Lug Nuts Rejoice!

One of the great challenges (but a great reward) of building my GIS was sewing my own sail.  In fact, I have a whole blog about it.  But doing so puts me on the "overly ambitious" end of the spectrum of GIS builders.  At the other end are builders who have worked with renowned sail makers to develop custom lugs'ls for their boats.  I won't label that end of the spectrum, but it's overly something in my humble opinion.  In the middle of the spectrum are the majority of GIS builders that have purchased their sails from various reputable sources.

Naturally, the volume of GIS sail demand is fairly low and the number of available sources divides that volume into smaller quantities.  Each sail maker has invested (or will invest on demand) a good amount of effort transforming Michael Storer's sail dimensions into a well functioning engine using their own expertise and design capabilities.  The final product must satisfy the customer's expectations, uphold the brand's reputation, and do so at a profit.  The result is that a commercially available lugs'l for the GIS is a major cost for the builder.  For some, it may become a barrier to entry altogether.  Or, the cost may steer the builder to finish the hull as a rowboat first, deferring the sail and its cost to a later stage.

If only there were a budget-friendly option to rival the cost of DIY sails but with the convenience of shopping on the internet...  Enter Really Simple Sails.

The folks at RSS have worked directly with the designer--who in turn has worked directly with the GIS community--to create such a cost-conscious lug sail.  It will not be the final word in performance; those who are interested in the Goat's ultimate competitive potential will want to fly a more sophisticated design.  RSS seeks to provide a sail made of good quality materials by seasoned craftworkers using professional equipment at a price that makes sense for many home boat builders.

For anyone reading this blog who is not sure about building a boat because they don't want to make their own sails but are not thrilled with the price of "top shelf" sails, Really Simple Sails may be the solution for you.