The difference between getting a 10m square sail made in sexy smokey aramid compared to regular salt and vinegar dacron is a piddleing 40 quid..... yet the manufacturers sell the materials at a massive double price difference.

Is there something fishy going on with my material supplier or are the sail makers beefing up prices on the most regular lines??

Does any one have any personnal views on, what constitutes, the second most expensive cost to being competitive??

I'd say the most expensive thing. In most classes you can bring an old boat up to speed, but an old suit of sails?

As for the question, maybe the kevlar sail is quicker to make, so the difference in price is made smaller, even though the material is more expensive? I'm not at all surprised to hear that the material itself is twice the price to buy a small piece.

Indeed, you would expect so. You would also expect that the labour cost would be reduced the more units your produce, so why (assuming all sailmakers turn a profit) are they all the same price accross manufacturers?

I would expect not a great deal of savings in labour on the bulk production of sails; that is why many lofts have gone off to the far east ...

Rick

I think they are having you on..... I made a spinny in a day and I had to draft and cut then whole thing by hand.....and Id never done it before.

Yeah; but was it any good?

Rick

Yes... but only a standard symetrical. The software for design is free at http://sailcut.sourceforge.net/ - http://sailcut.sourceforge.net/  and the materials at http://www.sailrite.com/ - http://www.sailrite.com/ . cost about 70quid.

But that is only a spinny...... a main and jib, my next project is some 25 US dollars per metre and much more complex and critical.... in a sense your paying for their research. if it comes out well, I promise I'll put the offsets on the web for all to share, but i suspect a good sail will be a few cuts down the line. 

Or the Phillipines... Making sails is (a) far less labour intensive than it used to be (lots of computer-controlled machines) and (b) has been to some extent (by the bigger lofts anyway) shipped out to places where labour is extremely cheap (otherwise they wouldn't have shipped out there in the first place).   Are these savings being passed on to the customer?  I guess if they were then all the smaller lofts would have gone out of business pretty pronto.

Mike

I think there are three things to consider here;

1) The smaller lofts work with classes that the big boys are not interested in due to the volumes

2) The smaller lofts can offer a more personal service; e.g. tuning advice

3) I suspect they opperate off different business models

Rick

No. It makes a false distinction though. All companies depend on customer relations.

Look at Sobstad UK. Design and service in the UK. Manufacture in China. They certainly wouldn't say they don't depend on customer relations. They are attempting to have the best of both worlds - and quite possibly succeeding.

ok well i suppose my basic A level geography hasnt coverd that yet roll on university and we will see wot happens!!