Okay, I’m done complaining about the snow. At least until the next time it snows this spring.
I have had the O’day 22 in the water for the past two summers. The mainsail is (I believe) the original. Which makes it older than me. But not by much. And in worse shape than me (I hope).
The luff (front edge that goes along the mast) is fraying and needs a new boltrope. I think I could probably replace the boltrope – a replacement is only $2.50/foot at Sailrite. It shouldn’t be too difficult to sew the rope in a straight line. But the last time I tried to sew something in a straight line it didn’t work as well as I though. And maybe the mainsail isn’t the best thing to learn on.
Even if I fixed the boltrope, the rest of the sail is a mess. One of the seams on the luff (trailing edge) is coming apart. One or two of the battens are missing. And overall the sail is tired and stretched out and my windward performance is terrible – though, honestly, that may be due to my lack of sailing ability.
It was time to replace the mainsail. It was time to replace it two years ago. But I finally placed an order this spring. I decided to go with Peak Sails North America. I placed an order with them because they were inexpensive and allow me to spread the costs of the sail over 4 months (the sails are made after the first payment). They also had mixed reviews about how long it took for them to make the sails and for their customer service. However, I figured that the price was right and that I would have some leverage with their sail payment plan, so I placed an order on Monday.
They were pretty quick to send me an email back and send me the first bill. I hadn’t heard from them by Friday to confirm the sail size and number, so I gave them a call. Chris Stevens (Peak Sails Customer Service) picked up on the 2nd or 3rd ring, and quickly looked up my order and took the information down (sail number). He said the sail would probably go to production this week and be delivered in 3-4 weeks. It was a much better response than I had expected.
Chris explained that the production line gets backed up in May and June and could take a lot longer – people get their boats in the water in May and June and when their sails fail it is a crisis to get new sails.
So far I’m happy with the customer service at Peak Sails. They may not be the most responsive by email – but they did answer the phone and answered my questions. Hopefully the sails show up promptly and this summer I will only be able to blame my lack of sailing skill (and the boats shallow keel) when I have poor windward performance.
I am trying to place an order with Peak at this time.
Did you receive your sail yet, and if so, are you happy with it?
Buyer beware. Peak Sails of Virginia is the same as Peak Sails of Washington. The website claims that new management took over in 2012, but the complaints still are coming in.
http://www.scambook.com/report/view/231923/Peak-Sails-Complaint-231923-for-$695.00
And Arthur Kellly III, the owner of Kellly Hanson Sails was posting as Peak Sails long after 2012:
http://banshee-media-player.2283330.n4.nabble.com/Equalizer-td4651363.html
http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=171795
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9…UVU&authuser=0
The pictures of real vs fake Warp Drive are here:
http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=171795
The best thing to do is to call Challenge Sail Cloth at (860) 871-8030 and ask them to send you a sample swatch of the sailscloth supposedly used for your sails. If it doesn’t match, file a case with paypal or with your credit card. Your credit card gives you a long time to file a complaint and will get you your money back, but Paypal gives you only 45 days to file a complaint. You can get an extension from PayPal if you talk directly to their fraud prevention department. Most state laws probably give you a time limit of 1 to 5 years to file a suit for fraud.
Here is the correct link to pictures of real vs fake Challenge Warp Drive Dacron. The one I posted above is incorrect, sorry.
http://tinyurl.com/fake-vs-real-WarpDrive-Dacron
I have been waiting for my sails. Chris said last Friday I would be getting an email. One week later nothing he is on vacation. They are not answering my emails or phone calls. They have all my money. Very suspicious at this time.
I can’t get Chris to answer the phone. He is offering 20 per cent off right now ‘by invitation’.
Your comments are persuading me not to bother.
Today is January 7, 2016. I placed my order with Peak Sails 2 months ago and paid in full as soon as their invoices arrived. Still waiting on my sail and CDI furler. I have placed over a DOZEN calls, e-mails and faxes to Peak, trying to get a response and update. No answer and no response. I even called CDI (the furler manufacturer) to see if they have shipped my furler. Although they received an order from Peak for my furler 60 days ago, they cannot ship because Peak has not paid the invoice. I was told by CDI that Peak is not an official distributor, and sales to them are done on a credit card prepayment basis…no payment, no ship. Peak is clearly operating with my money. If I don’t get some results very soon, my next move is to contact Pay-Pal, my credit card company, and BBB.
