I'm not a flak for Sailcare, but I am a happy and continuing customer. They are once again offering a 15% discount on sails received between Oct 1st and Dec 15th, which, in my case, involved the postage being almost free for me last year. And, they do a nice job on your sails. If you are going to have your sails cleaned or repaired, give this offer some thought and save a few bucks.
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A happy customer
My jib, genoa and main were getting very old. Dirty, creased, and - in one case - with cigarette burns from a previous owner. (Who told me his son would have romantic trysts in the cabin where the sails were stored.) So, this year, I had Sailcare work on them. They cleaned the sails; used the process that restifens them; put in new bolt ropes on the genoa and main; and installed crash and telltale windows on the headsails. Now the sails are crisp, shiny and "new". They perform MUCH better. The folks at Sailcare are not especially cheap (although much less expensive than new sails). But, boy, they're good.
My jib, genoa and main were getting very old. Dirty, creased, and - in one case - with cigarette burns from a previous owner. (Who told me his son would have romantic trysts in the cabin where the sails were stored.) So, this year, I had Sailcare work on them. They cleaned the sails; used the process that restifens them; put in new bolt ropes on the genoa and main; and installed crash and telltale windows on the headsails. Now the sails are crisp, shiny and "new". They perform MUCH better. The folks at Sailcare are not especially cheap (although much less expensive than new sails). But, boy, they're good.
How much?
How much does an average clean up and minor repairs run? I have a Mac 25 and the main is getting a little humble. just a rough guess $100,$250,$500?
How much does an average clean up and minor repairs run? I have a Mac 25 and the main is getting a little humble. just a rough guess $100,$250,$500?
This much
Dave: they charged me $0.90 per square foot of sail for the clean up and coating. For example, my main's 21' 11" x 9' 8" - smaller than yours, of course - and cost $99. They also inspected the sails, and faxed me a proposal for the repairs they recommended. For three sails in pretty bad condition, the total of all costs (including cleaning, repairs, and modifications) came to around $800. This included a couple of new boltropes, some hole repairs, and new windows, plus a bunch of smaller repairs such as stitching seams.
Dave: they charged me $0.90 per square foot of sail for the clean up and coating. For example, my main's 21' 11" x 9' 8" - smaller than yours, of course - and cost $99. They also inspected the sails, and faxed me a proposal for the repairs they recommended. For three sails in pretty bad condition, the total of all costs (including cleaning, repairs, and modifications) came to around $800. This included a couple of new boltropes, some hole repairs, and new windows, plus a bunch of smaller repairs such as stitching seams.
Sent my
110 jib and mainsail for my O'day 23 in last year at this time. Overall, they were in OK condition, but dirty, some yellowing, a few loose stitches and a hole here and there. I think they are the original Neil Pryde sails so they're pushing 27 years old. They provided a quote to make the needed repairs and ran them through the process. They sent them back in about six weeks. They looked great. Total cost I think was around $240. They were so white and clean looking I almost didn't want to take them out of the bags. Love the telltales the attached to both sails. Makes triming the sails so much better. They'll do a great job for you. SC
110 jib and mainsail for my O'day 23 in last year at this time. Overall, they were in OK condition, but dirty, some yellowing, a few loose stitches and a hole here and there. I think they are the original Neil Pryde sails so they're pushing 27 years old. They provided a quote to make the needed repairs and ran them through the process. They sent them back in about six weeks. They looked great. Total cost I think was around $240. They were so white and clean looking I almost didn't want to take them out of the bags. Love the telltales the attached to both sails. Makes triming the sails so much better. They'll do a great job for you. SC
Sailcare is great
I sent my C22 main to them last year and couldn't believe the difference when I got it back. They call it the LeMauney process whereby they restore the rigidity to the sail, and it looks really good. To boot, I had them re-sew my numbers and they were upfront with telling me what it needed. For less than $250, my main was restored to like new condition. The money I saved between that and buying a new one went toward a new 4-stroke outboard
Sailcare is the way to go!
