by So the quotes have started rolling in for my new headsail and oh my! My cheap Scottish side is not happy! My new sail budget may have been a little off. Haha. On the other hand, I am getting SO excited at the thought of a nice, new, crisp sail to trim. Delish!
As I noted in Part 1, I requested 3 quotes in the end from Precision Sails, North Sails and Evolution Sails. The quotes have started rolling in and now I get to disect them and confirm my budget, materials and sail cut.
Evolution Sails, Vancouver BC
The quote process for Evolution Sails was pretty simple. I filled in an online form and provided basic boat dimensions and Jason emailed me a quote within a few days. For your boat dimensions you can either use your owner’s manual or this website.
Based on the information provided and the fact that I am looking for a cruising headsail, Jason suggested a Challenge 6.63 HA Dacron. What does this mean? Challenge is the manufacturer of the sailcloth. The number 6.63 is the weight of the sailcloth while the HA Dacron is the specific fabric used. HA is high aspect, meaning that it is a tight cross weave.
Precision Sails, Victoria BC
Precision Sails quoted me within a few hours of submitting my request online. “This could be good or bad,” I thought as I opened the email. To my surprise, it contained a 24-page PDF quote including links to YouTube videos about the various fabrics and sail cuts. This was great as I was still feeling like I was in the research stage of the game.
The Precision Sails quote included racing and cruising sails and covered everything from headsails that were $4,000 to sails that were $1,200. It really came down to what I want to do with the sail.
At this point I started waffling between the accuracy of the laminate sail (holds its shape longer) and the lifespan of the Dacron sail (being a cheapskate this enticed me). I called up their office to discuss the differences and what my needs were. After some discussion it was clear to me that the Dacron was the way to go and having a tri-radial cut (instead of a cross-cut). The tri-radial cut will decrease the “baggy dacron sail syndrome”. I’m looking at about $2,000 + shipping.
North Sails, Vancouver BC
North Sails took a few days to get back to me and they wanted me to call them to discuss my sail. I’ll be honest, at this point I had already decided whom I wanted to work with, so I said thank you for getting in touch and moved along. Hopefully that won’t come back to bite me!
Who’s the winner?
I have decided to move forward with Precision Sails. I am very impressed with their professionalism, vaste information and knowledge, and they seem eager to help me out. They also fit nicely into my expected sail budget. Now that I have made a decision and a downpayment, I need to get the measurements done… Part 3 here I come!
Photo Credit: photo retrieved from https://www.puzzlewarehouse.com/Colorful-Sailboats-on-a-Beach-5800zz.html
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