Problems with Loft sails??

Wondering if anyone has experienced problems with Loft 02 sails??
Lyn and I have 2 x 6.6m and 2 x 5.9m.
Lyn’s 6.6m is only 6 months old and the mast pocket has ripped about 50 mm from the tip.
When ever we rig it is a 2 person operation and my 6.6m has been rigged a lot more often than Lyn’s because mine is a few months older.
As far as I know there are only 3 other 02s in this region ….a 7.4m has had the mast right thru the luff and another is showing signs of strain at this point. The third sail was blown into a tree and is trashed beyond repair. (no fault of sail here).

Certainly good sails as far as performance is concerned, but I have my doubts as to longevity.

Havnt seen that issue yet, although have needed to carry out some minor repairs at boom pocket opening as stiching came away.
Have, how ever found that the 2007 model 7.4 panels have started to fall apart (gone hard and brittle) before my eyes Sail is now worthless.
Not game to look at my 6.6 which is same age.
Product performance
Build
Cant see ever getting another one due to just that.

Herb - That problem isn't limited to the Loft sails. I used my cousins Severne ncx when I was down south over christmas and it had come apart along that same stitching. Up until I used the sail it had only been rigged 4 or 5 times.

I was hoping the Loft sails were going to be better as I will be looking for new sails before long.

When rigging sails with any amount of luff curve there is alot of pressure created at the tip of the mast,the further up the sleeve you push the mast the harder the tip digs into the mast sleeve which will eventually damages the sleeve.
There is an easy way to prevent this damage, insert the mast into the sleeve and slide it up until it starts getting tight at this point you grab the mast at the boom opening and with the other hand reach further up the sail and pull the mast sleeve down toward the tack while at the same time sliding the mast the rest of the way in.This unloads the high pressure of the mast tip which is pushing into the sleeve of the sail near the top.
If you watch the Loft Part 11 rigging guide the above is demonstrated.
http://www.loftsails.com/loftsails2007/kam_pages/1/e/22.php

Thats a bummer Herb (I mean Lyn), my 02 6.6 so far has given no trouble at all and currently(touch wood) no sign of stitching problems. At that age there's probably some warrantable solution worth looking for. The picture looks like a real breakdown of the sleeve fabric, moreso that just stitching. Bob hasn't been spilling his rum on yer sailbag has he??

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Herbylyn said...

ill go with chocko ,the luff is torn where it's overlapped, looks like the mast has been digging in all the way up the seam, but after saying that, sail material doesn't like straight stitching in high stress area's because the needle is basicly cutting a straight line, if i was you i would take chocko's addvice( neil pryde allso have the same rigging tips)

My Loft Lips are going great guns (touch wood)

I had an old cammed Sailworks Synchro when I started that came apart at the top of the luff (torn like the photo you show), it was 'cause I didn't know how to rig the mast as Choco mentions.

1. Push mast in gently till you get some resistance
2. Then stand at the boom cut out, with it concertinered to the ground
3. Feed bottom of sail up the mast
4. Gently slide top of sail down mast

Hey presto, no luff tears

Hope that is your issue, as once you take you tear to a sail repairer, then no future issues for you!

Ive got a 6.6 and as 7.4 and had no problems with them. When rigging I do make an effort to hand feed the top section and place a little flex onto mast tip by pushing just below the tip with my thigh as I feed the sail on.

Also have an older 5.7 lip wave but no signs of problems on any of them.

I hate to sound like a me too, but... me too.

I have a 5.9 and a 7.4 that's about 3 years old. It's my most used sail, every weekend two summers ago when the seabreezes refused to kick in, and still about every second time I get out at the moment. I have a bit of stitching coming undone just above the boom cutout, but that's the only sign of wear. Like others here, I'm very careful about feeding my mast up the sleeve, particularly when the tension starts to build up the top. I've had a couple of old sails (not Loft) rip up the mast sleeve from my lazy rigging - just jamming it up from the base of the sail.

If you look after the sail and rig it carefully, it should last a long time.

