Our Hamble based loft has now been up and running for 6 months and oh what a busy time that has been! From day one Oli and Paul hit the ground running with boats to pattern, sails to fix and even a couple of caravan/trailer covers to make.
Winch hats, fender blocks and J70 overall covers have all been manufactured in-house at the loft, with larger items going back to the Harwich or West Mersea lofts to be made. It couldn’t work better with the Hamble team creating patterns and sending all necessary info back to our Essex lofts – a truly symbiotic relationship.
Photo above: fender block
Photo above: J70 cover
As well as new items, Oli has been rushed off her feet doing last minute repairs to enable our customers to go sailing! From putting a quick patch on a cover to fixing a ripped sail that’s bigger than the loft itself, she has been inundated with projects and always gets them done in time for the customer’s sailing trip. Great job Oli!!
Photo above: inside the loft
Having been based on the South Coast for 6 years Paul has found that the Hamble loft is a great hub of activity and he’s pleased to be flying the flag for Dolphin with a proper service loft. Previously he worked out of a van and everything was sent back to our Essex lofts to be worked on. The introduction of our Hamble loft has improved our turn around time for South Coast projects hugely. It’s great knowing we can be of help to fellow sailors and Paul is always on hand to offer great advice too!
Over the last 6 months, we’ve had lots of customers popping in as they pass through Hamble Point Marina: enquiring about new cover or sail projects; bringing items in for winter washing and servicing; or just stopping for a chat! It’s been great meeting all those customers and both Oli and Paul are looking forward to the many more they will work with.
We’d like to thank all our customers, old and new for supporting Dolphin, not only in our Hamble loft, but also Harwich, West Mersea and Palma de Mallorca. Without you we wouldn’t be the business we are today!
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If you’re based on the South Coast and want to discuss a potential project with one of the team, give Paul a call or drop him an email.
Dolphin Sails will be exhibiting at the Fox’s Boat Show which runs from Friday 18th May until 20th May.
Members of the cover and sails team will be on hand to answer all your questions, discuss fabric options, cover designs, sail inventories and if your boat is in Fox’s marina meet with you on board.
Fox’s Yacht Sales will be open to show you their extensive listing of brokerage boats or you could ask them about a new Beneteau.
Experts from Fox’s Marina are around to discuss refits, electronics, rigging, Copper Coating and basically anything to do with keeping your boat in the best possible condition.
Contact Dolphin Sails on 01255 243366 for further details.
After last years outstanding success we have received some great feedback from our customers who have been on the water this season enjoying their boats. This is what they had to say……
Their brief comments below –
Dolphin Sails
‘Finally I decided to have another go at getting Dash the sails that she deserved. I had seen other MGC 27s with beautifully cut sails so I knew it must be possible. I wanted that lovely aerofoil curve that I had only ever seen on other boats with laminate sails so I decided to investigate.
At the Southampton Boat show I was presented with the opportunity to visit each of the sailmakers and sound them out. As a weekend sailor with almost no racing experience I felt completely out of my depth until I visited the Dolphin Sails stand. I immediately felt like a valued potential customer.
They listened carefully to what I had to say and we discussed the various options, despite my lack of knowledge I did not feel under any pressure at all, they understood what I was looking for and a cruising laminate seemed the obvious way to go to get the performance and stretch resistance that I wanted. ‘
My thanks to everyone at Dolphin Sails, especially Paul who had endless patience with me and was prepared to spend as much time on my boat as was necessary to get my sails working perfectly.
MGC27 ‘Dash’ – Tim Jenner (read further down for the full story)
Dolphin Covers
‘The quality of materials and workmanship was outstanding. The attention to fitting and customer satisfaction can only be described as unique.
The result has drawn many admiring comments and has made a huge difference to the overall appearance of the boat.’
Moody 42 ‘Blue of Hamble’ T Stattersfield (read further down for the full story)
To arrange a meeting during the 2015 Southampton Boatshow, which runs from 11th – 20th September, please contact us on sails@dolphin-sails.com
or
Paul Austin – Hamble Marina – 02381 980090 – paul.austin@dolphin-sails.com
Jon Sturmer – East Coast – 01206 384412 – jon@dolphin-sails.com
WeatherMax80 sprayhood and Bimini
WeatherMax80 Outboard Cover
Read in full what our customers think about us below
MGC27 ‘Dash’ – Tim Jenner – I had invested in new main and genoa for Dash, my MG C27 eight years ago, the sails were at the budget end of the market and I was disappointed right from the start, but I did not feel confident enough in my knowledge to complain to the sailmaker and Dash is a very good boat, we regularly passed other boats when out cruising despite our mainsails lack of shape.
Finally I decided to have another go at getting Dash the sails that she deserved. I had seen other MGC 27s with beautifully cut sails so I knew it must be possible. I wanted that lovely aerofoil curve that I had only ever seen on other boats with laminate sails so I decided to investigate.
At the Southampton Boat show I was presented with the opportunity to visit each of the sailmakers and sound them out. As a weekend sailor with almost no racing experience I felt completely out of my depth until I visited the Dolphin Sails stand. I immediately felt like a valued potential customer.
They listened carefully to what I had to say and we discussed the various options, despite my lack of knowledge I did not feel under any pressure at all, they understood what I was looking for and a cruising laminate seemed the obvious way to go to get the performance and stretch resistance that I wanted.
A week or so later I met with Paul on Dash for him to take the measurements.
The first trials of the sails in the spring were a revelation to me. They helped me set up the rig then we fitted the sails and went for a sea trial. Dash performed beautifully and the new sails looked and performed better than I could have hoped with Dash now able to sail at 30 degrees to the wind, something I had never been able to do before.
The highlight of the year for us is the Round the Island Race and Dash performed superbly well this year with her beautiful new sails, coming eighth in our group of around fifty boats. I believe that this result would not have been possible with the old sails.
My thanks to everyone at Dolphin Sails, especially Paul who had endless patience with me and was prepared to spend time on my boat to get my sails working perfectly.
T Stattersfield – Moody 42 ‘Blue of Hamble-’ Last summer I became dissatisfied with both the look and effectiveness of the existing windscreen and sprayhood on my Moody 42 CC yacht. Looking around the Southampton Boat Show at various options, Dolphin Sails quickly came to the forefront as potential suppliers.
They were prepared to come over to Hamble very early one morning during the show in order that ideas could progress quickly.
The concept of removing the windscreen and installing a more modern sprayhood was declared feasible and Dolphin set about the project with a meticulous level of attention to detail with multiple fittings to ensure that the end result was as intended and catered for a captain and crew of very different heights!
I have a reputation for ‘project creep’ and a simple sprayhood replacement morphed seamlessly into a new bimini and cover, wheel and binnacle cover, hatch covers, genoa sock and a most elaborate padded outboard cover.
The quality of materials and workmanship was outstanding. The attention to fitting and customer satisfaction can only be described as unique.
The result has drawn many admiring comments and has made a huge difference to the overall appearance of the boat.
Dolphin Sails will be exhibiting this Saturday 15th November at Titchmarsh Marina, Walton on the Naze
Please come along between 9 am and 1pm to discuss any requirements you have regarding new yacht sails, sprayhoods, cockpit enclosures, winter covers and winter servicing – plus much more!
Dolphin Sails are one of the very few manufactures to do their own washing in house. Sails and covers are not sent away to a 3rd party, which means we stay in control throughout the process ensuring your sail or cover is washed and cared for to the highest standards.
There will also be the opportunity to visit the Boat Jumble organised by Foundry Reach Chandley for further details contact jumble@foundryreach.co.uk
