Why does nobody market custom sails like custom boards ?
Custom boards are about the same price as production ones (or cheaper).
Would a custom sail cost much more than a production one ?
I know HSM give you custom graphics on the Superfreaks, but it is not really the same.
Select to expand quoteCarantoc said..
Why does nobody market custom sails like custom boards ?
Custom boards are about the same price as production ones (or cheaper).
Would a custom sail cost much more than a production one ?
A good mate of mine here in Yeppoon is a sail maker and has made numerous windsurfing sails - he commented to me the other day that he had just ordered a new Loft wave sail at a resonable price and if he was to make it himself just the material alone would cost almost the same as getting one delivered, not to mention the amount of labour that goes into making even the simpliest of sails.
Select to expand quoteCarantoc said..
Why does nobody market custom sails like custom boards ?
Custom boards are about the same price as production ones (or cheaper).
Would a custom sail cost much more than a production one ?
I know HSM give you custom graphics on the Superfreaks, but it is not really the same.
They do sell them, but not market them. To be honest, there are a lot of details in the sails you get from a name brand that I think would be hard to get from a small sail loft. I think its only when they make a reasonable number of them, they can afford to have everything done 'just right'.
I enquired about getting a sail made from a sailmaker years ago to see if I could have a larger sail to suit the mast I had at the time. It seems a lot of them use the same design software, so in theory the sails should be good. The problem I think would be in things like cams, battens, and just the general detail of the sail. I think a mass produced sail is just going to be that much more polished than a custom sail.
I think you also hit the problem that you might with a custom board. If you go to sell it, the next person may not place as much value on it as they do a name brand, proven, board or sail.
Select to expand quoteFormulaNova said..
It seems a lot of them use the same design software, so in theory the sails should be good.
Ummm, you know that the software doesn't design the sails right? 
I was a sailmaker for 25 years and for a few seasons I made my own formula race sails. I only did it because I enjoyed the challenge (and it is a challenge) of building race sails. Guys like Barracouta make custom niche sails for race boards and I think Avalon sails in WA make small production runs. There are probably others but not many. The profit margin it not there.
Jethrow
P.S. My last sail is the one in my avatar...
In the future it would be great to buy any brand of sail online and custom order your sail, starts with basic offering and price then you pick what colours you want chose the performance level your after like more power deep off wind etc
Select to expand quotechoco said..
In the future it would be great to buy any brand of sail online and custom order your sail, starts with basic offering and price then you pick what colours you want chose the performance level your after like more power deep off wind etc
Probably where its all going to go.
All the major windsurfing sail makers have their 'Prototype' making setup to make what effectively are custom sails for the brands they manufacture for. It is generally a LOT more expensive to have protos (custom sails) made than the production runs because they are made differently.
It is possible that it may become an option in the future to choose small changes like colours and minor changes in shape but it will also likely cost a premium.
Select to expand quoteK Dog said..choco said..
In the future it would be great to buy any brand of sail online and custom order your sail, starts with basic offering and price then you pick what colours you want chose the performance level your after like more power deep off wind etc
Probably where its all going to go.
it has been there and has gone back.
Aren't most production sails made in the 'Gaastra' factory in China? The Chinese built towers there that looks like the Gaastra towers in Holland.
Select to expand quoteCarantoc said..
Why does nobody market custom sails like custom boards ?
Custom boards are about the same price as production ones (or cheaper).
Would a custom sail cost much more than a production one ?
I know HSM give you custom graphics on the Superfreaks, but it is not really the same.
Northwave.
in The Gorge, Oregon.
not any more expensive than production.
shipping may be expensive though.
Select to expand quoteJethrow said..FormulaNova said..
It seems a lot of them use the same design software, so in theory the sails should be good.
Ummm, you know that the software doesn't design the sails right?
Uhh, that's why I included the words 'in theory'. I hope you used to listen more attentively to your customers for 25 years 
Select to expand quotechoco said...
In the future it would be great to buy any brand of sail online and custom order your sail, starts with basic offering and price then you pick what colours you want chose the performance level your after like more power deep off wind etc
This already exists its called an online windsurfing shop. You pick brand, then model based on characteristics (power wave sail, slalom, free ride, freestyle) then usually you get the choice of a few colours..
Cutting individual panels in different shapes for each user is not efficient, with mass production not only can you order large quantities of the materials \ colours but also cut the same panel shape out multiple times...
A friend of mine in NZ made his own sails for a while, he told me whilst the basic process is relatively straightforward(& time consuming) the sails he made were nothing performance wise compared to production sails.
There is also already so much choice out there, what else would you change instead of what is currently available?
How cool is that vid!
I reckon that'd be such a rewarding thing to be able to design and make your own sail. Even if it was a one off. Maybe I'll look at the local TAFE colleges, and see if there's a course around here. Maybe a 7.0m no cam - I could whack it on the SUP, or the Fu93.
Then when you add years of trial and error, competition and eventually growth, you end up in the shoes of someone like Ben Severne (just to name an SA boy).
I'm going to buy me sewing machine... 
