Sailing

What Sailing does

The Sailing Inc. is a US-based sailing products distributor and service provider founded in 1980, operating physical sail lofts and marine centers in Cleveland, Ohio and Charleston, South Carolina. The company functions as a single-source retailer for high-end boats, sails, accessories, and marine services, representing brands including J/Boats, Laser Performance, RS Sailing, McLaughlin Boats, and Cape 31 yachts. Its core product offering centers on Evolution Sails, a proprietary partnership brand whose EM2 Element Membrane sails — built in a state-of-the-art Auckland, New Zealand membrane facility using carbon and aramid fiber networks laminated between Dimension-Polyant Lite Skin composites — are positioned as offering 40-400% better stretch resistance and 2-3x longer shape retention than competitor membranes. Class-specific sails for one-design classes (Thistle, Interlake, Lightning, J/Boats) complement the racing and cruising lines, with unit pricing typically between $795 and $1,495 per sail.

The company makes money through three primary streams: one-time sail and boat sales, recurring sail repair and service at its lofts, and accessory/apparel sales through its e-commerce site and physical locations. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, supplemented by event-driven activation at major regattas (Chicago Verve Cup, J111 Worlds, Block Island Race Week) where class experts and championship-winning sailors provide on-site support. The customer base consists of three primary segments — cruising sailors, racing sailors, and one-design class sailors — with horizontal segmentation across use cases rather than vertical specialization. Marketing is conducted through class newsletters, sailing publications, regatta sponsorship, and an email subscriber base. Distribution combines physical retail showrooms (Cleveland Marine Center, Cleveland Loft, Charleston Sail Loft) with website e-commerce and quote-request sales for higher-value items.

The business is privately held with no disclosed funding, operates with a small team of approximately 8-10 known personnel plus loft staff, and depends heavily on the Evolution Sails relationship for technological differentiation. Geographic reach is concentrated in the Midwest and Southeast US, though the National Sales Director role suggests intent toward broader US coverage. Leadership is anchored by Chairman Rob Ruhlman and a bench of championship-caliber class experts, with key operational hires (Greg Fisher, Matt Smith, Greg Griffin) added between late 2020 and mid-2021 to deepen technical credibility and production capability.

Name

Sailing

Legal name

Sailing Inc.

Website

https://thesailinginc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sailing Inc. is a US specialty retailer and distributor of premium sailing products, operating lofts in Cleveland and Charleston. It serves cruising, racing, and one-design sailors with Evolution Sails' EM2 membrane technology, class-specific sails, and represented boat brands like J/Boats and Cape 31.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Products and Sailing Equipment

NAICS

Boat Dealers (441222)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing & Rigging Retail (Sailboats, Sails, Hardware) (CRAMAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sailing Yacht Manufacturing (IMAJAEAA)

Keywords

• Sailing equipment retail
• Membrane sail manufacturing
• Marine products distribution
• Sail repair services
• Performance sailboats

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sail Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling new sails including mainsails, jibs, and spinnakers across multiple boat classes (Thistle, Interlake, Lightning, J/Boats, etc.) with EM2 Element Membrane and traditional designs.
2. Boat Sales: Sales of new and pre-owned boats including J/Boats, RS Sailing, Laser Performance, and Cape 31 yachts.
3. Sail Repair and Service: Sail repair and service operations at lofts in Cleveland and Charleston locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sailing Inc. is a direct-to-consumer retailer and service provider for sailing products, operating showrooms and sail lofts in Cleveland, OH and Charleston, SC. It sells Evolution Sails (including EM2 Element Membrane racing sails and class-specific sails for Thistle, Interlake, Lightning), as the US distributor of the Evolution Sails brand produced in Auckland, NZ. The company also distributes multiple performance boat brands (J/Boats, RS Sailing, Laser Performance, Cape 31, McLaughlin Boats) and offers sail repair and service at its lofts.

Product overview

The Sailing Inc. is a sailing and marine products provider operating as a single source for boats, sails, accessories, and support services. The core offering centers on Evolution Sails (a sub-brand), which includes the flagship EM2 Element Membrane racing sails built with carbon/aramid fibers in Auckland, NZ, alongside class-specific sails for Interlake, Thistle, and Lightning one-design classes. The company also represents multiple boat brands including J/Boats, RS Sailing, Laser Performance, McLaughlin Boats, and Cape 31 yachts, and provides sail repair services. With locations in Cleveland, OH and Charleston, SC, the portfolio is organized around a marine products and services model rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Evolution Sails: High-performance, durable sailing sails manufactured in Auckland, New Zealand, distributed by Sailing Inc. in the United States. Products include EM2 Element Membranes, cruising sails, racing sails, and one-design class sails.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sails maintain optimal shape for 3,000+ hours of use
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Evolution SailscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2016Evolution Sails is the proprietary brand powering Sailing Inc.'s sail products. Sailing Inc. represents Evolution Sails in the United States, selling and supporting their EM2 Element Membrane sails. Evolution Sails is owned by Rodney Keenan and operates a state-of-the-art membrane facility in Auckland, New Zealand, regarded as one of the most modern sail-making factories in the world.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Sailrite: D2C retailer specializing in DIY sailmaking supplies, sail kits, fabric, and hardware. Comparable as a sailing-product retailer and sailmaker-adjacent supplier, though focused on the DIY segment rather than finished racing sails.

Direct peers

• Annapolis Performance Sailing (APS): Mid-Atlantic D2C sailing retailer selling sails, hardware, apparel, and running a rigging/repair service. Comparable as a multi-brand sailing retailer offering sails, hardware, and technical sailing products to enthusiasts.
• North Sails: Global sailmaker (originally North Cloth / North Technology Group) with a major US loft network offering racing and cruising sails across one-design, grand prix, and offshore classes. Directly comparable as a multi-class sailmaker serving the same one-design and grand prix customer base.
• Doyle Sails: Global sailmaker with US lofts offering cruising, racing, and one-design sails, plus Stratis membrane technology. Directly comparable as a multi-class sailmaker competing for the same racing and one-design customer segments.
• UK Sailmakers: Sailmaker with a US and international loft network offering cruising and racing sails across multiple one-design classes. Directly comparable as a loft-based sailmaker targeting the same recreational and competitive sailors.
• Ullman Sails: US-based sailmaker with an international network of lofts producing cruising, racing, and one-design sails. Directly comparable in business model (loft-based sales + service) and in focus on one-design class racing customers.
• Quantum Sails: Major international sailmaker with a broad US service loft network and 3Di membrane technology. Directly comparable as a racing/cruising sailmaker targeting one-design class sailors and grand prix racing customers.
• Hood Sailmakers: Sailmaker with multiple lofts producing racing and cruising sails. Comparable as a loft-network competitor serving similar one-design and offshore racing customers in the US.

Broad incumbents

• Defender Industries: Large US marine retailer/distributor selling boats, hardware, safety gear, and accessories to consumers and marine businesses. Comparable as a multi-category marine products seller overlapping in sailing hardware and accessories.
• West Marine: Largest US marine retailer with broad assortment across sailboats, hardware, apparel, and accessories. Comparable as a marine retailer selling sailing products to consumers, though it operates at much wider category breadth and scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thesailinginc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sailing-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sailing