New main sail question

[RichardF]

Anyone had experience with MauriPro sails?

I was on the MauriPro site looking to make a set of heavy spin sheets and saw they sell one design and other sails. Out of curiosity I put my boat make and model in and was surprised to see a selection of sails for the Olson 40. I was shocked out how much better the price was than I expected. Can I really expect top performance from an out of the box sail, or has sailmaking advance to the point of plugging in the boat data and a Computer cuts and sews the rest? From what I saw on the website the P and E dimensions are the same. Has tapered battens, 2 reef points, Cunningham and sail bag.
We have a racing main from NorthSails that was on the boat when I bought it and was supposedly made “custom” and it is not great. Have the days of a sail maker coming out and measuring your boat and sailing with you past? Does this process just add needless cost? The cost savings is significant enough I could pick up a heavy 1 headsail too.
I am reluctant to engage NorthSails given the state of our Main and recent experience with a New A2 and was going to get UK and Quantum to give me bids as well but I wonder if the added cost also adds value?
At the same time I would rather not spend sailboat dollars on a sail that performs worse than my existing main.
Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[BoksNoRox]

If you purchase a sail that a competent sailmaker has not measured your rig for, Your are liable for how it fits. all it takes is for one or two minor changes to the rig and your sail shape could be compromised completely. Every sail other than one design is a custom sail.

 

[Tylo]

Howdy!
We had a thread about this at the start of the year where Juan Mauri cleared up some things.
Here's a link to the thread in question: https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/sails-from-mauriprosailing.234553/#post-7835120

I can give you my 2 cents on the subject but ultimately I think every buyer is different and values services and other things differently. Some are happy to pay more for great service (but expect great service in return), others just want the cheapest sail possible and work things out on their own.

Personally I value a local sail loft immensely; not only is it a great place to go bounce ideas of people with more experience and knowledge than me but if (when) I break something I can be at the loft in under an hour dropping the sail off for repairs and usually be out on the water with it a day or two later if needed. When I have time to be sailing I want to be sailing, not waiting for my sail to be shipped across the country. If your location info is correct you're quite far away from MauriPro's loft in Florida.

With regards to having a professional measure the boat I think it's a great service, not only because I think there's less chance of it going wrong if it's done by someone who does it for a living but also because when I've had boats measured the sailmaker has also had a look at my rig trim and deck layout and often offered tips or advice on improvements that I hadn't thought of myself. Even more so on the test sail when the new sail is delivered. When paying more for a local sail these are the services that I pay for; speedy help when needed, advice when requested and a personal interaction that has always lead to improvements in my sailing performance, so for me personally that has never been a "needless cost".

Can you expect "top performance" from an out of the box sail made to a standard (or your) measurement? Maybe, but I wouldn't. It may perform very well measured in sail area per dollar though, and sometimes that's the most important thing, but a P and E measurement only gets you a triangle. Sail design (depending on your intended use, choice of material, boat dimensions and things like righting moment) is very important as well. For example, the main that came with my new-to-me boat is extremely flat with very little luff curve built in. My local sailmaker tells me it's quite common for sails of that brand to be made using a "one size fits all" type of approach to the design, not taking into consideration what kind of boat it is or how it will be used, and as a result they all look exactly the same, just scaled differently.

Needless to say I will be going to my local sailmaker when I've saved up for a new mainsail.

With regards to your issues with your main, have you tried changing rig trim/setup and seeing if that affects it? Sails can look very weird if the rig trim is changed to something they weren't designed for. If I were you I'd contact North and see if they are able to give you any advice on what could be wrong (they might just say the sail is done but at least then you know).

Good luck!

 

[RichardF]

Howdy!
We had a thread about this at the start of the year where Juan Mauri cleared up some things.
Here's a link to the thread in question: https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/sails-from-mauriprosailing.234553/#post-7835120

I can give you my 2 cents on the subject but ultimately I think every buyer is different and values services and other things differently. Some are happy to pay more for great service (but expect great service in return), others just want the cheapest sail possible and work things out on their own.

Personally I value a local sail loft immensely; not only is it a great place to go bounce ideas of people with more experience and knowledge than me but if (when) I break something I can be at the loft in under an hour dropping the sail off for repairs and usually be out on the water with it a day or two later if needed. When I have time to be sailing I want to be sailing, not waiting for my sail to be shipped across the country. If your location info is correct you're quite far away from MauriPro's loft in Florida.

With regards to having a professional measure the boat I think it's a great service, not only because I think there's less chance of it going wrong if it's done by someone who does it for a living but also because when I've had boats measured the sailmaker has also had a look at my rig trim and deck layout and often offered tips or advice on improvements that I hadn't thought of myself. Even more so on the test sail when the new sail is delivered. When paying more for a local sail these are the services that I pay for; speedy help when needed, advice when requested and a personal interaction that has always lead to improvements in my sailing performance, so for me personally that has never been a "needless cost".

