South East Asian Sails

[Ssas5342]

Anybody had any sails from these guys? They are based in Thailand and have very reasonably priced sails. Which make me a little suspicious.

[Celestialsailor]

Rolly Tasker is another maker in Thailand. I have read complaints on this forum about them. Buyer beware.

[wingssail]

I do not know who these folks are but there was a Mike Tasker not related to Rolly Tasker who worked at Rolly Tasker's loft in the late 2000's, so they may have branched off.

I have been in Rolly Tasker's loft (factory) several times and I know that a lot of sails come out of there (they also have an awesome hardware department).

I have purchased sails from another ex Rolly Tasker employee who had set up shop on his own and got good serviced from those sails, one of which I am still using 13 years later.

So I think there are good, experienced, sailmakers in Phuket, Thailand and you can get a quality product and a good price. My experience is that they are less capable with racing sails than cruising sails.

However, there are two big risks when you buy sails from one of these Asian lofts:

1. You are completely responsible for the measurement and specification and this can be trickly. If you get it wrong it's on you. That being said, it's how I've been buying sails for 20 years. I am just very careful and I accept that risk in return for the money I save, which is substantial. I buy in China and Sri Lanka.
2. The second is that if you go for a budget sail without specifying exactly what kind of hardware, cloth, and fittings, you may get a cheap sail which is underbuilt. Here again it is up to you to spell out exactly what you want.

Additionally, there really is no after-sale service, although I once returned a sail the a China factory and they replaced it at no cost to me without quibble. But you never know.

[nightowle]

I've been very pleased with Rolly Tasker sails made in Thailand, for cruising mainsail. They were cut to a standard size.

[Ssas5342]

I’ve been chatting to them a bit. They are using challenge sail cloth (same as what I’ve been quoted by rolly tasker) and quality thread. Many of them worked with tasker sails in the past. And it is a Tasker I’m dealing with. Very confusing. And it is a substantial saving. They reuse my old sail hardware, which saves more money. Worth a thought for the budget conscious. I still haven’t decided if I’ll go for them and save thousands, or a local company.

[GSpencerCat30]

Do they give you an opportunity to speak to the sail designer? If so the time difference seems like it would be a challenge. There are other sail makers at similar costs that have people in North America.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by GSpencerCat30

Do they give you an opportunity to speak to the sail designer? If so the time difference seems like it would be a challenge. There are other sail makers at similar costs that have people in North America.

If you need to speak with the "designer" then purchasing from an overseas loft is probably not the thing for you.

To buy that way you need to be absolutely confident in what you want and be able to articulate that in notes when you order the sail (and expect it to be reflected in the specs they send back to you before commencing the build). Most shops are using standard sail design software and it is probably operated by someone who doesn't speak English, further, the kind of personal attention you are needing is not their specialty. For that you need, (and pay for) a local sailmaker.

[GSpencerCat30]

Originally Posted by wingssail

If you need to speak with the "designer" then purchasing from an overseas loft is probably not the thing for you.

To buy that way you need to be absolutely confident in what you want and be able to articulate that in notes when you order the sail (and expect it to be reflected in the specs they send back to you before commencing the build). Most shops are using standard sail design software and it is probably operated by someone who doesn't speak English, further, the kind of personal attention you are needing is not their specialty. For that you need, (and pay for) a local sailmaker.

I couldn't disagree more. I am actively researching and deciding what sail maker to use. I have spoken to 4 sail makers that are not local to me, can't come to the boat, require me to fill in a measurement form and they all agreed to have the sail designer video call and screen share with me to ensure that the sail is being designed the way that I want it. One of them did a video call to go through the options on the quote.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by GSpencerCat30

I couldn't disagree more. I am actively researching and deciding what sail maker to use. I have spoken to 4 sail makers that are not local to me, can't come to the boat, require me to fill in a measurement form and they all agreed to have the sail designer video call and screen share with me to ensure that the sail is being designed the way that I want it. One of them did a video call to go through the options on the quote.