I sent my C22 main to them last year and couldn't believe the difference when I got it back. They call it the LeMauney process whereby they restore the rigidity to the sail, and it looks really good. To boot, I had them re-sew my numbers and they were upfront with telling me what it needed. For less than $250, my main was restored to like new condition. The money I saved between that and buying a new one went toward a new 4-stroke outboard
Sailcare is the way to go!
Caution on Sailcare
I had my main and Jib serviced by Sailcare a few years ago (1988 Legend 37) and was/and still pleased with the service 4 years later. I was amazed at how nice the sails looked. But be careful of the looks. If your sail material is weak then take caution. Sailcare cannot cure weak material in your sails, but will still chemically treat/re-resin them. Upon return of the sail, I blew it out the following season while I was reefed and "pushing" it. So I had to buy a new one. The jib is still fine and looks good. Also get the sails to them early and don't wait too long. They told me 6 weeks lead time from November (I got the shipping deal) but it took about 8 weeks. My caution is that be sure that you won't need your boat too soon after you send the sails out. You may have to wait a little bit. But it is nice to have them re-conditioned.
I had my main and Jib serviced by Sailcare a few years ago (1988 Legend 37) and was/and still pleased with the service 4 years later. I was amazed at how nice the sails looked. But be careful of the looks. If your sail material is weak then take caution. Sailcare cannot cure weak material in your sails, but will still chemically treat/re-resin them. Upon return of the sail, I blew it out the following season while I was reefed and "pushing" it. So I had to buy a new one. The jib is still fine and looks good. Also get the sails to them early and don't wait too long. They told me 6 weeks lead time from November (I got the shipping deal) but it took about 8 weeks. My caution is that be sure that you won't need your boat too soon after you send the sails out. You may have to wait a little bit.
But it is nice to have them re-conditioned.
Thanks for the link Warren
Looks promising for my headsails, however my main is a laminate... do you know what the deal might be with that scenerio?
Looks promising for my headsails, however my main is a laminate... do you know what the deal might be with that scenerio?
I was not happy.......
......with Sailcare a few years ago. I sat quietly by last year when this forum discussed Sailcare. I was always taught if you can't say something nice.....you know the rest. I just bit my tongue and ignored the thread. I can't do that again this year. I have to speak out. They found a way to tack on several extra charges. What they don't tell you upfront is that if you want their cleaning treatment they must remove any suncovers, letters, numbers or insignia first and resew them (or new ones) back on. There was a significant charge for that (if I remember correctly it came close to doubling the cleaning price). Yes, they did give me a quote after they checked my sails out but I had already paid to ship them there. By the time I paid to have them shipped back then shipped them elsewhere (and wasted another few weeks) it just wasn't worth it. I told them to go ahead. It took longer than they said for the job and I had to call several times to get any info. I've heard people on this site go on about how nice everybody was. Let's just say that wasn't my experience. When I got them back I wasn't impressed with the difference. It looked a lot better in their booth at the boat show. It also seemed to me that my main was stretched out more than when I sent it. I know, that's subjective but I'd sailed the boat for years and the sail balance had changed significantly, for the worse when they came back. The thing that really bugged me was that they did a poor job of re-sewing the suncover on my genny. It was baggy in some spots and tight in others and it never rolled up right from then on. It looked like a blue and white candy cane. Several people swear by them, I seem to be a minority. I won't go back there. Tom s/v Orion's Child P.S. I sent main and 155 genny for an H28.5. There was a little bit of repair work and my bill was around $800.