So if it's the way we rig our sails then why has it not happened to our other 3 Loft 02s. We each have a 5.9m and neither of them is showing any signs of trouble.
My 6.6 does show slight signs of strain on the stitching but no tearing. They both get rigged exactly the same and mine has been rigged over 49 times to Lyn's 35 times.(This at the date of trouble occurring).
Monty dismissed my concerns rather curtly, intimating that Loft Sails have no quality control issues, yet one of our 5.9m sails arrived without a clew eyelet.

Nah, they use very little out haul pressure

Hi Herbylyn
Sorry to hear you're having issues - have you spoken to Windsurfingsales about this? It would be interesting to hear how many loft sails have an issue compared to numbers sold. I've never had an issue with my Lofts, however I've been lucky to change my quiver every year - a few of mine went to dism and I'm glad to hear they're still ok!

I had the fortune/misfortune of actually going to Monty's house in Tarifa to talk about a sail issue. For me it was a bit of an honour meeting someone so inspirational when it comes to sail design and success (eg Art Blades) however he wasn't great to meet because he was so passionate about his brand that he couldn't comprehend that there may be a problem. What am I trying to say? Well basically Monty makes great sails, always has - but his customer service may not be so good! Luckily Bud is slightly better!

Hope you can sort it all out easily.

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Herbylyn said...



Monty dismissed my concerns rather curtly, intimating that Loft Sails have no quality control issues, yet one of our 5.9m sails arrived without a clew eyelet.

I'm clewless as to how this could happen......oh hang on, eyelet see now.

Herbylyn when i saw the photo i also immediatly thought it a fault with rigging technique. The 5.9s probably wont do the same- the bigger the sail the more prone they are to that happening. It doesnt take much- a slight fault in stitching or sharper edge on mast endcap. That said sails i've had do similar have not frayed the fabric rather just pulled the stitching, so maybe they did cut the fabric a bit fine. Any sailmaker should be able to tell you the fault immediately.

Approaching monty would probably be the wrong thing to do- there are a million things going on in his company, quality control at the factory is just 1 & something he would trust & pay other people to do.

Herbylyn if you buy a car & it keeps breaking down do you keep going back to the same marque to buy more cars?

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mkseven said...


Approaching monty would probably be the wrong thing to do- there are a million things going on in his company, quality control at the factory is just 1 & something he would trust & pay other people to do.

Totally agree - which is why I thought it odd when a retailer in Tarifa told me to go direct!

Hi Herb sorry to hear your having problems with the lofts, Ive been very happy with mine, Ive had loft for a couple of years now and havnt had any problems and I sail a hell of allot compared to most people as you know.
Having chatted with Monty on and off I know he feels very strongly about his product and he would be very disappointed with eyelet being missing in the production line hopefully just a once off.
As far as the ripped luff is concerned it does look like a rigging issue. I cannot see this happening with just normal sailing well I would be surprised if it did. The O2s don't have that much tension on the luff.
Anyway hope ya got more wind up there than we have.


cheers Vando

I have seen this happen on several other sail brands, so yes rigging is a big thing here. That's why pryde have a 5 minute video showing how to rig their race sails.

Personally I cannot complain about the longevity I have had from the loft equipment I have had a 7.4 o2 and an alu boom for a while now. Only issue was a snapped batten- the service I received from windsurfing sales in regards to this was excellent to say the least. I got a batten tear repaired by a local sailmaker for under $20. It may be easier to see how much it would cost to repair/reinforce the luff sleeve, with a local sailmaker.

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Herbylyn said...


So if it's the way we rig our sails then why has it not happened to our other 3 Loft 02s. We each have a 5.9m and neither of them is showing any signs of trouble.
My 6.6 does show slight signs of strain on the stitching but no tearing. They both get rigged exactly the same and mine has been rigged over 49 times to Lyn's 35 times.(This at the date of trouble occurring).
Monty dismissed my concerns rather curtly, intimating that Loft Sails have no quality control issues, yet one of our 5.9m sails arrived without a clew eyelet.

so what's the definition of disappointment, rigging your sail making sure you have the right downhaul, connecting the boom and then finding out they have left the clue eyelet in china

I never contacted Monty direct.....the contact with Monty was made by Bud.
I seen the response from Monty to Bud and thought it was a bit curt.