Sailboats USA 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

Full-Service Lofts (Nationwide)

• North Sails — largest sailmaker in the world; offices in nearly every sailing city in the US; full range from racing to cruising; 3Di laminate technology
• Ullman Sails — performance and cruising; offices in California, Florida, and the Northeast; strong racing program
• Doyle Sails Collective — custom cruising and offshore sails; Stratis and Membrane construction; dealer network nationwide
• Quantum Sails — major US loft; offices on both coasts and Great Lakes; known for cruising inventories
• Halsey Lidgard Sails — quality cruising and racing sails; design expertise from America's Cup backgrounds

Regional Lofts

• Mack Sails — Stuart, FL — outstanding cruising sails; honest advice; great for Bahamas and offshore cruisers
• Schurr Sails — Pacific Northwest; Seattle area; custom work; strong local reputation
• Haarstick Sailmakers — Detroit, MI — Great Lakes loft; competitive racing sails
• Carter's Sailmakers — Gulf Coast; Alabama and Florida Panhandle
• Siebert Sailmakers — Chicago, IL — Great Lakes and Midwest cruising sails

Budget & Online Sailmakers

• Headingsails.com — Asian-made sails with good quality control; significant cost savings over US lofts; popular among budget cruisers
• Ocean Sails USA — competitively priced cruising inventories
• Bacon Sails & Marine — Annapolis, MD — used sails, new sails, large warehouse; best value for used dacron

Tips for Choosing a Sailmaker

• Visit the loft in person when possible — a good sailmaker will ask about your sailing style, not just your boat measurements
• Get at least two quotes; prices vary 20–40% for equivalent products
• Ask specifically about UV covers on furling headsails — skimping here is expensive later
• For cruising: prioritize longevity and repairability over performance weight savings
• Ask what cloth weight they recommend for your boat and sailing area — a 150% genoa in Pacific Northwest conditions is a different animal than one built for the Chesapeake

Dacron (Woven Polyester)

• Best for: Cruising sails, boats under 40 ft, anyone who does their own repairs
• Durable, inexpensive to repair, holds shape reasonably well when properly woven
• UV resistant — outlasts most laminates when stored properly
• Weight: heavier than laminates at equivalent strength
• A quality Dacron cruising main can last 15–20 years with proper care
• The right choice for 90% of recreational sailors

Laminate Sails (Mylar / Carbon / Kevlar)

• Best for: Racing boats, performance cruisers, boats over 40 ft where weight aloft matters
• Excellent shape retention when new; lighter for equivalent strength
• Degrades with UV, flogging, and heavy use — typically 5–8 year lifespan
• More expensive to build, harder to repair in the field
• North Sails 3Di, Doyle Stratis, and Quantum Fusion are top laminate products

High-Tech Fiber Options

• Carbon fiber: Lightest, highest performance; expensive; used mainly on racing boats and offshore boats over 45 ft
• Aramid (Kevlar): Strong, light; degrades with UV and repeated folding; good for offshore racing
• Dyneema / HMPE: Increasingly used in offshore racing sails; excellent strength-to-weight; expensive

Cloth Weight Guide

• Headsails: 4–6 oz for boats under 30 ft; 6–8 oz for 30–40 ft; 8–10 oz for 40–50 ft
• Mainsails: 6–8 oz for boats under 35 ft; 8–10 oz for 35–50 ft
• Heavier cloth = longer life, slower performance; lighter cloth = better performance, faster wear
• For offshore and bluewater: err on the heavier side — you can't visit a loft mid-passage

The Essential DIY Sail Repair Source

• Sailrite — bar none the best resource for DIY sail repair: fabric, thread, tools, sewing machines, how-to videos, patterns, and an outstanding YouTube channel with free tutorials covering everything from seam repair to building a sail from scratch
• Sailrite YouTube Channel — free instructional videos for every skill level; if you're going to learn one YouTube channel for canvas and sail work, this is the one

Repair Supplies

• Sailrite — sail repair tape, Dacron cloth, needles, thread, patches, tools
• APS (Atlantic Pursuit Sailing) — repair supplies and sailing accessories
• Defender — Sails & Repair
• Jamestown Distributors — sail repair tape, adhesives

Common Sail Repairs You Can Do Yourself

• Batten pocket repair: A sewing machine with Dacron thread or hand-stitching; Tenara thread is UV-resistant and the right choice for exterior sail work
• Small tear or hole: Sail repair tape as a temporary fix; proper Dacron patch for permanent repair
• UV cover on furling headsail: Most common repair; Sunbrella is the right material; Sailrite has full tutorials
• Batten replacement: Fiberglass or carbon batts; easy DIY; measure and order from Sailrite or APS
• Hanks and slides: Snap shackles, slide cars; replace individually; standard hardware from Harken, Ronstan
• Cringle repair: Bronze rings pressed into reinforcing patches; specialized but doable with the right tools

