Used Sails

Lets be honest new sails are expensive. Used sails are usually not and can be in a very good condition or in some circumstances better condition than their newer siblings.

This is because new sails are not very good in light winds, whilst slightly used sails are very good. However as they get older (6 months or more) they will become almost worthless to sell on. So if you are thinking about selling your sails or buying used ones, make sure that they are not too old or else they will be rubbish and not worth very much.

Even a week after sailing with new sails, they will start getting wrinkles. The wrinkles develop in to creases, which in turn change the sail from a plastic texture to a kind of cloth texture.

A full set of sails will set you back around £3000 on a dinghy and in excess of £10,000 on a yacht, so used sails are usually a better option to go for since they will usually be substantially cheaper than newer ones, but at the same time only be a few months old and still be in good condition.

You can usually buy used sails at your local club or over the internet at online shops like eBay or other reputable companies. Always inspect the sails if possible and make sure they are what you want. If buying over the internet make sure you trust the person on the other end hasn't taken the photograph to photoshop and made it look much newer.

Also make sure you know if you are just getting a mainsail, genoa, spinnaker or you are getting a full set or combinations. There is nothing worse than having legal battles after a purchase so if you know now, you can save yourself a lot of expenses in the future.

Sails are bummer the way they just crinkle up so quickly, but don't impulse buy new or used ones constantly. You should only have to buy new or used sails once a year at the very most. You will just cause yourself extra expensive if you do it anymore frequently.