Can you expect "top performance" from an out of the box sail made to a standard (or your) measurement? Maybe, but I wouldn't. It may perform very well measured in sail area per dollar though, and sometimes that's the most important thing, but a P and E measurement only gets you a triangle. Sail design (depending on your intended use, choice of material, boat dimensions and things like righting moment) is very important as well. For example, the main that came with my new-to-me boat is extremely flat with very little luff curve built in. My local sailmaker tells me it's quite common for sails of that brand to be made using a "one size fits all" type of approach to the design, not taking into consideration what kind of boat it is or how it will be used, and as a result they all look exactly the same, just scaled differently.

Needless to say I will be going to my local sailmaker when I've saved up for a new mainsail.

With regards to your issues with your main, have you tried changing rig trim/setup and seeing if that affects it? Sails can look very weird if the rig trim is changed to something they weren't designed for. If I were you I'd contact North and see if they are able to give you any advice on what could be wrong (they might just say the sail is done but at least then you know).

Good luck!

Outstanding information, thank you for the thoughtful reply. If there is an adjustment we have made it. I am told the original owner asked the rep back out on the boat because he was not happy and was told “it is supposed to look like that. Everyone that has sailed with me has said the same thing - what is wrong with your main…as they try to trim if I am not on main.
while we do not have a local loft, Chicago is the closest. UK will be represented at an upcoming race week event I think and I may invite the rep over for some whiskey and a short sail.

 

[worthless]

how much extra time do u think a sail designer for a big name loft is going to spend on tweaking the design for a non high end single sail order customer? Can u read a tape measure?
how many other lofts are having their membrane sails built at the same plant as mauri pro?

maybe with fall or boat show discounts other lofts will be more in the ballpark with mauripro $, but otherwise divide expected life years of sail by $ and mauripro is looking pretty good.

i havent bought from them but they are high on the list for the next one.

 

[Tylo]

Outstanding information, thank you for the thoughtful reply. If there is an adjustment we have made it. I am told the original owner asked the rep back out on the boat because he was not happy and was told “it is supposed to look like that. Everyone that has sailed with me has said the same thing - what is wrong with your main…as they try to trim if I am not on main.
while we do not have a local loft, Chicago is the closest. UK will be represented at an upcoming race week event I think and I may invite the rep over for some whiskey and a short sail.

No worries, I hope you find something that works for you!

I also want to point out that while the product MauriPro offers isn't necessarily for me I appreciate what they do (especially putting downward pressure on sail prices) and I'd love to see one of their sails in action. I also really like that Juan is active here on the forums.

how much extra time do u think a sail designer for a big name loft is going to spend on tweaking the design for a non high end single sail order customer? Can u read a tape measure?
how many other lofts are having their membrane sails built at the same plant as mauri pro?

maybe with fall or boat show discounts other lofts will be more in the ballpark with mauripro $, but otherwise divide expected life years of sail by $ and mauripro is looking pretty good.

i havent bought from them but they are high on the list for the next one.

As I said, different strokes for different folks. In the sail purchases I've been involved with we've had a great dialogue with both the sales rep and the sail designer leading to some tweaks and changes to the original design before it was produced. I'm sure most of those changes take two or three clicks in the design program so it's not that they're spending a lot of time (outside of our conversations) that matters, it's that I'm getting a tailor-made sail where I can express my wishes and they can offer their experience which ultimately leads to a better product for me. Customer service like that is what why I'll choose to keep buying sails there even though it's more expensive than some alternatives.

Also as I said, it's not really about just reading a tape measure. If a sales rep came to measure my boat and took three measurements and left immediately after, I wouldn't be that impressed. For me it's about the whole package, the support and dialogue from quote request to sail check. It's a premium experience mated to a premium product with a premium price that I am personally very happy to pay for but I completely understand the other side of the argument as well.

 

[Monkey]

how much extra time do u think a sail designer for a big name loft is going to spend on tweaking the design for a non high end single sail order customer? Can u read a tape measure?
how many other lofts are having their membrane sails built at the same plant as mauri pro?

maybe with fall or boat show discounts other lofts will be more in the ballpark with mauripro $, but otherwise divide expected life years of sail by $ and mauripro is looking pretty good.

i havent bought from them but they are high on the list for the next one.

That’s a valid point right up until you take delivery. If you’re content to never tweak your sails to improve them, or worried about emergency repairs a few days before a race, your logic holds up. There’s a lot to be said for having a loyal, local loft. I don’t care if it’s a big brand or independent, service is key. For a cruising boat, I’d absolutely consider Mauri Pro options.