply kept it and paste it in whenever this recurring questions pops up.