......with Sailcare a few years ago. I sat quietly by last year when this forum discussed Sailcare. I was always taught if you can't say something nice.....you know the rest. I just bit my tongue and ignored the thread. I can't do that again this year. I have to speak out. They found a way to tack on several extra charges. What they don't tell you upfront is that if you want their cleaning treatment they must remove any suncovers, letters, numbers or insignia first and resew them (or new ones) back on. There was a significant charge for that (if I remember correctly it came close to doubling the cleaning price). Yes, they did give me a quote after they checked my sails out but I had already paid to ship them there. By the time I paid to have them shipped back then shipped them elsewhere (and wasted another few weeks) it just wasn't worth it. I told them to go ahead. It took longer than they said for the job and I had to call several times to get any info. I've heard people on this site go on about how nice everybody was. Let's just say that wasn't my experience. When I got them back I wasn't impressed with the difference. It looked a lot better in their booth at the boat show. It also seemed to me that my main was stretched out more than when I sent it. I know, that's subjective but I'd sailed the boat for years and the sail balance had changed significantly, for the worse when they came back. The thing that really bugged me was that they did a poor job of re-sewing the suncover on my genny. It was baggy in some spots and tight in others and it never rolled up right from then on. It looked like a blue and white candy cane. Several people swear by them, I seem to be a minority. I won't go back there. Tom s/v Orion's Child P.S. I sent main and 155 genny for an H28.5. There was a little bit of repair work and my bill was around $800.
Love Sail Care
I have had 3 different sails processed by them and they all came back beautiful. We also bought a Strong System mainsail track from them and received excellent service. I don't understand the previous poster's comment that the sail numbers had to be removed to clean the sails. Ours were not removed and we paid nothing extra except to have a window installed in our Genny at our request.
I have had 3 different sails processed by them and they all came back beautiful. We also bought a Strong System mainsail track from them and received excellent service. I don't understand the previous poster's comment that the sail numbers had to be removed to clean the sails. Ours were not removed and we paid nothing extra except to have a window installed in our Genny at our request.
Optional, but not your option
My understanding is that Sailcare will replace the numbers (at a cost) only if they are likely to come off in the processing. It's Sailcare's call, and you can accept their estimate or ask for your sails back. They do it to prevent complaints that inevitably occur when the numbers are not resewn and subsequently come off, after which some owners insist Sailcare pick up the cost of reattaching them. I agree with the group who find Sailcare a little expensive but cheaper than new, and basically a pretty good company with one heck of a logistics problem every winter.
My understanding is that Sailcare will replace the numbers (at a cost) only if they are likely to come off in the processing. It's Sailcare's call, and you can accept their estimate or ask for your sails back. They do it to prevent complaints that inevitably occur when the numbers are not resewn and subsequently come off, after which some owners insist Sailcare pick up the cost of reattaching them. I agree with the group who find Sailcare a little expensive but cheaper than new, and basically a pretty good company with one heck of a logistics problem every winter.
More on Sailcare
I've used Sailcare a number of times and like them enough to use them again. But having said that, I was not too happy when they asked me to pay $80 to sew the insignia to my mainsail. They said their process would loosen it and that it was already coming up at the edges (I disageed with that). I told them to go ahead and sew the insigna -- and they did a great job as those suckers will never come off again. I can see their point about customers who do not have this done complaining about insignia coming off after cleaning/processing. I also was particularly happy to see my name written on the head of each sail with a magic marker, nor to see the Sailcare sticker stuck (not sewn....) to the tack of each sail. Sailcare has gotten so popular that they told me last year (after calling twice about when my sails would be returned) that they now process about 3,000+ sails in the Dec-Apr timeframe so you can see that keeping track of where your sail is in the process can be a challenge. I'm not sure their infrastructure has grown to accommodate the their business growth. If not, they will soon have some problems either keeping track of sails or returning them at the promised time. In the end, they really do a good job at what they do and, as long as you understand that and the costs beforehand, you probably will be satisfied with them.