Canvas Fabric & Materials

• Sailrite — Sunbrella Fabric — the standard for DIY dodgers, biminis, sail covers, and cushions; wide color selection
• Rocky Woods — marine canvas fabrics; Sunbrella, Weblon, Stamoid alternatives
• The Marine Canvas — patterns and kits for common boat covers
• West Marine — Canvas — in-store fabric and pre-made covers
• Canvas Etc. — wholesale marine canvas by the yard

Sunbrella vs. Alternatives

• Sunbrella (Glen Raven): Industry standard; 10-year warranty; solution-dyed acrylic; resists UV, mildew, and water; easy to clean; the right choice for 95% of marine canvas work
• Weblon / Webcore: Coated polyester; heavier, more waterproof; good for dodger windows and high-wear areas
• Stamoid: European coated fabric; excellent quality; harder to find in the US
• Clear vinyl (Strataglass, Eisenglass): For dodger and bimini windows; Strataglass is the clearest and most scratch-resistant; use only Plexus cleaner, never windex or abrasives

Common Canvas Projects

• Sail cover (furling main or stowed main): Easiest DIY canvas project; straightforward construction; worth building yourself
• Winch covers: Simple, protect expensive hardware; easy beginner project
• Dodger: Moderate difficulty; requires accurate templating; Sailrite has full patterns and video; professional installation $800–$2,500
• Bimini: Moderate difficulty; Sailrite bimini kits are a good starting point; professional $600–$1,800
• Cockpit enclosure / Eisenglass panels: Advanced; working with clear vinyl requires specific techniques to avoid scratching; best left to a professional canvas shop for first-time installations
• Lifeline netting / jackline bags: Easy; basic sewing; great first project

Canvas Sewing Machines

• Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 — the gold standard for marine canvas; portable; zigzag stitch; handles all canvas thicknesses; made for sailboats
• A standard household sewing machine will NOT sew heavy canvas reliably — a walking-foot industrial-style machine is required for canvas work

Headsail Furling

• Profurl — high quality; popular on European boats; good mid-range pricing
• Harken — Mk IV and Mk V furlers; excellent quality; easy to service; Pewaukee, WI
• Lewmar — Pro-Furl range; good value; widely available parts
• Schaefer Marine — 2100 series; made in USA; Wareham, MA
• Navtec — furlers and headstay systems; popular on raceboats

In-Mast & In-Boom Furling

• Selden Mast — in-mast furling systems; standard on many European production boats
• Sparcraft — in-mast and in-boom systems
• Note: In-mast furling reduces sail area and performance; in-boom systems maintain better sail shape but are mechanically complex. Both require professional installation and regular servicing.

Furling System Maintenance

• Flush with fresh water after every sail in salt water — salt crystals in the bearings cause most failures
• Annual lubrication of bearings with waterproof grease (Harken recommends their own grease; Teflon-based grease is acceptable)
• Inspect the foil sections for cracks, corrosion, or deformation every season
• Check the drum for line wraps and rope wear annually
• Replace the halyard swivel bearing every 5–7 years regardless of apparent condition
• Most major brands (Harken, Profurl, Lewmar) sell complete rebuild kits — rebuilding is far cheaper than replacing

Code Zero & Downwind Sails

• Pro-Furl Continuum — asymmetric spinnaker furlers
• Harken Furling Systems — asymmetric and code zero furlers
• Antal — Italian hardware; good code zero furlers

Where to Buy

• Bacon Sails & Marine — Annapolis, MD — largest used sail inventory on the East Coast; searchable by boat model; mail order available
• Layline (usedgear.com) — used sails and marine gear; searchable inventory
• Sailing Anarchy Classifieds — active used sail listings; knowledgeable sellers
• Cruisers Forum Classifieds — worldwide; large volume
• eBay — Sails — large selection; buy carefully; inspect photos closely

What to Check When Buying a Used Sail

• Seams: Look for separation at the stitching; blown seams are expensive to repair
• UV damage: Chalk-like surface, brittleness at the leech; hold cloth to light — degraded Dacron looks translucent and thin
• Batten pockets: Tears, chafe at tips; inexpensive to repair yourself
• Mildew: Black spots; usually cosmetic but inspect carefully — deep mildew can weaken cloth
• Luff wire / foil: Check for kinks and corrosion on hanked sails
• Size & cut: Measure your I, J, P, E dimensions before buying; a misfit sail is not a bargain