TESTIMONIALS

J/24   9/11/2008

New J-24 Sails

Eric, We used your new cut J-24 Genoa and Main at the Youngstown Level regatta for the first time and wanted to let you know they were fast "right out of the box". We were so late to the course we missed the first race and with just a few set up tips from Kris Warner we had great upwind boatspeed with our first setup. Wind range went over the complete genoa range and interestingly when we went to the jib ( getting a little tired), when combined with the new main we still had great boatspeed.

We were extremely impressed with the performance of these new sails and there ease of setup. Basically it seems they trim just like the high clew genoa design based on chainplate and spreader distances. Only difference is more forward lead position.

Tom Chapman

 

Catalina 30 Tall Rig   9/10/2008

Nice Job This Year

Steve, Just wanted you to know that the Pentex headsail raced 6 seasons, which is the most raced sail we use and 2004 main Pentex is still keeping us in 1 st place even after our main competition got a new main & head sail this year from a other sailmaker.The headsail had a small patch at the spreader area with no other repairs needed. Also the support and on the water trim help from Doug and Eric has always been great. We took fleet champion last year and should be the same this year. Looking forward to getting a crisp replacement soon. That Smoke Pentex you made is "SMOKING" and has been noticed by the fleet, sometimes we feel like the pirate boat the Black Pearl.

George Czumaj
ELUSIVE
Buffalo,   NY  
 

J/24   8/11/2008

Sail Oswego

Doug, I just read your latest news letter with scores from regional regattas. You failed to mention that I won Sail Oswego overall with the new Haarstick J/24 kite you build for "Rake Hell" last fall for the J/24 East Coast Championships. At Sail Oswego, we could pass boats down wind when we had to put boats between us and the closest competitor. All the Haarstick sails I have purchased for my J/35 are also fast and looking as good as the day they were delivered. The J/24 Jib you built for "Rake Hell" last fall was fast and indestructible in 35-40 knot blasts we depended on in Annapolis last fall. I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Great sails, great service.

Great sails, great service.

Jim Enwright
Rake Hell

 

Ensign   8/5/2008

I'd been thinking of trying out Haarstick sails for a while and finally had an opportunity to try them at this years Region IV and Region V regattas. I called Doug Burtner of Haarstick and asked him if I could get some sails and if he would like to crew at Region V with us and he agreed. First I was impressed with the enthusiastic customer service and the speed in which the order was received. The workmanship and construction of the sails is excellent. Then on the race course I was impressed with the way the spinnaker set and how it trimmed in all conditions. I also like the lighting bolt panels. The boat's speed was balanced both upwind and down. In the past we've been fast upwind but pay for it downwind and vise versa. We placed a very respectable Third in this regional event in a borrowed brand new Ensign Classic "gotawana" hull No. 2025.

We then sailed in the Region IV Regional Championships in Dillon, Colorado and stayed to participate in the Dillon Open. We tried a slightly different approach with using a combination of the Haarstick Spinnaker and Main with our older like new North Genoa. We also changed the rig and trim of the sails slightly and were very pleased with the results. We placed First in both regattas in a borrowed boat Tarmagan 1498!

Zeke Durica
Ensign Spars Inc

 

J/22   2/25/2008

Doug, 2 things – first of all you should know that a Jamaican team with Haarstick jib and main went to Cayman for their KPMG regatta last weekend. We ended up coming 5th out of 9 in a very competitive small fleet. Terry Flynn of Quantum Sails Texas ended up winning the event but we were very glad to beat him in two races. The Cayman teams are awesome.

http://www.caymannetnews.com/news-5184--1-1--.html

Conditions were variable and very unusual for Cayman – 5 to 15 knots out of the south east (the direction being unusual). Coming off the land made it very bumpy. It took us two days to figure out what to look for on the water.

What tickled me was that we campaigned my 18 month old main and my three (or four?) year old jib. We had great speed and height on the water and the races were won or lost in the hunt for pressure and puffs. Anyway, having blown that trumpet, I lost a batten in the main last December when the stitching on the end of the pocket pulled out. I have repaired the pocket but need a batten! Can you help? It is the second from the top. I don’t mind paying for it, I just want it to match the others.

Regards,

Richard Hamilton