I had the sacrificial white UV panels on our 7 year old 150 genoa replaced due to deterioration of the fabric and thread along the luff seam and failure of the webbing which secured the sheet ring to the clew. Upon deploying the sail for the first time yesterday, to my suprise, the new material (blue Sunbrella) had been sewn OVER the old. I expected that the old panels would first have been removed but it didn't occur to me to discuss this with the sailmaker prior to giving him the go-ahead. I'm concerned that the additional weight along the luff and foot will effect sail performance in light air, although I didn't notice any depreciable difference yesterday in 10-15 kt winds. We are primarily cruisers but do race occasionally. What say you?
Sail UV Protection
- Thread starter Dave Winiker
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IMHO
I'd say the sailmaker should have indicated to you that the quote did not include removal of the old material. S/he saved on cost, since the removal is a laborious process with a hand seam ripper. If I were in your shoes, I'd take it back, and say make it right. If you paid by credit card, you may still have time to dispute the charge, to leverage your bargaining position. Good luck.
I'd say the sailmaker should have indicated to you that the quote did not include removal of the old material. S/he saved on cost, since the removal is a laborious process with a hand seam ripper. If I were in your shoes, I'd take it back, and say make it right. If you paid by credit card, you may still have time to dispute the charge, to leverage your bargaining position. Good luck.
IMHO
you get what you pay for. Did you and the sail loft talk about what was to be done? was it spelled out on the work order?Maybe most important did you pay for it to be done or did you price shop the work.As Bill said it is a very labor intense job. It should have been dissuced before the work was done not after.If you paid for it you have a case for bringing it back and being made right,if not you should expect another bill. Check out Abe's thread about washing and waxing his boat. The whole thing could have been avoided if he and his contractor had a exact idea of what they expected of each other,and both were wrong to have thought a price quote from months before was still valid.The theme her is you need to a an educated consumer !
you get what you pay for. Did you and the sail loft talk about what was to be done? was it spelled out on the work order?Maybe most important did you pay for it to be done or did you price shop the work.As Bill said it is a very labor intense job. It should have been dissuced before the work was done not after.If you paid for it you have a case for bringing it back and being made right,if not you should expect another bill. Check out Abe's thread about washing and waxing his boat. The whole thing could have been avoided if he and his contractor had a exact idea of what they expected of each other,and both were wrong to have thought a price quote from months before was still valid.The theme her is you need to a an educated consumer !
ripped off
you've been screwed. the sailmaker saved about an hour worth of labor removing the old cover, and in the process handed you back a sail that won't perform half as well as it did before you took it to the loft. my guess is that he thought you wouldn't know any better since you're not a performance sailor. if it's a reputable loft you were using, there's a chance that the job was handed off to an apprentice (the top sailmakers don't generally waste their time re-covering seven-year-old gennys) and the loft will redo the job rather than have their reputation suffer. if it's a fly-by-nite operation you used to save a few bucks, then you need to re-read Pete's comments about you get what you pay for. Next time, if you want to save a few bucks, remove the old cover yourself and then take the sail to a loft that cares about its work. don't be shy about telling us who did the work for you; they deserve to be boycotted.
you've been screwed. the sailmaker saved about an hour worth of labor removing the old cover, and in the process handed you back a sail that won't perform half as well as it did before you took it to the loft. my guess is that he thought you wouldn't know any better since you're not a performance sailor. if it's a reputable loft you were using, there's a chance that the job was handed off to an apprentice (the top sailmakers don't generally waste their time re-covering seven-year-old gennys) and the loft will redo the job rather than have their reputation suffer. if it's a fly-by-nite operation you used to save a few bucks, then you need to re-read Pete's comments about you get what you pay for. Next time, if you want to save a few bucks, remove the old cover yourself and then take the sail to a loft that cares about its work. don't be shy about telling us who did the work for you; they deserve to be boycotted.
In Defense
Others are correct in making sure you know what you are getting when you request service from anyone. But in defense of the sail loft that did the work, whoever that may be, it is quite possible that the white UV cover that was on your sail originally was a stick-on style, which is virtually impossible to remove after years of being on the sail. If so, then going over it with the new Sunbrella cover was the prudent way to go. The sailmaker may have been doing his best look out for your best interests, by not investing too much more into an old sail. NOT Trying to screw you. Talk to him, ask him why he did what he did, I'm sure if he is reputable, he will provide a satisfactory explanation.
Others are correct in making sure you know what you are getting when you request service from anyone. But in defense of the sail loft that did the work, whoever that may be, it is quite possible that the white UV cover that was on your sail originally was a stick-on style, which is virtually impossible to remove after years of being on the sail. If so, then going over it with the new Sunbrella cover was the prudent way to go. The sailmaker may have been doing his best look out for your best interests, by not investing too much more into an old sail. NOT Trying to screw you. Talk to him, ask him why he did what he did, I'm sure if he is reputable, he will provide a satisfactory explanation.
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