Kelly-Hanson Sails

2009 will go down in the books as a very tough year.

We entered it with the financial and housing markets in dire straits. The impact on the marine industry was marked and it changed the landscape forever.

Several companies we knew and cherished for decades didn't weather the storm and are no longer here.

To be honest, we didn't know what to expect. January and February sales were horrendous and then it seemed like someone turned the lights on. Orders began to trickle in and volume continued to grow each month afterward. By the time we closed out the books in December, we were thrilled to find we had our best year ever.

In June, we moved to a larger facility. We went through a lot of Rolaids while making that decision. We also installed a new sales and inventory system which is absolutely incredible. We won't be wearing out Topsider's anymore trying to determine if a sail is in stock or not.

We are looking forward to an exciting 2010. One of our primary goals is to grow our inventory of sails. We know how frustrating it can be to need a new one and find out it will take four to six weeks for delivery. To be honest, inventorying sails is a very capital intensive proposition and most lofts simply won't do it. But we expect to have the largest inventory of sails in the country by the end of next year.

That doesn't mean we intend on abandoning the custom sail market. Quite the contrary. We love working with customer's directly. We realize that our inventory of stock sails will fill the needs of most sailors, but certainly not all.

The best news is we will not be increasing prices in 2010. In fact, we haven't done it since we opened the doors six years ago!

Check back with us often. You will see new products added to the site throughout the year. We will also be adding a new "Specials" page. Every once in a while we get a custom order that is canceled or not paid for. These sails will be offered at a deep discount since they are are not something we can afford to keep in inventory.

We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to all of the customer's  who made 2009 a fun and enhoyable year. 

We are pleased to announce that the Jacksonville University sailing team has chosen Kelly-Hanson Sails for it's Catalina 22 racing fleet.

Already on board are new mains, genoas and class spinnakers in a wild red, white and blue panel design.

We would like the wish the team the best of luck in their upcoming regattas.

Make plans to visit us at the San Diego Boat show on beautiful Harbor Island July 23rd through July 29th, 2009.

If you are contemplating the purchase of new sails this may be the opportunity you have been waiting for. We will be offering incredible show specials on our complete line of stock and custom sails as well as the Boomkicker, Chutescoop and CDI Roller Furling System.

We have a limited number of free quest passes. If interested, please drop us a line to reserve yours today!

Please visit www.sandiegoyachtandboatshow.com for more information on the show.

When it rains it pours!

We were thrilled when Cruising World Magazine chose to highlight our company in a May, 2009 article.

No sooner had the euphoria started to wear off, we received word that Small Craft Advisor had done the same!

For those of you that are not familiar with the magazine, you really should consider a subscription to this gorgeous bi-monthly. It is one of those coffee table publications you will hold on to like a coveted issue of National Geographic

The magazine is a joy to hold and read. It is printed on that great heavy coated stock and features articles as well as reviews on smaller sailboats.

In a market that has been underserved for so long, Kelly-Hanson has stepped up to the plate and is now providing affordable, quality built sails for the small day sailer and cruiser.

It looks like we are doing something right. Check out page 87 of the May, 2009 issue of Cruising World Magazine. It is a full page article by the editors titled "Market Watch". They identified a dozen companies in the industry who are taking a proactive stance to help their readership save money during this downturn in the economy. We think it is pretty neat to be included with great companies such as Beneteau, Edson, Maine Cat and others.

Thanks, Cruising World! 

Kelly-Hanson is proud to offer a low price guaranty on all of our premium quality sails. Simply put, if you are looking for a new main, jib, genoa, or storm sail, we guaranty our price will be the lowest.

We are about to make a great deal much, much better! Effective immediately, we will deduct 5% off your total order when you purchase two or more sails. The best part is they don't even have to be for the same boat. This means you and a buddy can get new sails with the discount if they are ordered at the same time.  Additionally,we have programs in place for clubs, associations and sailing schools. Call for more information.

April 2008 was a great month for Kelly-Hanson Sails. We hopped over to California for the Strictly Sail show in Oakland to sea trial the brand new F-240s sport boat from Freedom Boat Works.

Freedom is a relatively new company that recently introduced a line of 5 trailerable sailboats under 30' that are built well and affordably priced. The 240s is their entry into the performance boat division. It is 24' in length and is rated in between the J/22 and J/24.

Kelly-Hanson was selected to assist in the development and design of the sails. Two sets were constructed; one in Dimension-Polyant Dacron and the other in Dimension Polyant Pentex as shown below.

We think this boat is a winner. Boat, sails and trailer for around $30,000.00.