I've used Sailcare a number of times and like them enough to use them again. But having said that, I was not too happy when they asked me to pay $80 to sew the insignia to my mainsail. They said their process would loosen it and that it was already coming up at the edges (I disageed with that). I told them to go ahead and sew the insigna -- and they did a great job as those suckers will never come off again. I can see their point about customers who do not have this done complaining about insignia coming off after cleaning/processing. I also was particularly happy to see my name written on the head of each sail with a magic marker, nor to see the Sailcare sticker stuck (not sewn....) to the tack of each sail. Sailcare has gotten so popular that they told me last year (after calling twice about when my sails would be returned) that they now process about 3,000+ sails in the Dec-Apr timeframe so you can see that keeping track of where your sail is in the process can be a challenge. I'm not sure their infrastructure has grown to accommodate the their business growth. If not, they will soon have some problems either keeping track of sails or returning them at the promised time. In the end, they really do a good job at what they do and, as long as you understand that and the costs beforehand, you probably will be satisfied with them.
What TCbro said. When I called up and questioned why the final bill was 30% higher than their stated quote, I was sworn at by an upset female who hung up the phone after her screaming fit. The owner then called back, sort of apologized. The sail, when we finally got it back, was bright, stiff, and ripped down one seam a short while later. This was 2 years ago. I still would not recommend or use them again, based soley on my experience. I realize they are well-liked on this forum. I am normally well-liked and get along with people. Could have a been an East coast vs West coast mis-understanding? One thing for sure the only person swearing during this deal was NOT me. Bruce
Over the years, I've sent my sails to Sailcare for cleaning and processing and have been generally happy with the result. Over these same years, I've called them a few times and found them both helpful and courteous. I'm guessing the few posters here who have had trouble either did not know what to expect from Sailcare at the outset, or ran into issues there that have do with growing too rapidly and not increasing their staff or capability accordingly. I have found Sailcare to be quite upfront about what they charge for what service. If you aren't sure what something is going to cost, beyond their .90 cents per square foot for cleaning/processing, you should be calling them before you send your sails to them to get an idea of what costs may be involved. I've also dealt with a number of national lofts and have always been disappointed in how they have cleaned, or more accurately, not cleaned my sails. They, too, would never get the sail(s) back to me when originally promised. I also think a lot of sailors may expect too much in terms of how well an old, dirty, or nearly blown out sail may be cleaned and or processed. If you expectations are realistic, I do not think most sailors would be unhappy with Sailcare, which I would consider the "best of the breed."
Good Company
Have been dealing with Sailcare for a few years. First meet then at the Annapolis show, was invited to visit their loft by Jerry. Thought that I wanted to see just who I was doing busniess with. I spent the time to go out and do just that. Was pleased with what was there home base. It was cramped but very well organized. Have purchased many items from them and have always been pleased with both the price and customer service from them. Last year purchased a Plastimo 810T Furler unit. It was cut perfectly for the boat. They made me a new sail for it and is the best sail I have ever purchased from any loft. I will also state that I own a busniess and can say that 98% of my customers love us and then we have the other 2%. We try very hard to please our customers as Sailcare has done with me. Best regards, Joe Dougan
Have been dealing with Sailcare for a few years. First meet then at the Annapolis show, was invited to visit their loft by Jerry. Thought that I wanted to see just who I was doing busniess with. I spent the time to go out and do just that. Was pleased with what was there home base. It was cramped but very well organized. Have purchased many items from them and have always been pleased with both the price and customer service from them. Last year purchased a Plastimo 810T Furler unit. It was cut perfectly for the boat. They made me a new sail for it and is the best sail I have ever purchased from any loft. I will also state that I own a busniess and can say that 98% of my customers love us and then we have the other 2%. We try very hard to please our customers as Sailcare has done with me. Best regards, Joe Dougan
A few of the people from Lake Arthur took
