Port Townsend Sails

Our mission is to contribute to the self-reliance and confidence of our customers and to the integrity and tradition of the sailmaking craft by providing hands-on instruction and by building the highest quality cruising sails available anywhere.

Phone 360.385.1640
Fax 360.385.0476
eMail info@porttownsendsails.com

We will build sails to serve you well in all your cruising adventures. Port Townsend Sails guarantees the following:

Excellent fit and set
Uncompromised structural integrity
Modern design efficiency
Durability
Maintainability
Follow-up to ensure your (and our) satisfaction

Your Sails
Port Townsend Sails is committed to building your sails to the highest standards. Our goal is for you to be completely satisfied with your sails and our service.
Each sail comes in our distinctive sail bag stenciled with the type of sail you ordered. Storm sails come in red nylon bags for easy identification; all other sails come in dark green sail bags. These sail bags should not be stowed on deck; constant UV exposure will cause deterioration of the nylon cloth. If you need deck bags for your sails, we can recommend canvas workers in our area who do custom bags and sail covers.

Full batten mainsails come with a nylon tube-shaped carrying bag; you have the option of substituting this bag for a standard sail bag. We would like to know your preference at the time of your order.

Headsails
Performance, versatility, durability, ease of handling, and ease of stowage are equally important in the design and structure of our headsails.

All Headsails

Leech lines, foot lines, cleats, and pockets for the bitter ends of these secondary trimming tools are included in the cost of your roller furling headsail.
Yarn telltales sewn at the quarter points along the luff are included in the cost of your sail.
We have learned the hard way not to include chafe patches on your headsails at the time of manufacture because of the difficulty in measuring precisely where contact with the rig will occur. Once you have bent-on the sail and flown it, it is much easier to determine potential chafe areas. At that point, the sail can be removed and a chafe patch added. Because many headsails do not require spreader, radar, shroud, or pulpit patches, these options are not included in the cost of your sail. We recommend them where needed and charge for them on a time and materials basis.
A headsail sometimes requires a tack pendant to lift the foot above lifelines and pulpit. The cost of a tack pendant will vary with its length and end fittings; these specifications usually cannot be known until the vessel is measured.

Roller Furling Headsails

Sacrificial Cover: Our roller furling headsails are fit with a sacrificial UV cover; this cover is typically made of Sunbrella, but it may be UV coated Dacron if you specify it. UV coated Dacron is lighter weight, has a shorter life, is available in white only and costs more. With Sunbrella, you have your choice of over 50 colors, and you receive a fabric with the longest UV life available.
Foam Luff: A padded luff dramatically increases the performance of a partially furled headsail. The cost of a foam luff is noted under Options on your roller furling headsail bid.
Furling Marks: Marks are sewn on the foot of the sail to indicate the size of the sail when it is partially furled. The first mark indicates a 15% reduction in sail area; the second mark indicates a 30% reduction.
Telltales: Two additional sets of telltales are provided to aid in sail trim when the sail is furled to the furling marks.

Mainsails

Your mainsail is your most important sail; it will be working for virtually your entire cruising experience. Your Port Townsend Sails main will be well cut, durable, and adaptable to a wide range of voyaging conditions.

Our full-batten mainsails are usually fit with Schaefer Battslides; their cost is noted under Options on your mainsail bid. Retro-fit mast tracks such as Antal or Strong Track (and the necessary sail hardware for each) will be additional expenses.
Our roller furling, in-mast mainsails are fit with high quality clew blocks, UV protective covers at the clew, and 2-ply leech tablings as noted under Options on your bid.
As with headsails, areas of your mainsail that might get chafed by shrouds, spreaders, and other rigging cannot be precisely known until the sail is bent-on and marked. Any chafe patches must be added after their position is ascertained from onboard observation. The cost of chafe patches is not included in the bid for the sail because no size, shape, or location of chafe patches is standard. Chafe patches must be billed on a time and materials basis.

Storm Sails
Visibility patch We offer the option of a fluorescent green visibility patch. The visibility patch is approximately 8 square feet in size and triangular in shape. It is sewn on both sides of the storm jib, stays'l, or trys'l near the head of the sail. The visibility patch helps make your vessel distinguishable from white caps in the ocean and clouds on the horizon. We recommend this patch rather than a solid fluorescent sail because high quality premium Dacron is not available in fluorescent colors. We use fluorescent green rather than caution orange because orange is used as an international distress symbol.
Tack Pendant Most storm stays'ls will require a tack pendant, the cost of which can be determined at the time of measuring. We often use snap shackles on our pendants; these shackles affect the cost of the pendant.

