Damaged headsail

[MontyMariner]

Also need to make sure that it is sized correctly for your foil - there are different thicknesses so needs to be the right one.

Yes, luff tape diameter is as important as luff length.
OP - As I said in #9 there are upholsterers around who do sail repairs and are not VAT registered, I was charged £7.50 per mtr.

 

[Puffin10032]

I enquired with a sailmaker and they said the below. Their quote for a new sail was 3k. I also got another quote from from Hyde sails in Edinburgh for £1500 so a massive difference in price in the 2 sails.

I am tempted to buy a new sail rather than pay for repairs to my old one.

If anyone has an opinion about whether to repair or just buy a new one based on these prices it would be good to hear it.

Thanks

Regarding the damage it looks like we would need to fit a new luff tape, patching that area isn't easy and it can end up too thick to insert into the foil when you re-hoist the sail. Cost of this would probably be in the region of £200 + VAT. If you like we do offer a full winter service package where we inspect the sail and then provide a condition report along with quoting for any repairs and cleaning if required. the cost of this is just over £2 per KG of sail + VAT. I would say that a 16 year old sail is coming to the end of it's effective life. You may find that the sail starts to cause you reliability issues even with the repair work done.

When comparing quotes you need to make sure you're comparing like with like. The choice of cloth and the cut (e.g. radial or cross cut) of the sail will make a significant difference to the price (and the longevity of the sail). The challenge with simply using age a guide to sail condition is that it doesn't tell you how often the sail has been used.

 

[Crinan12]

Thanks all for the responses, very useful as ever

 

[Crinan12]

Yes, luff tape diameter is as important as luff length.
OP - As I said in #9 there are upholsterers around who do sail repairs and are not VAT registered, I was charged £7.50 per mtr.

I don't think there are any local ish to me (glasgow)

 

[Crinan12]

When comparing quotes you need to make sure you're comparing like with like. The choice of cloth and the cut (e.g. radial or cross cut) of the sail will make a significant difference to the price (and the longevity of the sail). The challenge with simply using age a guide to sail condition is that it doesn't tell you how often the sail has been used.

Yeah although my sail is quite old I don't think it's actually been used much since it's been made. I rarely use it and I don't think the previous owner did that much sailing either.

 

[dunedin]

Yeah although my sail is quite old I don't think it's actually been used much since it's been made. I rarely use it and I don't think the previous owner did that much sailing either.

Sounds like a repair is a good investment then (unless deteriorated when left furled for many years - our 3 year old jib fell to bits at the leech due to UV damage, but it was 3 years unused in the South of France - and stitching successfully repaired).