I am curious if any of these were in Asia or Africa?

After having 16 years of experience with overseas sail lofts (factories) I fully believe that the lowest priced ones are primarily wholesale outfits. They don't have staff or skills to do that kind of marketing for each retail buyer. If you're getting that kind of service you are definitely paying for it.

There are quite a few smaller sail lofts around the US and elsewhere that sell sails from the Asian factories, usually but not always, with their own logo on it. I am one of these. They might, and often do, have a loft themselves with sewing machines and fabric and do repairs and service their customers.

Those guys have to mark up the sails they sell to cover their costs. If they are willing to set up a video call with a "designer" it is because they have hired a person to do the designs and provide that to the Asian factory. They will have to cover his fee. The guys who do the designs for me cost $75-$150 for a sail as a design fee. I could do that myself if I wanted to buy the software.

If you buy from Far East Sails, South East Asian Sails, Rolly Tasker, or others such as Neil Pride, they will have a sales rep who you deal with while considering an order and who you will be in contact with if there is a problem. That guy is in Asia and he is paid by the factory. If you are in contact with someone not in the factory itself it is a person who is in business for himself and is taking a cut on the sail and the consulting services. That is not free, but for someone who wants that type of consulting, it is the way to go.

[GSpencerCat30]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I am curious if any of these were in Asia or Africa?

After having 16 years of experience with overseas sail lofts (factories) I fully believe that the lowest priced ones are primarily wholesale outfits. They don't have staff or skills to do that kind of marketing for each retail buyer. If you're getting that kind of service you are definitely paying for it.

There are quite a few smaller sail lofts around the US and elsewhere that sell sails from the Asian factories, usually but not always, with their own logo on it. I am one of these. They might, and often do, have a loft themselves with sewing machines and fabric and do repairs and service their customers.

Those guys have to mark up the sails they sell to cover their costs. If they are willing to set up a video call with a "designer" it is because they have hired a person to do the designs and provide that to the Asian factory. They will have to cover his fee. The guys who do the designs for me cost $75-$150 for a sail as a design fee. I could do that myself if I wanted to buy the software.

If you buy from Far East Sails, South East Asian Sails, Rolly Tasker, or others such as Neil Pride, they will have a sales rep who you deal with while considering an order and who you will be in contact with if there is a problem. That guy is in Asia and he is paid by the factory. If you are in contact with someone not in the factory itself it is a person who is in business for himself and is taking a cut on the sail and the consulting services. That is not free, but for someone who wants that type of consulting, it is the way to go.

I have found one in Canada that has the design team local and manufacturing overseas, 3 in the US that have design in the US and build either in the US or overseas. Most have pricing within my budget. Spending 2% more to speak to the designer and see the final final design in the design software is well worth it for me.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by GSpencerCat30

I have found one in Canada that has the design team local and manufacturing overseas, 3 in the US that have design in the US and build either in the US or overseas. Most have pricing within my budget. Spending 2% more to speak to the designer and see the final final design in the design software is well worth it for me.

I am happy for you if you've found pricing which matches your budget.

What you describe matches my experience as well (except my budget might be a bit lower than yours).

One note however, every sailmaker, sail loft, or sail factory will present the final design in the design software's output including for your understanding and approval, usually 3-D sail flow as well as detail configuration and numbers (pages of it).

[Subsonic]

Hi Folks

Can someone please list a few of the Lofts that work with you in the USA on the design and use the overseas factories to keep the cost down?

Thank you!

[GSpencerCat30]

The one that I found in Canada is Precision Sails. I think Quantum has designers in the Michigan office, Some North Sails lofts have a designer on staff. There was a guy in SF Pineapple Sails that was a good designer but he retired.

With video chats and screen sharing, you can expand the geographic area you are willing to do business. If you need someone to come to the boat and measure, you'll need to use someone local.

I live 3 hours from my nearest local loft so I would be doing my own measurements no matter who I decided to use.