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After Market Sails-Which are best?
http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=34375		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  sawyerspadre [ Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:39 pm ]
Post subject:  After Market Sails-Which are best?
I am looking for a new Jib for my H16 and I want to know who makes the best aftermarket sails. I know the Hobie sails are the good and are required if you want to race in class-sanctioned races, but my daughter is going to use this boat to blast around our local lake.

Also if anyone has a solid yellow Hobie brand jib that is in good shape lying around that they want to sell at a reasonable price, I may be interested. We have the Boomer sail colors.

FX/SailStore
Kelly Hanson
Slo Sails and Canvas

Any experience with these or others? Also, are all the batten sets the same. Is my batten set from 1983 likely to fit a new sail?

Phil
Author:  Bill 404 [ Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
Look at these sails on Craig's list...16 Ft Catamaran sail - $200 (Fort Walton Beach),maybe that will work for you
Good luck,Bill 404 21SE :D
Author:  feedingtheaddiction [ Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
i was also interested in if anyone had experience with those companies. ive looked around on these forums and it seems a lot of ppl on here have gone with chip in the past but ive also read that due to the bad econ whirlwind sails was combined with another company and now the sails are made by different ppl.

kellyhanson sails seem to be the cheapest at 475 and there made with:
Premium 5 oz. Dimension-Polyant Dacron

CAD Performance Cut Panels

Quality Stitching Throughout

Crosscut Design

Custom Bag


they say there copies of the hobie classic sails, any bad experiences out there with them?
Author:  fastcat [ Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
Whirlwind Sails, ask for Chip.
Author:  bassie1234567 [ Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
I worked last summer at Kelly hanson, and if you are looking for the best quality to price, definitely pick up a sail from them. Also, if it has any defects or what not, I know they were great about returns / handling any issues (there were never any issues with the hobie sails however, so that shouldn't be an issue :) )

Good luck!

oh, if this helps, they do just about any custom color, and have 0 interest payment plans i believe (dunno if that's changed since I left)
Author:  splashTX [ Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
I have a custom spinnaker for my Hobie 16 on order with Kelly Hanson Sails for 7 weeks now. They can not give me a production date for the sail and it should have already been made! They are transitioning to a new sail loft in the Philippines. I trust that they make good sails, but make sure the item is in stock for immediate shipping or be prepared to wait a long time with no firm date.

They did not even call me to tell me it would be delayed. So communication is sub par. They said they don't know how long it will take but probably 4-5 more weeks. But they don't know!!

Good luck

Update: KH has offered me a discount to keep my order with them. So, I will.
Author:  sawyerspadre [ Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
Thanks, any other thoughts on other brands?
Author:  HOBIE 911 [ Wed Mar 16, 2011 11:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
DITTO WITH CHIP AT WHIRLWIND!!!! i GOT A SPINNAKER FOR MY 18 FROM HIM AND THE WORKMANSHIP IS SECOND TO NONE!!!
Author:  Tallguy1 [ Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
Personally, I'd look for a used Hobie sail or bust out the cash for a new one.

Wise man once said "cheap stuff no good, good stuff no cheap"

A Hobie sail will last longer, look great and add value to your boat if you ever decide to sell it.
Author:  jaws1234 [ Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
You could also check out a sail maker in Dallas Texas that has been building hi quality sails for the North Texas area for over 30 years ... try contacting Mariner Sailmakers Inc. via email at [email protected]
Author:  sawyerspadre [ Sun Mar 20, 2011 6:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
The Whirlwind tip looks good as someone who has the inside track on how to build Hobie Sails. I am also a North Sails One Design customer on our other boats, and those guys always treat me well. Good to hear that a NSOD alumni is turning out good stuff in another market.
Author:  ericweller [ Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
I used FX Sails (http://www.fxsails.com/). They did a good job and did some extra touches on the sail such as including all new battens. Both the main and jib were about $1300 total.
Image

They communicated very well and let me know when my sails were scheduled for production. It was only about a 5-6 week wait. They even repaired for free, some damage when the batten popped out of the pocket and ripped the sail.
The only thing is you need to be very specific about window placement when you order the sails.
Thanks!
Author:  Sail Revolution [ Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
ericweller wrote:
Both the main and jib were about $1300 total.
Image


I don't see it. If one were going to spend $1300 on sails, why not go with the Hobie ones for $1350? I can tell from the pic that that jib is way different than the current Hobie design. From the pics, it looks like the material is 1oz lighter than the stock Hobie sails. I'm not trying to be rude. What am I missing here?

