Hyde Sails Direct

We bought sails from Hyde Sails Direct about 3-4 years ago. The stitching on the jib is unraveling on the sail. We have called several times to try and get recommendations from Hyde Sails. They do not answer or return calls. We have left three messages.
Sep 5th, 2019

Mar 9th, 2019

Dec 11th, 2018

I ordered a headsail from JudyB at HydeSailsDirect, and gave her very specific measurements, ,etc. When the sail finally arrived it was of a lighter, cheaper fabric then I paid for, and the cut was so horrible it would not even set or sheet correctly - it was bagged out worse than the old tired sail it was replacing. JudyB insisted for a month straight that I was mistaken and that it was a good sail. After a month, she finally admitted that they had goofed in designing the sail, and agreed to send out a new one. 3 months went by and I called to find out if my sail was coming soon. JudyB admitted that they "forgot to place the order" and she would let me know when it was coming. Another month passed without a word from Hyde or Judy, so I called again to check status. Again, they had "forgot" to order it and would do so immediately. After another month, the sail finally arrived and I happily put it on, only to find that, although they got the fabric correct this time, they had forgotten other agreed upon details, such as the tack attachment (specific for my furler), forgot to add the reef marks, etc. Furthermore, the cut was too low at the bottom and fouled my lifelines even close-hauled - something JudyB had assured me would not happen as it was a concern I mentioned several times when she insisted I go with "her design" instead of my original parameters. I again sent off an email to Hyde and was told that they would recut the sail for an additional (large) fee. After so many mistakes so far, and 7 months of waiting, I didn't trust JudyB to get it right and didn't feel like sending them any more $$, so I took it to the local loft (Quantum) who recut the foot correctly, put in the correct tack attachment, and added the reefing marks. The sail has since been fine, but is nothing to write home about. Long story short - you get what you pay for. HydeSailsDirect is cheaper than cheap pricing, but the worst experience you will have with a loft. I wish I could have those 7 months of not sailing back. Do yourself a favor and avoid HydeSailsDirect and go with a local loft - the difference in price isn't enough to justify the headache you will get with JudyB.
Dec 18th, 2017