Conference unifix::sailing

    Wilson & Silsby in Marblehead has done a respectable job at repairing
    our sails at reasonable prices during the past few years.
    
    We found Shore in Newport to be both pricy and somewhat less than
    what we'd expect in terms of quality of work (missed stitches in
    the patch and poor quality luff tape).
    
    ... Bob

    Wilson and Silsby in Marblehead made the sails for my C+C 29 (for
    the original owner).  This Summer I took some pictures of the boat
    under sail.  My jib looks to be fully a foot and a half shorter
    than my forestay (this is a masthead rig) in the pictures.  
    
    The other experience I had with W + S was for modification of the
    main to full length battens and lazy jacks.  I'll redo the lazy
    jacks correctly during the Winter, the full length battens, I'll
    live with, but wil never be satisfied.
    
    So far in this notes file I have given negative recommendations
    for Anderson and Vining and now W + S.  I haven't come up with a
    sailmaker to recommend.
    
    dave
    

You may wish to try Jasper and Bailey in Newport. I do not have any repair
experience with them; but the Jasper and Bailey sail I have (DN sail) is very
well made and I know they advertise for and do a lot of sail repair work. 

- Bob

    Try Hood in either Marblehead or Newport (Portsmouth).  They added
    another season to a very blown out heavy #1 genny of ours as well
    as reshaping our #2 and #3.
    
    Dave

    
    I've also had some mixed experiences with Wilson & Silsby.  I had
    an Interclub sail made there two years ago.  It took them three
    tries to get it right.  When I first used it, the leach fell off
    dramatically making it impossible to sail to weather.  I had specified
    a floating tack but got a fixed tack with cunningham ( on a 72 sq.
    ft dinghy sail).  That made for extaordinarilly poor draft placement.
    As far as I can tell, the principals in the business are part timers
    who make thier real living doing other things.  They eventually
    made good on their mistakes but not before a few words were exchanged.
    
    Beware the Doyle loft in Marblehead.  All the work is done by high
    school and college students who are not always properly supervised.
    The rock stars who sell the sails rarely if ever touch them.
    
    I've had somewhat better luck with Norm Cressy of Cressy sails. This
    may be due less to the inherent competence of the personnel and
    more to my efforts to be very explicit in what I wanted done.  I've
    always rolled the sail out on the loft floor and pointed out each
    problem area.  Norm would tell me what the appropriate remedial
    action should be and I would write out the instructions on the work
    ticket, real time, before going on to the next problem.  When picking
    up the sails, I'd roll them out again to check the work done against
    the work ticket before paying. 
    
    Every sailmaker has some satified and unsatisfied customers.  I'd
    be more inclined to patronize those who are experienced with the
    type of boat and sails I have and who look like they'll remember
    what I tell them.
    
    - gene

    I HAVE HAD GOOD LUCK WITH ANSON SAILS IN PORTSMOUTH,NH.IT IS RUN
    BY JEFF ANDERSON(FOUNDER OF A&V).
    HE CAN BE SLOW,BUT THE QUALITY IS GOOD.
    REGARDS,TONY

    I've had good luck with both Rowse in E. Greenwich, R.I. and Thurston
    in Warren, R.I.  Both are family businesses.  Then again, it depends
    on your sailing area.

    RE .2
    
    I'll also have to give a negative rating to Anderson & Vining. 
    Three years ago we left a sail there for repair.  We picked it up
    on our way out for a two week cruise.  Upon hoisting the sail we
    realized they hadn't touched it, even though they charged us $100
    for the repair.  When we returned and brought the sail back to them
    they refused to either fix it or give us our money back.  They claimed
    we must have blown it out again.
    
    Rip-off plain and simple ...
    
    				... Bob
    

    Have had good luck with both Thurston Sails (previously mentioned)
    in Warren, R.I. and Sails USA in Portland, Me.
    
    Ed Thurston has been around a long time and knows his business,
    and while he may not be the fanciest sailmaker in the business,
    his work is good and prices reasonable (perhaps because he is not
    the fanciest).
    
    Sails USA is a cooperative which does its own work as well as that
    for the Portland office of Hard Sails.  Have found their repair
    work to be excellent and right in at quoted price and on time as
    committed.  They also provide discount during the winter months
    for new work, which always makes it very tempting to forget repairs
    and go with new.  By the way, before getting the work done, I have
    always been able to speak directly to the sailmaker doing the work
    to establish a mutual understanding of the job, and have never had
    to go back a second time for the same work.  Address: 137 Preble
    St., Portland, Me. 04104; Phone 207-772-4335.
                 

    A while back I put a reply in here about sailmakers I had had less than
    favorable words for.  Now it's time for a good word about a loft which
    has done some good work for me, is reasonably priced and provides quick
    service.
    
    Loomis and Pingree is the place, they are at 288 Derby Street in Salem,
    Ma.  phone 508 741-8732.
    
    Last year I had them add a panel to a light #1 genoa which I had
    bought.  They found some cloth which is a good match for the cloth in
    the original sail.  Good turnaround time and whatever they charged was
    reasonable.
    
    During the off-season I had them work on all of my sails and sail
    covers.  They converted the three jibs from hank-on to luff tape,
    modified my main to fix problems with the full-length battens which had 
    been poorly retrofitted by a different loft, put tell-tale windows in the 
    jibs, put a reef point into one sail, modified my main-sail cover (known by
    the Wednesday night crew as the "octopus") to work with the lazy jacks and
    did a bunch of odds and ends for around $500.  Unlike the other lofts I
    had previously worked with, these guys took the time to figure out what
    I wanted-not an easy task because I'm still new to this stuff, so *I*
    don't know what I wanted.
    