the SailCare crew sailing last year. They were not only good people, they talked about some of the issues they deal with. (pacific blue, what most every thing is made from, drives them nuts" The biggest problem they talked about was if they are working on a sail, it is on the floor being checked, and in line to be worked on, and the owner can't be contacted, to discuss the sail, they do what most people want.Yes, you may say it is their hands. They do 3000 sails. If you can not be contacted, that is your problem. They have a business. They have people that only call sail owners to discuss their sails, they are experts and don't want problems. If you thought your sail was better than they thought it was and you told them to do work, shame on you not them. They do great work on average sails. Good sails come out better. Their process doesn't make old sails new, their process just makes the best of old sails and freshens new sails! They have a good reputation. If you are not happy with their work, what is your reputation? Are you expecting something beyond what you should be expecting? Here is my take, sorry but sometimes opinions are offensive. SailCare deals with thousands of people. Few are disappointed. In any business like this, there are going to be people that want it done today and to do magic not only to get it done but make new sails from poorly maintained sails. When they ask for an up charge to sew logos and numbers, they try to ask before they do it. Think about how long it would take to do the job they do on the logos and numbers. Their price is fair. SailCare is a one of a kind business. They have been a bonus to the sailing community! r.w.landau
the SailCare crew sailing last year. They were not only good people, they talked about some of the issues they deal with. (pacific blue, what most every thing is made from, drives them nuts
" The biggest problem they talked about was if they are working on a sail, it is on the floor being checked, and in line to be worked on, and the owner can't be contacted, to discuss the sail, they do what most people want.Yes, you may say it is their hands. They do 3000 sails. If you can not be contacted, that is your problem. They have a business. They have people that only call sail owners to discuss their sails, they are experts and don't want problems. If you thought your sail was better than they thought it was and you told them to do work, shame on you not them. They do great work on average sails. Good sails come out better. Their process doesn't make old sails new, their process just makes the best of old sails and freshens new sails! They have a good reputation. If you are not happy with their work, what is your reputation? Are you expecting something beyond what you should be expecting? Here is my take, sorry but sometimes opinions are offensive. SailCare deals with thousands of people. Few are disappointed. In any business like this, there are going to be people that want it done today and to do magic not only to get it done but make new sails from poorly maintained sails. When they ask for an up charge to sew logos and numbers, they try to ask before they do it. Think about how long it would take to do the job they do on the logos and numbers. Their price is fair. SailCare is a one of a kind business. They have been a bonus to the sailing community! r.w.landau
First of all....
......I'm relaying MY experience with Sailcare, not YOURS. If you had a good experience with them, good for you, I did not. You weren't there for MY experience so don't tell me that my expectations were too high or that they really did get my sails to me when they said they would or that the person I talked to was courteous or that the sails were so much better when I got them back. I'm not posting to be nasty, I'm not posting to be vindictive and I'm not making stuff up. I'm relaying my experience. R.W., I know from previous posts that you are friends with these guys and I know you are a big Sailcare advocate but do you really think it is impossible for them to screw up a job? That they are perfect 100% of the time? You take my experience (of which you have absolutely no knowledge) and turn it around like it was my fault. My expectations were too high???? Have you been to their tradeshow booth? They have a "sail" there that half is as dirty, dingy and grey as any sail I have ever seen and the other half is sparkling white like brand new. They will tell you it is the same sail. I couldn't possibly be expecting more than that. My sails were old but in fairly good shape. They were a bit dirty and when I got them back I didn't see very much of a difference at all. That was a disappointment because that was the main reason I sent them there. As for the bill, I sent my sails to them in Nov. and it wasn't until late Jan. or early Feb. that they inspected them and came back to me with a quote. I had not seen any mention of sewing insignia and numbers back on before I received the quote. That added a significant amount to the bill (I don't remember how much). I did expect to pay for some small repairs that the sail needed, mostly re-sewing seams. Yes, I could have asked for my sails back and would have had to pay for the shipping back but at this late date I approved the charges and told them to proceed. During the course of this transaction I made maybe 4-5 calls to Sailcare (both before the quote