I ordered a Hobie 17 budget mainsail from Peak Sails on October 20th despite Reading several unbelievable complaints and problems with the company. With price and the payment plan I was in no hurry and felt like it was worth a shot. Well the day after I ordered the sail, customer service called me and informed me that they had the performance version of my sail in stock and would ship it at no additional cost although it was whit instead of color. Of course I agreed, and the following day received an email saying that a mistake was made and the sails they had in stock were actually for a hobie 18. They were going to place the order to have the performance sail made and still no additional cost. In fact they charged me less than the advertised price on the website of 700, they only billed my card 570 including shipping!
Well I received my sail today and what a glorious site it was to behold. It is much thicker than the hobie brand sail and the stitching is at least 3 times more reinforced than the hobie sail. The Hardware on the sail is aluminum where on the hobie it is heavy plastic. Just when you think it doesn't get any better guess what, it does. The sail came with a full set of battens which were also advertised at an additional cost. In fact a set of battens usually costs between 100-150 bucks for my boat. Also, the foot angle of my new sail holds my boom a little lower adding several square feet of sail. As for the power and performance on the water.....just awesome a huge upgrade from my stock hobie sail.
I will conclude by saying my experience with peak sails was totally perfect. Even if I would have received the classic mainsail that I ordered I believe the quality would have been excellent. The customer service was friendly and prompt, through emails and phone. I decided to write this post to try to debunk some of the rumors or trolls about this company. When I researched the company I read many horror stories, and maybe they are true, but my experience makes me feel that those must be isolated incidents or over anxious customers. I don't know about other sail models they make, but if you are looking for a cat sail on a budget I don't think you should hesitate to order with peak sails.
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Hobie 14/17
Tampa, FL
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Peaksails the myth revealed
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Posted: Nov 19, 2014 - 11:46 PM
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Posted: Nov 20, 2014 - 04:04 PM
They sent you battens without you ordering them? Don't think I've seen a dacron sail on a Hobie 17 before.
Jealous that you are still sailing! Post some pictures of your boat with new sails. Also instructions to setup your avatar and signature are in my sig below.
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
How To Create Your Signature
How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar
How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
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Posted: Nov 20, 2014 - 05:19 PM
Wow! That's so great. Anyone else who bought from peak? -
- Rank: Mate
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Posted: Nov 20, 2014 - 05:42 PM
I was out sailing on Nov 16th fellas, not on my P16, in my C13, it was -2C which would be 31 ish in F.
Good on you for sharing the good story, I find we as people IMO tend to lament the bad more than cheer the good.
Jus' sayin'
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1975 P16 "Spring Rain"Sail # 642
Home Built 2004 Optimist-Delta "Unity"
So old it has Dino hide for a sail Chrysler "Pirateer"
Steve
Oyama BC
Lat 50.1167 N
Long 119.3667 W
1700 ft
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Posted: Nov 20, 2014 - 07:11 PM
Free battens, without ordering...
Is this just me, or this is too good to be true? When I was shopping for H17 main sail, the price was $1000-2000 without battens or shipping.
Well, retropharoah, are you sure your are a real customer? Or perhaps you ARE peaksails.com and this is a just"clever marketing"?
It took me 30 sec. to look up peaksails at BBB. It's got an F with 18 unresolved complains.
http://www.bbb.org/wester…s-in-seattle-wa-22689093
Anyhow, retropharoah, if you are real, I am very happy for you. I would like to believe you, but the tone your add points me otherwise.
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Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
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Posted: Nov 20, 2014 - 09:53 PM
Here is what you actually do if your on a budget and would like to own truly TOP NOTCH sails and receive very personal customer service. Call Chip @ Whirlwindsails.com.
I've purchased a set of Mylar sails for my Hobie 18, a Pentex set for my Hobie Miracle 20 and a Dacron set for my Macgregor 26D.
Edited by sailawaycat on Nov 20, 2014 - 09:54 PM. -
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Posted: Nov 21, 2014 - 08:26 AM
+1
Anything you read on the web has to be true.
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Philip
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Posted: Nov 21, 2014 - 10:37 AM
I assure you I am a real customer, I also saw the BBB website and numerous posts claiming this company sucks. All of the info was several years old and I decided to write my post because my experience did not reflect what I have read. The only drawback I could actually say is that the sailbag it comes with will not hold the sail with the battens in it.
I will take some pics of the boat with the sail on it next time I go out. Probably won't be until January though.
No doubt the whirlwinds sails look nice, but I would hardly consider them budget when compared to the peak sails price.
The battens are not as stiff or thick as the old battens I have but for free I am not complaining. I know it sounds too good to be true, but believe it because this is real.
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Hobie 14/17
Tampa, FL
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Posted: Nov 22, 2014 - 04:35 AM
Where did the sail ship from? Were the battens the super cheap fiberglass, similar to what's in an H16 jib?
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Nov 22, 2014 - 01:19 PM
The sail shipped from Elizabeth, CO and the battens are super cheap fiberglass with tandem drilled holes, I probably should replace them I imagine if I had ordered them they would have been the upgraded battens.
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Hobie 14/17
Tampa, FL
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Posted: Nov 22, 2014 - 08:12 PM
I got a main once with some battens like that, they were totally useless. Im guessing some lofts include them for noverlay.
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Nov 25, 2014 - 12:40 PM
Just out of curiosity what performance difference could I notice when switching battens? Are stiffer battens better then more flexible ones, or are there different applications for both?
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Hobie 14/17
Tampa, FL
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Posted: Jul 05, 2015 - 04:48 PM
[Full Discloser: I am a competitor to Peak Sails. My name is Judy Blumhorst. I own and operate www.HydeSailsDirect.com]
Peak Sails recently (June 2015) sold a suit of sails to a Catalina 22 owner, who posted a glowing review online with links to hi-res pics of the sails. Peak Sails sold him some Tri-Radial dacron Sails supposedly made of Challenge Warp Drive dacron. The Buyer was thrilled at the low price and the good deal he got.
I took a look at the high resolution pictures and it was clear that the dacron was NOT Challenge Warp Drive. To an average sail buyer, all dacron sailcloth looks the same. But to a professional sailmaker, different dacron sailcloths look and feel very different.
I emailed the buyer of the Peak SAils and told him of my suspicions. He got a sample of the real Warp Drive from Challenge and compared the two. He verified that Peak SAils sold him a sail that wasn't made of Challenge WArp Drive like it was supposed to be.
To my eye, from the pictures the buyer posted online, it looked like a cheap, stretchy dacron that costs about 70% less than genuine Challenge Warp Drive.
IMO, this so-called Tri-Radial sail from Peak, made of counterfeit cloth, is worse than the cheapest economy cross-cut sails on the market. The thread directions don't match the loads at all. They might as well have made it out of a dacron bed sheet. It's going to stretch like crazy.
Here's a link to the thread and a screen capture of his post:
http://forums.catalina.sa…read.php?t=171795&page=3
Edited by jblumhorst on Jul 05, 2015 - 03:12 PM.
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