Hood sails

[Yngmar]

Am shopping for a new furling Genoa (41.4 m²) for my 40 footer. Have a few quotes and had some chats at the boatshow. Hood sails representative made a very good impression and his quote was in the viable range (although a bit on the upper end of it). So I went on the internet to do my homework and found this: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?108748-Hood-Kemp (Hood packing up shop in the UK and Kemp making their sails now).

No mention of that at the boat show. What's the story here? Is Hood still/again an independent sailmaker or just sewing stickers to sails? And more importantly, how is the quality of recent Hood sails? Anyone got one? Happy with it? Problems?

 

[Concerto]

PM sent.

 

[Tranona]

AFAIK still operated by Kemps out of the Wareham loft.

 

[vyv_cox]

AFAIK still operated by Kemps out of the Wareham loft.

Yes. My new stackpack was beautifully made by Kemps last year but has a Hood logo on it to match the sails.

 

[KellysEye]

If Kemp are making sails to Hood's spec then they are the highest quality sail you can buy with the most thread and the longest life before stretching. Ours hadn't stretched after 10,000 miles and Hood will negotiate on price.

 

[sailorman]

If Kemp are making sails to Hood's spec then they are the highest quality sail you can buy with the most thread and the longest life before stretching. Ours hadn't stretched after 10,000 miles and Hood will negotiate on price.

So a high quote to start with

 

[Tranona]

If Kemp are making sails to Hood's spec then they are the highest quality sail you can buy with the most thread and the longest life before stretching. Ours hadn't stretched after 10,000 miles and Hood will negotiate on price.

Rather irrelevant now as the cloth they used all those years ago for your sails will now be out of date and there is a much bigger choice available now from other manufacturers that are at least equally as good. They only offer a standard Dacron and a modified cloth called Vektran which is similar to offerings from others. Choice of material (and cut) depends on the needs and pocket of the buyer and there are many other sailmakers (as a quick review of the many threads on the subject will show) who can produce high quality sails.

 

[snooks]

If Kemp are making sails to Hood's spec then they are the highest quality sail you can buy with the most thread and the longest life before stretching.

I don't even know where to start picking that statement apart.... :0)

So, So, SO many variables. Price, cloth, cut, finishing, sailing, weather, yacht. The list goes on an on.

To say that about one set of sails from one manufacturer is valueless

 

[Tranona]

I don't even know where to start picking that statement apart.... :0)

So, So, SO many variables. Price, cloth, cut, finishing, sailing, weather, yacht. The list goes on an on.

To say that about one set of sails from one manufacturer is valueless

Waste of time Graham. He makes this same simplistic statement regularly and seems impervious to any suggestion that it has no value.

 

[Daydream believer]

I would go for Hyde as first call as all their sails are made by them- albeit in Philippines -in their own lofts so it is a UK company
2 of my current boats are equipped with Hyde sails & the ones on my squib are definitely better than my earlier sets.

But my last sail, a laminate, on my cruiser was from Ultimate & I have to say it is a fairly good shape & actually better than the last Marblehead racing cloth one - a Hyde
I went to Ultimate as Hyde could not measure boat in time for arranged mast drop date
Ultimate are definitely up for a bit of negotiating !!!