cost estimate for sails

[John Di Dio]

I realize there a lot of variables, but is there a dollar figure or maybe a range of figures
that could be used to estimate the cost of sails? Something like $/square foot of sail
area?

Besides the cost differences you might expect based on the overall quality of the
materials and workmanship, would you expect to see a difference in the cost/sq ft
for relatively small or large sails?

The sails I'm concerned with are about 120, 180 & 260 square feet.

Any advice or words of wisdom on the subject of having sails made?

[Dan Nielsen]

Here is one data point.

I recently priced sails for my Haven 12 1/2. In white, the Gaff mainsail is $925 and the jib is $415. Total sail area 133 square feet. These sails are going to be provided by the same sail maker that provides Eric Dow with his Haven sails, and built to the same standard.

Hope this helps.

[rodcross]

Do some shopping around. I went on a quest for sails two years ago. Most, or all of the sailmakers have web sites. Some of those sites have a lot of detailed information

http://www.uksailmakers.com/
http://www.cruisingdirect.com/
http://www.canvasnet.com/bainaqua.htm
http://www.sails.com/
http://www.haarsticksailmakers.com/
http://www.neilprydesails.com
http://www.northsails.com/
http://www.sobstad.com/

This is about half of the list of sites that I have. As it was two years ago, some of these might be stale.

I have a fairly big boat and the quotes ranged between $4,500 and $9,000 for three sails. I picked a company somewhat in the middle as they offered a cruising sail configuration with lots of reinforcements and I have not regretted it. After 3,000 miles of sailing and two seasons in the sun, without covers, they look brand-new. My contact at the sailmaker flew from Connecticut to Duluth MN. to double check my measurements. (Yeah, yeah..I know I paid for it. But, it points out that there is a lot of wiggle-room in their prices.)

At the Newport boat show, I talked with a Bainbridge fabric salesman. The fabric can cost hundreds of dollars per yard and can double or quadruple the cost of the sails.

I'll go back to these people (Niel Pryde) for the next sail.

Rod

[Todd Bradshaw]

There is nothing in the Bainbridge wholesale product line (or that of any other major sailcloth supplier) that might be available for normal folks and costs "hundreds of dollars per yard". Even the heaviest weights of the most expensive, high-tech miracle fiber laminates are usually around $70 per yard, 54" wide and would only be suitable for huge boats. Top of the line Dacrons generally run in the $12-$15 per yard, wholesale for weights that most of us would need. Laminates might run up to about $35, depending upon their construction and which fibers are used.

Ballpark pricing - most likely $6.50-$10 per sq. ft. Keep in mind though that there is about three times as much labor in a 200 sq. ft. main as there is in a 200 sq. ft. genoa, so things may vary for a number of reasons.