Showing a friend their site and offerings the other day and noticed that many of the sails say:
"We are unable to build this product at this time, please check back later"
Anyone know what's going on?
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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
MacGregor 25 (formerly)
Chrysler Dagger 14 (formerly)
NACRA 5.0 (currently)
High Point, NC
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SLO Sail and Canvas
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Posted: Nov 24, 2018 - 11:18 AM
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Posted: Nov 24, 2018 - 11:58 AM
In a small business, employes leave unexpectedly at times, leaving you short handed. My experience. Pete -
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Posted: Nov 24, 2018 - 05:33 PM
I thought I had read some where that they were building sails for other lofts as well as there own.
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dk
Blade F-16
Hobie 14
Corsair F-242
Mirage 25 (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
TomCat 6.2 (Sold)
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Posted: Nov 26, 2018 - 08:18 AM
This might explain some of it: http://sailinganarchy.com/classifieds/show-ad/?id=3577
One of the lower cost areas in California to live and work but its probably still tough making ends meet running a sewing machine 8-10 hours a day. At least in the loft I worked in only the owner was really doing okay financially, I mean the other employees were fine but had spouses who made good money and they weren't living waterfront. -
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Posted: Nov 26, 2018 - 08:55 AM
When they failed to deliver on my new tramp, and failed to return the one i sent as a template, and decided to "go dark" and never respond to my emails/calls ...
I heard through the other forums they were overwhelmed with orders for Murrays.com -
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Posted: Nov 26, 2018 - 11:13 AM
I ordered my NACRA 5.8 tramp from them. No issue on delivery. Took a couple of weeks but the best product ever. Worth the wait, if there is one from my experience. -
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Posted: Nov 26, 2018 - 05:32 PM
Sunrise Yacht Products builds the best tramps I have seen
https://multihullnets.com/ -
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Posted: Nov 27, 2018 - 01:23 AM
SLO is still advertising here. Props for that.
Quite a few SLO sails and tramps out here on the rock. Just put one on an 18-2.
I would guess that unless you are Hobie, you’re not making a fortune on catamaran parts these days.
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Prindle 18
96734
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Posted: Nov 27, 2018 - 01:06 PM
But an industrial cut & sew operation can... they do more than sails and tramps...
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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Posted: Nov 27, 2018 - 01:10 PM
Been buying from Richard for years an never a problem.... you pay a little more, but the quality is well worth it.
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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Posted: Nov 27, 2018 - 06:45 PM
I have had the privalige of talking with him for extended times. often not about cat related things.
Nice guy, making custom products in a very small shop in a industrial park
I have never personally had a production issue but i know there were some fit issues with a few cats back in the day - but he always fixed the issue. handled professionally, and most of the issues I heard of were due to him not knowing it was an xl version of boat with wider beams
Edited by MN3 on Nov 27, 2018 - 06:52 PM. -
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Posted: Nov 28, 2018 - 10:24 AM
I asked them to make a custom jib and main this summer for my H18 Magnum. I really like the "Blue Hawaii" pattern and they replicated it perfectly on both sails. Best looking sails on our beach IMO. Very good quality and workmanship; hardware used on the sails is excellent. I also purchased a tramp from them last summer. When I had an issue with it this year, they sent me a replacement for free. Karl the owner is busy running a small business I think, and can be tough to reach at times, but he's gone out of his way to help me. I'd definitely give them the benefit of doubt. -
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Posted: Nov 28, 2018 - 11:58 AM
I would like to weigh in in this quickly. Andrew had been managing the sail department here for a number of years and did a fantastic job of it. He moved on to a 'real job' and we have just been shorthanded, especially on the technical side of sailmaking and working with customers to get them what they want. We had someone else coming up through the ranks that left for family reasons and we were left with not enough time or talent to be selling sails online where we wouldn't have control over how much people ordered. We are building sails with orders by phone and we are currently scheduled about 6 weeks out. Hopefully we'll be able to re-build the labor pool and get back to building hundreds of sails a year.
On that note we are looking to hire people with sailmaking experience. This is going to be a difficult person to find but we're trying. With most sailmaking offshoring to Asia over the last 30 years there are very few lofts actually building sails start to finish in the US anymore, and thus there are very few people in the training pipeline. -
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Posted: Nov 28, 2018 - 07:24 PM
Thanks for the first hand info, keep at it, there is bound to be someone qualified who wants to work at a real sail loft rather than a marketing front like so many places that sell sails these days.
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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 29, 2018 - 01:46 PM
Thanks for the "official" update. Such a sad commentary on sailmaking and the lot of much US manufacturing. Offshoring has done so much damage to us all.
Not sailmaking experience per se, but there are many laid off/displaced sewing pros in my area, High Point, NC the "Furniture Capital of The World." Not sure a move to Cali or the COL shock would be attractive to any folks, but there is a vast highly experienced talent pool here. Maybe a little targeted solicitation for help?
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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
MacGregor 25 (formerly)
Chrysler Dagger 14 (formerly)
NACRA 5.0 (currently)
High Point, NC
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Posted: Dec 03, 2018 - 04:09 AM
Thanks for sharing that information
