DaySailer.org Forum

Does anyone have any critiques of the Intensity sails for Day sailers? I just purchased a DSIII (groan from the audience) and am considering a new jib. The previous posts seem to be dated......Thanks!

I'm happy with mine. It's so new, I haven't noted any wear problems, but the performance is nice. Used it seven days this season, about half in light air, about half in winds 10-12 knots or more. Using it with a new main (also from Intensity), and the old sails were rags, so I may not be the best critic. But I'm having a great time with it.

I bought a new main from them in June. Have about a dozen sails since then.

Very pleased with the product. Will be adding a new jib, shortly.

Thanks for the replies. I know D&R sells the Neil Prydes but I'm a bit cheap....er, looking for a good value most of the time. I appreciate the feedback. The folks at Intensity sure have been nice to correspond with in my search for that perfect sail.

Okay, so I still haven't replaced my original main. I inquired a couple of years ago about the Intensity sails and had a couple of positive replies. Does anyone have any more experience or updates on (dis)satisfaction? Thanks!

No problems so far in my third season. I have the cheap "cruising" sails (made offshore), not the racing sails. I store mine on the spars, rigged and furled under sail covers, battens in. Often sail with the main reefed. The first couple of years I only sailed 10-15 times a summer. This year I've been sailing a couple of times a week since early April, so we'll see how they hold up to the more frequent use.

The customer service at Intensity has been good. They provided my main with a standard sail bag, and when I said I preferred a long roller bag, they just sent me one. And they have entertained off-the-wall questions, like whether I could use a jib from another class to create a 75% foresail for the DS.

Thanks Talbot. I was leaning toward a colored sail like the original, but at Neil Prydes price (almost three times an Intensity cruising sail) I'm rethinking. Sorry, but what is a roller bag?

In terms of preserving the sail shape, the best way to store sails is rolled, not folded. The sail bag is a long tube rather than the traditional pudgy round-bottom sack. Allows you to store the sail with no creases. You can even leave the battens in. On the downside, it's harder to get the sail into and out of the bag, and the tubes (~11' long for the main) are an awkward shape.

But once you experience a brand-new sail, you will become obsessed with keeping its shape. I found it made a huge difference. (The new sail I mean, not the obsession.) Once the Intensity's get all blown out, maybe I'll put them back in the old-style bag they sent me by mistake.

Got it. I'm hoping to have a boom tent by the time I invest in a new main so plan to keep the main on with battens in. Roller bag for your jib as well?

I was thinking of posting a question about Intensity Sails myself, glad to see that someone beat me to it!
My sails are the original Neil Pryde sails that came with my boat when she was new in 1979 (I bought the boat in 1996), they are still "OK", but getting pretty "blown out" and strectched. The stitching is starting to let go in places and replacement is overdue. However, one reason I haven't replaced them is that I've been unemployed or under employed for most of the last 13 years...... which kind of eliminates any thing but absolute ecensials from hte boating budget. Intensity's prices are fantastic compared to even the very reasonable prices from D&R for Neil Pryde sails. But.... I wanted to hear from other Day Sailer owners to confirm the quality of the sails from Intensity...... what I'm reading tells me that I can comfortably consider Intensity sails if I were to suffer a catastrophic failure of my present sails. Has anyone atually picked up their sails at Intensity's office location? Or did everyone that has these sails have them delivered? Ity looks like they have a location in Warwick, RI and that is a short (maybe 30-45 minute) ride from my home, hence my question on possibly saving on delivery.

PS I don't race, I am strictly a "daysailing" Day Sailer.

Note that these posts are 3 yrs old. After 4 years, maybe 100 hrs/ yr, I would say the intensity sails are noticeably less shapely than they were in 2010. No idea how much difference it would have made to have a $1000 sail from another company.

I've used my Intensity mainsail twice and my Intensity jib not at all (a Doyle UPS instead), so I can't comment on longevity. I can say that they're a lot less baggy than the Neil Prydes the boat came with (probably original, since they're white and orange and the boat is cream and orange).

They were heavily creased from being folded in the package when I got them, and the creases haven't come out after several months.

Thanks guys. This is helpful, I also have the original Neil Pryde sails (pink, blue, and purple) and they are great. Unfortunately, I think they only have a season or two left in them and I was considering Intensity but I worry about the quality, cut, and keeping the local sail lofts in business. It's nice to have a small guy nearby to go to for repairs and custom bit's.

Moose

I got new sails from Intensity last October and used them for the Wurstfest Regatta last November. They worked well for me over the two days of racing, although I don't race on a regular basis (only race I do each year). Due to the weather this winter/spring I haven't had the boat out since November. My old sails were made in 1987 by Shurr. I got those sails off ebay cheap in 2007 to replace my original sails that came with the boat. The P.O. did some "modifications" to the original sails such as sewing the batten sleeves shut without the battens in them.

The intensity sails came with one set of reef points on the main, tell tails for both jib and main, windows, numbers, and sail bag. I'm pleased with them.

John

I've had a set of Intensity sails since about late 2010. So far, they are holding up well but they are starting to show their age a bit. Overall sail shape is good. Both sails have several loose threads that I only seem to remember when the sails are up and I'm on the water so I haven't cut and melted the loose threads yet. They still have the crackle of new sails. The main came with a single reef point (not near enough sail area reduction) so I took it to a local sailmaker and had a second R.P. added for $100.00. I have roll bags for both (the jib cam with one and the main came with a "stuff" bag.) I bought a roll bag for the main on ebay and its large enough to get the mainsail and the boom inside the bag if I roll it tight. I paid around $450 for both if I recall. By way of comparison, my Doyle UPS was $335.

Bottom line; if you race, you'll want better sails. If you are a day-tripper and overnighter like me, they will serve the purpose for a fraction of the cost of brand-name sails. I do not expect to get the life out of them that I would get from a North or Doyle sail, but they didn't come with a North or Doyle price tag either.

CB