Interesting article in this months WINDSURF magazine. Ayman Rafael, sail repairer to the Dahab Centre, spills some beans. Quote; (on sail damage) ' A lot of it has to do with making sails lighter and so they're not built as strongly as they used to be.'
He also tells of a major sail brand managers visit, to find out why his companies sails were failing so often? When showed why, major improvements were brought in.
Does this mean that sail makers are so obsessed with performance at all costs that they don't even know whether they will fall apart, or not?
This certainly fits in with my perceptions. I have a full quiver from wave board gale to longboard cruise, and two sails have split in the last year. The most disconcerting was a year plus old North Dke 5.4 which split the monofilm panel above the boom from one side to the other with a loud bang when hit by a gust!
Looking around our beach last week I noted that the dozen or so regulars who were out all appeared to have brand new sails rigged. (Severne is flavour of the year.) I then remembered that I'd noticed the same thing the year before.
Are we really just being taken for granted by the sail makers, and shouldn't expect better?
I think it goes in cycles.
I'm pretty disappointed with my 2009 Gaastras. The old ones were a lot better.
My Loft Switch Blade's pretty good. No complaints at all about that sail.
My other sails are Ezzies and they just keep going and going and going. They are made out of tank armour. I take them to riots.
I have a Naish Stealth too but I don't use it enough to have an opinion. It seems well built though.
So what were the sails at the Dahab Centre?
Not Wal; obviously he was coy on that, but he mends all makes and not just from Dahab Centre. His comments can be read to include all the makes brought to him. (Again, he doesn't say which.) Presumably he can't comment on some of the stronger makes (a pity) since they don't fall apart.
He does say that a common way of saving weight is to miss out batten pocket end reinforcement, where it meets the luff. That is something the customer can't tell.
Nebbian; the ironic thing is that North claim to have a 5 year warranty on their sails, but only against manufacturing defects.I sail on sandy beaches, and the 5.4 Duke is a fairly strong wind sail. Naturally in such conditions the sand is flying in the wind.By the time I've walked wet board and rig up the beach at the end of a session, they (and my wetsuit) are caked in sand. I then have to derig in a wind and sand swept seafront car park, and roll the sail up into that sail bag, coplete with half the beach! The 40 mile drive home with it bouncing and grinding away in the car makes me wonder how monofilm panels even last a year.
That's what's so crackers. It's sold as a highish wind sail for use in such conditions, yet at the same time they claim such treatment is unreasoable usage!!
Agreed Ginger Pom. My old North Zeta 4.2 was indestructable, and I still have it. Sadly, it's performance is of yesteryear. I see though that Bic are reintroducing tough durable long lasting Dacron sails as part of a learner package with their Nova boards. Bic have a proven record of backing the right horses (remember Hard Rocks and Technos amonst many others) . How long before the other sail manufacturers follow suit?
Slight correction. Re-read article and what's generally missing from the batten SLEEVES is mylar reinforcement. The batten pockets ends against the luff tube are still protected.
Durability V’s cost cutting (to increase profit margin) – there lies the problem.
Durability vs planned obsolesce too.
If your sails last forever, you'll stop buying new ones.
Well I'm going to check out the Ezzies. I sail a lot, and yearly renewal is not the path to go down.
As sail makers need to bring out a 'new' sail EVERY year, as it is what we expect from them, and we critique them constantly on performance, often by the time they fail a new sail comes out, durability of a sail is overshadowed by the next seasons sail performance. I look at a sail lasting me for 1 SOLID season, if I get 2 out of it then I feel like I'm sailing on borrowed time WRT to sail life - and am stoked if it lasts, but I've come not to expect as much as say 10 years ago.
The new gear is designed to give maximum performance and we want it to perform better than last years sails, year in year out this cycle repeats and every few years the performance increase stalls and we question if the sails are any good?. Sail makers are refining performance by sheding weight by using newer materials that are lighter, its what we constantly ask them.
From my readings, Severne and Naish sails seem to focus on the durability of their new light materials more than some other companies, and as a result they have more expensive sails, but they last.
More of today's buyers are focused and obsessed with newer things, better performing even if slightly, performance in the majority of buyers minds these days outwieghts durability. The GFO didn't last long enough for these companies to change their stratergies, Think, if they did and focused on durability, then who would buy a sail next year?
there's plenty of sails on the market that last years.
if your sails are falling apart change brands and vote with your feet.
Do sails really improve in performance year on year KMAN5000? Ginger Pom said he was disappointed with his 2009 Gaastras, and that the old ones were a lot better.I can recall favourite sails which were replaced by less good ones.
Neither would I agree that if sails were built to last they wouldn't sell enough new ones. All they are doing is selling to a repeat and shrinking market. If gear was longer lasting and cheaper would windsurfing be in decline? Aren't Bic with their new durable and longer lasting Dacron starter rigs hoping to make that point.
I also Kayak, and when Polyethelene boats were introduced the same argument was used, but far from cutting their own throats, more and more people took up the sport. The gear was long lasting and cheaper, so they sold a hell of a lot more. (My favourite Dagger R.P.M. is ancient, but will outlast me.)
The second point is that year on year repeat sails to enthusiasts wouldn't dry up IF the latest sails were a genuine improvement! It's my observation that not many windsurfers believe this to be so.
