Thursday 11 June 2015

Tips to buy the right sails for your boat online

Many a time we have seen that purchasing sails is treated as the last thing to do. Sailors tend to keep their chief focus on the equipment purchases and when it comes to buy sails they either visit a local loft or add to cart in a hurry.

Sails should never be bought that way. Ideally one should go for an inventory of custom-built sails.
But if you are short in time then you have no other option left but to buy ready-made ones. But never give in to the cheap sale deals.

Let us share a few tips on how to choose the right sails online.

From exclusive sail suppliers only
Never buy sails from multi-product shopping sites. Do find out exclusive sail suppliers. Most of them sell sails coming from their own lofts and it’s more likely that you’ll get quality sails on those sites.

Check the credentials
Even before sorting the products, check the credentials of the sailmaker and the supplier.
Write down the measurements
Sails are bought according to the boat size and specifications. Before you’ve logged in, note down all the details in a piece of paper. This will help you to sort products and also to pick the appropriate sails for your boat.

Read product descriptions carefully
Be it a mainsail, headsail or storm sail, you should take note of the sailcloth, type of stitching, kind of batten pockets, radial patches etc. According to your itinerary, the specifications will differ. For example, if you are going off-shore, then the mainsail should be constructed with alloy headboards.

Get a good sail plan
You should ideally consult with an experienced sailmaker to get a sail plan done. Sail plans are made keeping in mind the itinerary and the measurements of the boat. If you have one ready, buying online will be easy. 

No comments:

Post a Comment