Kevane and FX sails?

roccaas

roccaas

Member
Has anyone used sails from these sources?

They are less $$ than some others that I've seen, but I've always believed that you get what you pay for.
 
well, i sail my neighbor's sunfish and she has an FX sail. I think it's great, it's cut right and everything...but she hasn't had it that long so i dont know about how they hold up after time.
 
For your average day sailer they work quite well. BUT if you ever intend to race remember only a "class legal supplied sail" can be used..ie the racing sail which as you've seen isn't cheap.
 
Thanks for the info re: FX sails. I did not know about them before. Their sails are half the price of some sunfish sails that I have seen around the internet. It states they are 3.9-oz Dacron, so the material is good. I suppose the quality of construction could always be a question, though they do come with a 3-year warranty.

If I do decide to get a new sail, they will definitely be a consideration.
 
is 3.9 oz Dacron thicker than the material that race sails are made of?
 
I have a Neil Pryde sail looks and works great. Priced about $140.00 + shipping. Not approved for racing.
 
A buddy of mine ordered FX sails. They seem to work fine and what little I know seem constructed well. Their customer service however is very lacking! He ordered back in December or so, i.e. in the slow months and in order to have in time for the start of the season but it took forever to get them. When he called about them they blamed it on improper mesurements and that they had some big order placed. needless to say my friend was not happy and they would not even consider overnighting or expediting the shipping to resolve the situation. They lost one customer and at least 5 possible customers that I know of. Anyway, my experience with them, hope yours is better if you go that route.
 
Where can you find Sunfish sails on the Pryde website? All I can find are wicked looking windsurfer sails.

Thanks
 
Try this site neilprydesails.com/catalog/products/sun.htm Hope this helps. This is where I got mine from and it works great.
Kevin
 
Yes, Race sails are Dacron 3.9 oz.

The race sails have shaped panels designed by Hans Fogh when he was at the North Toronto loft. The first year or two the sails were made there. Then the job got shipped to Sri Lanka.

If you want to race, you'll want to get a racing sail. With all due respect, I don't think $350 or so for a Sunfish sail to race is "expensive." Try to buy a new sail for a Laser. Or a Lightning, Or anything else! Some how the expense for maintaining the patterns, making the sails, having the distribution network to get them to our hands, the dealer's dinner all have to be taken care of.

The Sunfish, "everyman's boat," has put and kept small boat sailing in the reach of everyone. You can buy a good used boat for $750 and up; a great race ready boat for $2000 and up, and there is no other one design Class in which you can accomplish this feat!

For folks who daysail, the Neil Pryde, FX, Kevane and other sails will be perfectly serviceable. Will any sail last forever? No. I'm truly amazed that sails I bought 20 years ago still hold together! Do you own clothes that you've worn regularly for 20 years that you can say that about? I doubt it!

Just like you buy new athletic shoes for your daily walk or workout; just like you buy a new or newer car; just like you remodel your house; if you have a boat you need to make upgrades to it from time to time. Yes, it costs money. In the Sunfish world, however, we have it the best it can be!

Can you cut corners? Sure. Have fun with it! If you're racing, just stay in the rules and no one cares! Be grateful that we have this terrific platform that is adaptable to such a wide range of sizes and skill sets that lets everyone go out and play.
 
Actually the original Fogh sails were 3.9 oz Fleetcloth. But IIRC the newer "race sails" are a 3.7 oz version with extra coating compared to the original Fogh sails.
I have a custom all red sail Neils made up for me way back when, before his loft was sold to North sails, and it has held up much better than the newer material used in the current racce sails. which we've found need replacing in as little as two years under heavy racing conditions.
They told me to go back to the 3.9 oz Fleetcloth would add apx $75 to the price of each racing sail.
The current pricing of a race sail runs $425.
 
mike4947 said:
The current pricing of a race sail runs $425.
Click to expand...
At that, for two years of racing, it's still a deal. Laser top competitors buy a new sail every regatta or two. Star, Lightning, and other top flight one-designs do the same. To have a racing sail that will propel the boat for one to two years of heavy racing is pretty economical and remarkable.

Would I like it better if I could buy a racing sail and it lasted for 5 years? Heck yeah! But, the reality is, the material only lasts as long as it does.

It's up to each sailor to decide for him/herself whether or not to buy a new sail annually, every two years, every five years, or to keep going with what they have and make do. Everyone does that all the time.

The Class is lucky that it has a manufacturer that supports it, wants to help with further development around the world, and wants to maintain our link with the Pan American Games. This is the kind of thing we need to play up, promote, and use to draw more people to the Class.

We still have a relatively inexpensive program to maintain. We need to promote the strengths of racing Sunfish, because they are many and our Class is reachable to many who cannot afford other programs!!
 
Is there a real difference, either in longevity or otherwise, between "polyester" sails and "dacron"?

also, this is the description on one site: "Constructed of premium 3.9-ounce Dacron with stainless grommets. Includes 8" X 60" visibility window." If you go to this site, it appears that the sail does not have the sunfish logo on the sail.

while on the neil pryde site, it is this: "3.8oz Polyester in colors, Brass attachment eyelets, Optional View Window $25.00". These sails appear to have the sunfish logo.

would stainless or brass grommets/eyelets be better?

and is the window described in the first description a pretty standard size?

As always, your help and comments are greatly appreciated.
 
Polyester is the generic (chemical) name for the fibre marketed as Dacron (which, I believe, is a DuPont tradename).

From the pictures I have seen, it appears that the window on the NP sails is a bit different in shape and/or size, compared to the 'legal' North sail.

I have no solid answer for your question on grommets. My 'legal' Sunfish sails have brass grommets, but my sails are not that new anymore. I don't think that the grommet issue is a deciding factor, but others may have different thoughts.
 
Brass grommets might actually be better. The softer metal could get a better pinch on the cloth than a harder metal. Don’t know – just wondering. Another question is, what’s the real difference between 3.8 oz and 3.9 oz. Not the obvious 0.1 oz answer. :p Is it the weight of the thread, the threads per inch, or just the rounding factor between oz per square yard (actually 28.5 inches x 36 inches ) and grams per square meter? ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailcloth )

.
 
I bought an FX Sail this summer for a Sunfish I came into possession of. I've sailed for years and it's one of the better "non-legal" sails i've ever seen for any class of boat. I've sailed lasers, bytes, optis and 420's and these FX Sails have a better feel to them than all but the best racing sails.
 
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