Here is the link to a company in Ft Lauderdale that makes them.
Photosails

I'm thinking of promoting my sons company (Ian's Wicked Good Donuts) this way and deducting the cost of the sail and charging some yearly advertising.
Kind of expensive at $ 32 per square foot so I am just considering the jib at this time. Looks pretty cool though!
Thanks
Greg

We have thought about it for our Hobie Wave sails to get sponsorships from the restaurants and bars on the island where we sail in the summer in Ohio. In the close-in locations where we do our twice-weekly racing series we are highly visible to the tourists.

It would be really cool and get the locals rooting for their favorite "team".

We just never seem to get around to actually implementing the idea. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Sorry but in this thread I am the Christmas Grinch. A truly sad development as the sea becomes just another giant advertising medium....so much for red sails in the sunset.

why not just get 1 square foot and see how well it works before you invest in the full sail? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

But would you feel ok if it represented ...oh I don't know... say a painting by a talented artist?

First of all, I don't know why anybody would want red sails, because they tend not to hold up as well as white sails.

And if you want to sail off into the sunset, obviously you would not want or need advertising on your sails (and probably would not be able to attract advertisers anyway). <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I'm not talking about "the sea." I'm talking about a harbor in a tourist area where our little boats are racing in a highly visible situation along the waterfront. Sort of a mini-mini, slow-slow version of what the Extreme 40's do.

I figure anything that attracts more attention to sailing and to the racing is good.

personally i'd rather see advertising on sails

than ink scars cut into flesh

we'll never all agree

but hopefully we can tolerate each others idiosyncrasies

Could you just have the big stickers made up and stick them on your existing sails? At least I'm guessing that they are stickers. I've seen a couple boats that have sponsor logos on the sails, and they appear to stick to the sail in the same fashion that sail numbers do.

That's how most sailors apply their sponsor logos to the sails, with vinyl stick-ons.

But Photosails actually impregnates the sail material somehow with a photo that covers the whole sail. I don't know how they do it, but I picture it as sort of like silk-screening a T-shirt. It is a patented process, and they don't really explain it on their web site.

They build the sails after having the image printed onto the cloth. If you like the way Doyle Sails builds sails, that's who does the lofting

Transfer process is probably dye sublimation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye-sublimation_printer

Neat! Anything to help pay for the boat. How else would you have multis like Groupama on the water?

I think a small business would be more likely to spring for a big fat sticker on the sail.

Hey I'm a small business, I can see it now a picture of a ram humping a ewe and the Animal Scanning Services logo.
regards

I'm hijacking this thread.... RECYCLERS ATTENTION.....
Has anyone picked up old/obsolete plastic billboard covers?
They seem to last a long time out in the sun....
I'll bet the outdoor adverts people just throw them away: why should we keep buying Chinese tarps for boat covers? Even the good silver ones die in a few years.

This came up once before. Lamar was mentioned...

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...Number=113248&page=&vc=1

Is that legal?

only if you don't burn it to create carbon emmissions.


Back on the idea of the photosail..... the price for the sail is comparable to a high tech racing sail I am told. I heard from the President of the company and the price is less than I quoted (now approx $ 30 per sq. ft) and could be less if a class legal sail is not needed. I think I might call the president back at some point shortly when time allows and see about doing it purely for marketing purposes and taking the write-off for the business.

I will report back the results.
Greg

wow, they look very impressive

http://www.photosails.com/

but the thought of having to step around huge coke bottles printed on windsurfer sails left intentionally on a crowded beach as a way of getting around beach advertising prohibitions pisses me off ...
however i've no objection to seeing a corona long neck streaking cross the bay at 20knots

you'll know they have market penetration when somali pirates
have huge skull and cross bones on their sails and exhortations to pray 5 times a day or to take it up with your maker

windsurfers offer lots of fun possibilities