Iv'e got two headsails from Rolly Tasker dealing with the factory in Thailand now and I'm very happy with both. I got the "offshore cruising" sails. So I didn't get their cheapest.
Local lofts wanted twice. I'm of the opinion that a sailboat owner needs to do as much of their own work aboard their boat - this includes measuring for sails. You really don't need a professional to do this for you. Unless you have deep pockets and want every last ounce of performance. Queue the racers... No doubt you may get features you did not even consider but I live in ignorant bliss and still have money in my pocket. Precision wanted more money for the same features and while pleasant, were very aggressive. When I asked them if they could get me a sail in x amount of time, they said not at any price, just not possible. I told them that Rolly could get me one in that timeframe from Thailand but I would prefer to deal with a 'local' loft (which I was really considering, especially in light of the CAD/USD - Rolly deals in USD). They said, "If you're ok with a generic sail and we can't dissuade you, that loft makes batches of the same sails and then sells them as custom". They went on to admonish them some more and were actually quite nasty about it, "if you're ok with a crappy sail" kind of attitude. I was like, "Oh really?" and promptly never spoke to them again. I don't mind some competition, but badmouthing the competition and belittling your customers is just bad business. And guess what? My custom sail from Thailand arrived exactly on time for my summer cruise this year. I saved money AND I got it faster. It's a nice sail, to boot. I'm like you. We pleasure sail and cruise only. All I know is I can achieve optimal sail trim with my new sails on my old boat, that's good enough for me. I have a 155 and a 115. Same exact design, just different surface area. No foam luff, crosscut 'offshore' dacron sails, I change sails to suit the conditions and try not to furl to reef, I hate it. At the end of the day I want good sails that will last. I think Rolly's sails are at the top of the price/performance spectrum - you can spend more money but with diminishing returns. Steve Suhana, C&C 32 Toronto
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