    Last week I had them fix a rip in my mainsail, replace a half dozen
    sail slides and the top full lenght batten.  In at 09:00, ready by
    15:30.  Cost, $35.
    
    Scott Loomis and Will Pingree are the guys who run the place.  They
    each apparently race on some of the boats out of M'head during the
    season.
    
    I haven't had them make anything new for me, so I can't vouch for the
    speed or longevity of their sails.
    
    djc
    

    Just an update on this topic: (i have to get a few repairs done)

    Hood (RI)	    $40/hr
    Thurston (RI)   $48/hr
    Manchester (MA) $45/hr

    I'm getting a quote on a 70% heavy weather yankee, and will post them
    later.

    fwiw

    Check with Joe Peterson at Eastern Sailmakers in Mattapoisett Ma.
    He  should give you an estimate for the job, I always found him
    very reasonable. (508)758-3741.
    

    I have to 2nd DC's recommendation of Scot Loomis in Salem. He now works for
    Doyle, but he does most their repair work. The guy is excellant. I
    brought him a 150 for recutting last year. Not only did he flatten the
    sail, but he also restitched it, as it was starting to go.
    
    The boat pointed with the best of them this season and along with my
    crew, we went from the bottom of the pack to the top. Scot is easy to
    talk to. I have been so impressed, I have personally thanked him at
    a regatta party and put a good word in for him at a Doyle booth at
    the Newport Show. A whole season and not one problem with the
    workmanship. This year, he gets the main to see what magic he can do.

    Maybe Scott and Doyle are okay for repairs.  They *used* to be.  
    
    The affiliation with Doyle has done nothing to endear Mr Loomis to me, 
    nor with Doyle, Marblehead.  They made some fast sails for me, but have 
    been unable to get the billing straightened away.  Five months, many 
    personal visits to the loft, phone coversations with Scott, phone 
    conversation with Robbie Doyle, letter to Robbie Doyle, follow-up phone 
    conversations with the minion to whom Doyle delegated fixing my problem 
    (initiated by me six weeks after sending the letter to Doyle), and still 
    they owe me money (but send bills saying I owe them money) they owe me 
    spreader patches and numbers on my new 150 mylar genoa.
    
    If it's possible to withdraw a recommendation, consider my
    recommendation of this loft and these players, withdrawn.
    
    djc

    This reply is seriously overdue.  
    
    I dropped my sails at Doyle in early November for two very good
    reasons.  One to get missing numbers and spreader patches put on the
    super Quicksilver genoa which they made for my new roller furler
    19994-1995, and two to have the sails washed and stored.
    
    Doyle was the loft of choice because the genoa needed the pieces
    attached which were missing from the sail, and the NEPCO adjuster
    had made arrangements with Doyle to be the loft of choice for cleaning
    of sails and canvas damaged/soiled by a rather outrageous bit of
    pollution the Salem power station spewed one night in August.
    
    
    Previous to dropping the sails off I had again spoken to Robbie Doyle
    and Scott Loomis, explaining again the problems we had with our
    accounting techniques with them saying I owed them money and I claiming
    they owed me money.
    
    Bottom line is, not only are they very good at the craft of designing
    and making fast sails, they are also good business people.  Our
    financial situation has been resolved to everybody's satisfaction.
    
    Color me happy.  For now :)
    
    djc 

    
    Scott Loomis told me my main was getting old, but I asked him for
    just 1 more rac'n season before I spring for a new one with Dacron 52.
    He said he would try.
    
    Got my mainsail back last week. All I can say is Wow!!!!!
    
    Not only did he recut the roach that looked like a spinnaker at the
    foot, he ripped out the bolt rope for the foot and converted the
    sail to a loose footed main with a slug at the end, along with a 
    larger grommet to attach to. I have always liked loose footed for
    shaping and the speed you can dial them in. He also added a draw 
    string to allow shaping for light airs.
    
    He flatten the sail nicely. He also added 2 batten pockets on the
    opposite side of the originals that use partial battens. This way I
    can run either full length or partial battens. The battens were
    labeled with which was which. He rebuilt the material around the 
    headplate that was a bit worn, restitched the panels after reworking
    the seams,  and added new telltales. Heck, he even threw in one of
    those trick Doyle sail ties with the name embroyded in it.
    
    It now goes up and down much easier without the friction of the full
    length battens. It stores easier too. I don't know who said full
    battens are easier to handle, I am finding just the opposite is true.
    It also is easier to get the mainsail cover back on.
    
    We will find out Thursday how well it performs. The sail looks better
    than it ever has. Best $127 I spent this season (1/10th price of a new
    one with the winter discount).
    
    Although working in the old Cressy loft in Marblehead, Scott's old
    phone number still works.
    
    Scott is always worth a shot before buying new...

    Doug
    
       I took my 150 down there Friday for a recut. Scot put it on his rig
    and didn't see what I was seeing. He said he didn't want to take my
    money and  recut my sail as it looked fine to him. He offered to go out
    on a sail as soon as the boat got wet to see what I was talking about.
    
       The more I deal with Scot, the better I like the guy.