Numbers, Logos, Insignias Numbers, logos, and insignias are not common or required on cruising sails and are not included in the cost of our sails. We are happy to add them with a charge for time and materials. We can do custom art as well.

Measuring Your order is confirmed upon receipt of deposit. The cost of your sail(s) includes measuring your boat, but it does not include the travel time and expense of getting to your boat. Travel time is billed at $30 per hour and $.33 per mile. You are always welcome to bring your boat to Port Townsend; we are located in Point Hudson Harbor right across from Point Hudson Marina and Resort. You can make reservations for mooring your boat by calling the marina office at 360-385-2828 or 800-228-2803. If we are unable to get to your boat because of distance or scheduling difficulties, we will send you self-measuring forms.
A time and date for measuring your boat will be scheduled with you. You do not need to be present, but it is often helpful for us if you are. It is also a great opportunity for us to discuss rigging and deck layout concerns-and to get to know you!

Measuring usually takes 2 hours per vessel. If measuring of existing sails or consulting regarding rigging concerns or details extends the onboard time beyond 3 hours, we will charge you for our time at our current shop rate. You can save time (and therefore money) in the measuring process by removing all boat and sail covers prior to our arrival. Also, in order to measure for new roller furling sails, old roller furling sails must be removed from the roller furling systems. We are happy to assist in this process. Please note that roller furling systems must be installed prior to measuring.

Price Changes Upon measuring, if we find that the dimensions of your boat differ from those we used for your bid, the price per square foot will remain the same, but the total cost of your sails may change. We will notify you of any change to the cost of your sails before we proceed with your project. We will also discuss any significant changes to the square footage of the sails we bid for you.
The price base used to quote your sails is valid for 10 months from receipt of your deposit. We recognize that schedules can change, and that unforeseen delays can occur when preparing your boat for cruising or for an offshore passage. We also know that our costs continue to rise as time passes. Therefore, if your delays cause Port Townsend Sails to re-schedule your job and your order cannot be completed within 10 months of receipt of your deposit, you will be responsible for any cost increases that may occur. Please keep us apprised of any schedule changes that may affect the completion date of your sails.

Final Payment and Delivery We will notify you when your sails are finished, and you will be billed for the balance due at that time.. Final payment in full is due at the time we invoice you. Sails can be picked up on weekdays at our loft or we will gladly ship them to you via UPS; shipping charges will be added to your invoice. As storage space is at a premium in our sail loft, we would appreciate it if your sails could be picked up or shipped as soon as possible upon completion. Sails not picked up within a reasonable timeframe will incur storage charges. Please note: because of their size, full batten mainsails cannot be shipped via UPS and will go ground or air freight. Depending on destination, freight charges for full batten sails are between $150 and $300.

Out-of-State Clients Sails shipped to your out-of-state address will not be charged Washington state sales tax, if you are not a resident of Washington. Residents of Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, Virgin Islands, Guam, Yukon, Alberta or Puerto Rico who present a valid driver's license (or ID) from that state and make payment by check with their out-of-state address on the check will also be exempt from Washington sales tax. Please let us know at the time of placing your order if you qualify for sales tax exemption.

Follow-Up We want to make sure your sails fit perfectly. Included in the cost of your sails is time for us to check each sail that you ordered, once it is on your boat. Time spent in excess of one half hour per sail will be billed to you at our current hourly rate. Full batten mainsails are heavy and awkward to carry. We have included an hour in your full batten mainsail order for one of our crew to help you bend on this sail.
We will be happy to schedule a "test sail" with you once your new sails are on, if you like. We charge our current hourly rate per employee that goes out; you should plan on a minimum of two hours for this excursion. Often the cost of a test sail may be covered within the half hour allotted for each new sail you've ordered.
If we ship your sails to you we will make every effort to check them personally when one of our staff is in your area. When we cannot inspect personally we welcome your feedback. If you feel there are any problems or concerns with your new sails we will have a sailmaker in your area assess the situation at our cost. We may ask you to return the sails to us for warranty work if problems occur that cannot be taken care of locally.

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