and after) to inquire as to where my sails were in the schedule. That, in my opinion, is a valid reason to call. I'm sensitive to customer calls because that is a big part of my day Mon-Fri. While not all of my calls were negative, the treatment I received ranged from apathy and indifference to open rudeness. Again, YOU were not on the phone, I was. When I received them back I was dissappointed with the cleaning which, as I said before, was my main reason to send them to sailcare in the first place. The repairs that were made were good and they did a good job stiching the numbers on. The main seemd to me to be more stretched out than before (as I said in my previous post, I realize that that is a subjective observation). The genny, however, never rolled up correctly again. As I said before, it looked like a blue and white candy cane when furled, which defeats the purpose of the sunbrella sun shield. I apologize for the "ranting" tone of this post. I relayed my experience as accurately as I could. I felt that I was being personally attacked for stating my experiences and opinions on a sailing issue in a sailing forum. Look up the word "FORUM" and you will find "a medium for open discussion". I realize that people will have differing opinions and experiences and I accept that not everybody will agree with me. Look through this thread and you will find that I am not alone. There are others who have experienced the same things I have with Sailcare. It is obvious that we are in the minority here but that doesn't make us wrong. Tom s/v Orion's Child
......I'm relaying MY experience with Sailcare, not YOURS. If you had a good experience with them, good for you, I did not. You weren't there for MY experience so don't tell me that my expectations were too high or that they really did get my sails to me when they said they would or that the person I talked to was courteous or that the sails were so much better when I got them back. I'm not posting to be nasty, I'm not posting to be vindictive and I'm not making stuff up. I'm relaying my experience. R.W., I know from previous posts that you are friends with these guys and I know you are a big Sailcare advocate but do you really think it is impossible for them to screw up a job? That they are perfect 100% of the time? You take my experience (of which you have absolutely no knowledge) and turn it around like it was my fault. My expectations were too high???? Have you been to their tradeshow booth? They have a "sail" there that half is as dirty, dingy and grey as any sail I have ever seen and the other half is sparkling white like brand new. They will tell you it is the same sail. I couldn't possibly be expecting more than that. My sails were old but in fairly good shape. They were a bit dirty and when I got them back I didn't see very much of a difference at all. That was a disappointment because that was the main reason I sent them there. As for the bill, I sent my sails to them in Nov. and it wasn't until late Jan. or early Feb. that they inspected them and came back to me with a quote. I had not seen any mention of sewing insignia and numbers back on before I received the quote. That added a significant amount to the bill (I don't remember how much). I did expect to pay for some small repairs that the sail needed, mostly re-sewing seams. Yes, I could have asked for my sails back and would have had to pay for the shipping back but at this late date I approved the charges and told them to proceed. During the course of this transaction I made maybe 4-5 calls to Sailcare (both before the quote and after) to inquire as to where my sails were in the schedule. That, in my opinion, is a valid reason to call. I'm sensitive to customer calls because that is a big part of my day Mon-Fri. While not all of my calls were negative, the treatment I received ranged from apathy and indifference to open rudeness. Again, YOU were not on the phone, I was. When I received them back I was dissappointed with the cleaning which, as I said before, was my main reason to send them to sailcare in the first place. The repairs that were made were good and they did a good job stiching the numbers on. The main seemd to me to be more stretched out than before (as I said in my previous post, I realize that that is a subjective observation). The genny, however, never rolled up correctly again. As I said before, it looked like a blue and white candy cane when furled, which defeats the purpose of the sunbrella sun shield. I apologize for the "ranting" tone of this post. I relayed my experience as accurately as I could. I felt that I was being personally attacked for stating my experiences and opinions on a sailing issue in a sailing forum. Look up the word "FORUM" and you will find "a medium for open discussion". I realize that people will have differing opinions and experiences and I accept that not everybody will agree with me. Look through this thread and you will find that I am not alone. There are others who have experienced the same things I have with Sailcare. It is obvious that we are in the minority here but that doesn't make us wrong. Tom s/v Orion's Child
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