Hey Terry, I purchased a Tri-Radial Mainsail for my C&C toward the end of October 2015. I spoke to Chris several times early on in the transaction. Very nice guy and receptive to my questions and request. Once the deal was set in stone contact was limited however he was on vacation for some of that time. I too paid my invoices as they arrived and became ever concerned that my sail would not arrive. I am a researcher to a fault and was aware of mixed reviews on the internet. Most of the reviews I could find were older. I finally sent an email to Summer Wang of Peak Sails on 1-19-2016. She is the person who sends the invoices. She informed me that Chris was struck by a car on December 26th and was in the hospital for an extended period of time and was still not out. Two days later she sent me a FED EX tracking number for my sail which arrived on my doorstep today. Have not hoisted it yet however after a close inspection (living room floor) I am very pleased. It looks great and feels great. The main was the test. Since it arrived and looks great I will be ordering a new Genoa to match and likely a “Generator” light wind sail. I am not affiliated with them in any way so I am now sort of un-invested since I have my sail. I really just wanted to send you a note to ease your worries somewhat. The communication could be better and it was little longer of a wait than I expected but I got a great looking sail for a great price. That’s my story for what it’s worth.
Jim
I ordered a new mainsail and genoa from Peak Sails for my Com-Pac 23. During the process, I dealt with Chris Stevens, Pat Greene and Summer Wang. All three were knowledgeable and my sails arrived in under 30 days. I was exceptionally happy with the quality. So much so that I purchased a main and jib from Chris for my son’s Com-Pac 16.
I have no hesitations in reccommending Peak.
I wrote on January 7 that I was extremely frustrated with Peak Sales, as I was not able to get ANY response from that organization for a three-week period during that time-frame. It turns out that Chris Stevens from Peak Sales did in fact have a very bad accident, taking him out of communication. Unfortunately, he seems to be the only contact person from their website. Long story short, my sail and furler did finally arrive and yes, I am very impressed with the quality of my new tri-radial 150 Genny.
I too read the reviews regarding Peak Sails and with some apprehension, I still placed my order with them. After trying dozens of times to contact Peak, well after placing my order, I resorted to filing a complaint through Pay Pal. I did ultimately receive a call-back from Chris and after accepting his explanation, approve the payment through Pay Pal and the matter was settled amicably. All of this angst would have been eliminate if someone had simply posted a recorded message stating that there would be a delay in responding back due to unforeseen circumstances, but not to worry, all orders are still being processed.
If you have any sail or sailboat parts needs for an ODay sailboat save the run around and contact D&R marine. Ruddy (The R of D&R) worked for ODay back in the day and knows more about ODay sailboats than anyone out there. I have been dealing with Rudy for a long time and he delivers every time.
I’m looking for a contact email for summer – my calls/emails have gone unanswered and I am looking for the replacement jib that I have paid for my Hobie 18. Any help is appreciated
Bait and Switch
Ordered a Rhodes 19 Mainsail Peak sent me a Precision 21 Mainsail. Chris Stevens said it was the same sail as a Rhodes and that I could make it fit by bending my mast. After following all their suggestions I told them I wanted to return the sail and my money refunded. Have not heard anything substantive back from them.
These guys change their Companies name. Peak Sails doesn’t use, or display a real bricks and mortar address. Avoid them. They stole my many through Paypal.
Peak Sails Don’t bully me, threaten me with legal action, lets go to Court if you dare.
Peak Sails has ignored my email asking for the correct jib for my Hobie 18. They have received my email, read it, and ignored it. Do not return calls either. I am now past the point of paypal or credit card helping retrieve my money – now looking at court action.
I ordered a Hunter 22 Genoa from Peak Sails of North America on February 6, 2017 and it arrived on April 5, 2017. I had heard of some recent complaints about this company, so 15 days after they received my final payment, I questioned the company about my order status and commented that the Florida sailing community would be watching this order process. This was a golden opportunity for the company to assuage any bad publicity and to show real customer service. Instead, the CFO of the company accused me of “extortion” by telling her that the sailing community was watching, and then had their corporate counsel contact me with insults and threats of reprisal. He even requested that I take my future business elsewhere! The fact that a question about the status of an order (that has been fully paid for) is met with a response like this is hard to believe. I guess this is what passes for great customer relations at Peak Sails. Even if the sail is of good quality, no one should have to experience this kind of treatment when ordering a sail. When Peak Sails responds to this review, as they have with past reviews, the corporate counsel will no doubt attempt to debunk this review by spewing some more vitriol. I am certainly heeding the corporate counsel’s advice and taking any future business to the competition. If you don’t want to subject yourself to this type of treatment, I’d suggest that you follow his advice as well.
Gary Willecke
Charlotte Harbor, FL