By sticking with class sails:
1) You know that the quality is good, and backed by the manufacturer.
2) The sails were designed by the manufacturer of the boat.
3) If you ever decide to race, you can.
4) If you ever decide to sell the boat, you have the (huge) advantage of saying that the boat is, "Class legal for racing."
5) If you decide to crush the boat, you can easily sell the sails as 'Class Legal'.
Author:  ericweller [ Mon Mar 21, 2011 1:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
Surf City Catamarans wrote:
I don't see it. If one were going to spend $1300 on sails, why not go with the Hobie ones for $1350? I can tell from the pic that that jib is way different than the current Hobie design. From the pics, it looks like the material is 1oz lighter than the stock Hobie sails. I'm not trying to be rude. What am I missing here?

By sticking with class sails:
1) You know that the quality is good, and backed by the manufacturer.
2) The sails were designed by the manufacturer of the boat.
3) If you ever decide to race, you can.
4) If you ever decide to sell the boat, you have the (huge) advantage of saying that the boat is, "Class legal for racing."
5) If you decide to crush the boat, you can easily sell the sails as 'Class Legal'.


1) The quality is good. I had to take a leap of faith that FX will do a good job, but after seeing the final product, I was very pleased. As far as standing behind their product, when my sail ripped when the batten popped out of the pocket, FX fixed the sail for free, whereas I seriously doubt Hobie would have done that.
2) What is so special about a Hobie sail? It does not have a curve formed in the sail shape. There is no high tech fabric. It is pretty much a triangular, flat Dacron product. As such, as long as the experienced sailmaker at XYZ has the proper specs of the sail, they should be able to produce a quality product similar to what Hobie produces. Yes, the sail is the lighter weight Dacron since some colors are not available in the heavy weight Dacron. But, less weight makes the boat go faster.
3) I don't really care about racing other than play racing other boats that happen to be sailing around me. I would venture to guess that 90% of H16 sailors couldn't care less about being class legal, but they do want their boat to stand out.
4) I was able to sell the boat. See #3.
5) See #3.

Hobie only offers 2 styles of sails for the H16, all white or red/smoke. I did not like either option. Since Hobie does not do custom colors, I had to go elsewhere. I don't think someone who has Tequila Sunrise color scheme would be willing to go to a Hobie sail and lose the colors they have. The options they have is to buy some 20 year old POC or find someone who will duplicate the color scheme.
IMHO, it doesn't matter if you're class legal, but you have to have a nice looking boat.
Author:  John Lunn [ Mon Mar 21, 2011 1:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: After Market Sails-Which are best?
Making a good sail is an art, more than a science.
It's knowing how the fabric will 'move' under load.
No sail is 'just flat dacron'. No way.
Ask any sailor where the 'belly' in his/her sail is.....then ask yourself, 'how did that belly get there?' Especially when the sail is built in panels.

Hobie sails are computer cut, they are consistent, and they last.
Sure, other lofts can make them.....and a lot of other lofts are good, but the sails are not Hobie sails.

The trick here is that for 10 years, Chip at Whirlwind ran the Hobie loft....and am I correct to say that he still manufactures for Hobie under contract? His background is making windsurfing sails, so he knows high performance fabrics.

If I still raced, no question, I'd go with a gen-u-ine brand name product on my SX18. I thought long and hard about switching to a non-brand name, and made my decision based on colour options and that many of us know of Chip's quality, helpfulness and rep.
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