sails, furlers, and dollars
When I put a new roller reefing system on our boat in '95, I went thru UKsailmakers NW, and got a great "winter price" on the genny and also a price on the Harken furler much lower than even the best P__t S_pply price at that time. They claimed to be one the largest Harken dealers in the NW and did indeed save me some real money over buying this stuff separately -- I imagine most large sailmakers do this. North used to sell Harken furlers with a North label on them, even...
(maybe they still do, for all I know)
I note that Ken liked the expertise and attention from Seth; I like Tim Knight at UK. In this impersonal day and age, I think that we all still value a personal touch for these important purchases...
It's a good thing for us that people like Seth are passionate about thier work and like to share their knowledge!
Loren in Portland, OR
Olson 34 #8