tan bark sails

[mike conlow]

can anyone tell me about them pros and cons where they can be bought madmoly3@aol.com

[Trevor Vickery]

they look great..... tvickery@kingston.net

[Stephen Carstensen]

They cost more. My sail maker said there was additional labor involved in the stitching because you could not see the second layer through the first while stitching the seams... Though seamstresses have been doing this for years with opaque fabrics... . Really, I don't know, except to say I was told add 10%. - Steve warmrain@rockisland.com

[Ken W.]

I'm using tanbark sails on my new boat. I think they look great on traditional designs. Because of the dye, they are more UV resistant and last longer, particulary in the tropics. They are also more visible at sea. There's a lot of white out there but no reddish brown. The fabric costs about 10% more. As for sewing, I've made some small sails from both tanbark and plain white dacron and didn't notice any difference. Ken kc8pql@arrl.net

[Dino]

Hi Mike, We recently purchased a 1979 HC43 ketch with the original tan barks. Besides looking great!! the sails are still functional and in good condition after 24 years. I did however look into replacement cost, here is what I can up with....BTW they are Lee Sails... Dino
s/v Mary Hamilton Dear Mr Bortolin Thank you for your advice of address. You have not told us which sails you want to replace. Therefore, we will make you a quote on the full set. Please note tanbark is available in 8.6oz only and is at 10% extra charge. For Hans Christian 43' Tall rig ketch
1 pc Mainsail of 8.6oz USwt dacron, 46'7" x 14'10", 3 reefs US$1372
1 pc Mizzen of 7.3oz USwt dacron, 28'2" x 11', 2 reefs US$667
1 pc Staysai of 8.6oz USwt dacron, 33'4" x 11'9" x 29'6" US$556
1 pc Yankee of 7.3oz USwt dacron, 43' x 20' x 37' US$924
1 pc Jib of 7.3oz USwt dacron, 40'9" x 17' x 33' US$743
1 pc Mizzen Staysail of 3.6oz USwt dacron, 27' x 19' x 24'6" US$425
1 pc Drifter of 3.6oz USwt dacron, 50'6" x 33'1" x 50' US$1300
1 pc Storm Jib of 8.6oz USwt dacron US$313
Total: US$6300 Price Validity: 30 days from offer
Terms: fully paid with order
Completion: about 3 weeks but excluding our annual leave For your info, our sail loft will be closed for the annual leave from 10.08.2003 to 25.08.2003. And our office will take holidays between Aug 15 and 25. Door to door delivery by UPS is included in our price. They will do the customs clearance for you also. For us to look up the specs of your old sails, please tell us the 6-digits number stamped on one of your existing sails. Otherwise, please confirm the above dimensions and advise us of the type and size of slides to be put on the luff and foot of the mainsail as well as the tack cutback and clew cut up dimensions, if required. You can get a data sheet from our website for these details. Please tell us if you want to see sample fabrics. Thank you. For payment, please mail direct to us a bank draft or cable the money to our bank: Standard Chartered Bank, G.P.O.Box 21, Hong Kong; swift no: SCBLHKHH; a/c no: 447-299-3540-2; holder: Cheong Lee Sailmakers Ltd. Thank you. We ourselves do not accept credit cards but we can arrange Visa or Mastercard payment acceptance at 3% extra cost for you if required. We hope to hear from you again soon. Kind regards Helen Fung
Leesails dbortolin@sjm.com

[Stephen Carstensen]

I must have remembered wrong, the 10% is in material cost. I was unaware that they would be more UV resistant. And of course you really notice them...
Thanks, Steve warmrain@rockisland.com

[Mark Raine]

We have tanbarks. The olds ones were LEE sails and lasted about 21years. The new ones are tanbark and look really cool. ( Im my opinion )
The new ones were made by HASSE of Port Townsend.
On the plus side our sails are distinctive so when we are out sailing everyone knows who it is ( so dont get them it will confuse our friends). When it is really sunny they are easy on your eyes. They dont show spots ( not that we have any ) from dirt and stuff. Photographers like things that are unusual. If 30 Swans go by they'll take our picture first. It is a conversation starter. ( As though sailors didnt have enough to talk about) Cons... the alledged 10% cost. You have to keep some stock on hand that matches your color for repairs down the road. Regardless of which cloth you get the UV effects are less on sails that are covered. UV effect are slower on heavier cloth and thread. ( Insist on V92 or bigger thread ) Sailmaker labor varies so much that 10% is almost irrelative. There is a third option, and that is a Dacron version of Egyptian cotton that is being used for a lot of the traditional boats. It looks cool too. svedelweiss@yahoo.com

[Charles Hall]

We have always had tanbark sails on First Light, our 1984 33. Two comments, we would only have tanbark for appearance but our sailmaker really likes the Egyptian cloth look for traditional appearance. Secondly, if you mix and match tanbark (aka don't replace all sails at the same time) they look pretty ratty as a suit of sails. Our Neil Pryde "cruising sails" now have almost 20K nm and they look pretty good. hcfirstlight@aol.com

[Ken W.]

I've got to say, considering the percentage of tanbark to white out there, finding this many suits on this board must mean something. Not sure what though Ken kc8pql@arrl.net

[Paul McGrath]

Tan Bark sails are also available from UK sails in Newport Beach, (Rick McCredie) they make them in Mexico, there are less weight options. svwolfbalboa@aol.com