J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Idea of sail pricing from those who buy regularly...

Greetings
I have only ever had second hand sails and seeing as we are doing more cruising and playing I am looking at standard Dacron Main

Crosscut - Cruising Mainsail - Endurance - 2+2 Mainsail
Cloth: Contender Supercruise 7.4oz $1280

I was also given a price on a laminate
Fibrepath - Racing Mainsail - Race - 2+2 Mainsail $2750
Cloth: 100% Carbon 3k Aligned
Laminate: Film (Clear) / Film (Clear)

Plus shipping, of course...

Are those OK quotes? Thanks

They seem like reasonable quotes. If you do mainly cruising, stick with the Dacron as it will last much longer and degrade gracefully. The laminate will hold shape better but then self destruct at end of life due to delamination.

That seems very reasonable, and actually quite low compared to my mainsail which was ~$3,000 (heavy duty Dacron with two reef points, custom measured).

Skimmer sails are like tires on your Car, you get what you pay for in longevity and durability. If you are interested in something that will last and hold its shape longer, then you might want to shop around a little longer even if you are just, as you put it cruising.
This is what happens, the sails are built with maxium draft about 30%, how deep, well that is a personal preference, then over time the draft moves from 30% to 50% and you main/genoas are only good for reaching and down wind. They will no longer pull you forward but now sideways.
So as I said, your sails are kinda like tires, you don't need Indy 500 tires, but then again are you driving a Yugo? You should be spending about $2000 plus for a quality sail that will hold its shape over a longer period of time.
If you have any other questions feel free to contact me.
Toy Box 324, formerly owner of Blue J hull 37.

Thanks all for the responses. I really needed a reference point.

That said these sails are from a well known franchise loft!
No they are not custom measured on my boat but from the J30 design specs and a local J30 they found.

Toy Box, probably more like a Camaro.

Should be perfect for the sailing we do in NE Florida!

Skimmer I was referring to the cloth, for the long term.
Good Luck, and I'll be seeing you on the water soon.
Toy Box

Doing a quick look at US sail loft franchises, would you say these are the top 5?
North
Quantum
Ullman
Doyle
UK

So buying from any one of these I would imagine there is a good chance of getting good quality cloth, workmanship, etc for a reasonable price. Plus they have a reputation to uphold.

As far as cloth goes each seems to have their own names for similar Dacron variants. The same probably goes for the spectra type sails.

Would you choose one loft over another for any specific reason?

I'd choose a sailmaker who is willing come and help you setup and tune your rig, sail with you to show you how to use your new sails, and near enough to service them when needed. Looks like North has a loft in Jacksonville, are there any others within reasonable distance to Amelia Island?

Amen! I got the absolute best service and prices from Jack Christianson at Noth sails in Seattle for 25 years. You dance with who brung you. The people who always chased deals, got some good and some not so good. Find a good loft and stay with it.

Actually that is exactly what I am doing - sticking with the loft which has sold me sails since 1984! When I raced dinghy's! They have had a few name, or franchise, changes over the years, North, Quantum, etc.. but essentially the same sail makers who know what they are doing and have actually raced the J 30...

Nice that the price is right too. Can't beat it.

Thanks for all the insight and advice.