1. You can do your own replacement shade sail quote anonymously without having to contact a salesperson or company.
2. Your shade sail will be professionally made on the Gold Coast by a company who have been making shade sails for nearly 10 years.
3. When you purchase a shade sail from us, your job will be professionally measured by us (whether you install it, or we do). This removes the greatest pitfall of DIY quoting and installation: mismeasurement!

1. Waterproof shade sails use a cloth called DRiZ. This comes in a similar range of colours to "normal" shade sails (called Z16) as can be seen on our colour chart .
2. Z16 has the following characteristics:
   1. High UV-R Protection (Up To 99%)
   2. 24 Designer Colours
   3. High Tensile Strength
   4. Proven Durability & Longevity
   5. Excellent Heat and Glare Reduction
   6. Easy Care and Maintenance
   7. Lightweight (200GSM)
   8. Safe Filtered Light Transmission
   9. Unique Constructions with excellent cover factor
   10. Z16 has a 10-year limited warranty on the cloth
   11. Z16 is cheaper than DRiZ
3. DRiZ has the following characteristics:
   1. Weather Protection
   2. 16 Designer Colours
   3. Excellent UV-R Protection (up to 100%)
   4. High Tensile Strength
   5. Natural Light Transmission
   6. Proven Durability & Longevity
   7. Easy Care and Maintenance
   8. Great Heat and Glare Reduction
   9. Light Weight (Only 280 GSM)
   10. DRiZ has a 5-year limited warranty on the cloth
4. Z16 has a slightly open weave to the cloth, so it breathes well but will weep moisture when it rains.
5. DRiZ has a clear waterproof coating so it doesn't "breathe" as well but it does not allow moisture through. Should your shade sail require a seam: the seam is coated with a special waterproofing agent to inhibit water weeping through the stitches.

1. Both "Twin" sails and a single 5-point sail have the same shade footprint and use the same amount of posts and "roof" hardware.
2. A single 5pt sail has the following characteristics:
   1. The single sail is larger so may move around more
   2. As there is no "vent" in the middle, they are more susceptible to moving in the wind
   3. They are cheaper than "twin" sails
3. A Twin sail setup has the following characteristics:
   1. Each sail is smaller than a single sail setup, so we can control it more, so it moves less
   2. There is a "vent" in the middle, so gusts of wind can exhaust between the sails
   3. There is an area in the middle of the setup where the sails overlap, giving extra sun and hail protection
   4. Arguably, they look nicer, looking more "architectural"
   5. They are roughly one-third dearer than a single 5pt sail setup

We use quality marine-grade (316) stainless steel turnbuckles and shackles (unless you specifically choose to use rope lashing). We also use quality marine-grade (316) stainless steel "D" rings and perimeter bracing wire in the shade sails construction. All of our fittings are Marine-Grade 316 Stainless Steel from ProRig.

A rafter bracket is a made-for-purpose solid steel bracket designed to support a shade sail.
It is galvanised, and is bolted on to the rafter beams (the large wooden beams in your roof that run from the peak to the gutter).
It is bolted on by eight, 10mm bolts with large backing plates for strength and support.
The sail is affixed to the rafter bracket via a stainless steel eyebolt in the fitting.
If the sail is going to pull sideways against the rafters, we will add additional wooden supports (hidden in your roof) to strengthen the timber against twisting.
The fitting is made water-tight by a rubber dektite fitting, held in place with silicone.

Why is it better than a cheap bolt?

Cheap bolts will take the strain of a shade sail for a short while.
As they are one third the width of the wooden rafter beam, they significantly reduce the beam's strength.
When the sail flexes in the wind, the bolt will move, weaken the wooden rafter beam, move in the wood, crack the roof tile and allow the ingress of rain water, further rotting the rafter beam.
All of this in NOT GOOD!

Sail Track is an aluminium extrusion that attaches the shade sail directly to a beam or wall, along the full track length. This is an excellent method to attach shade sails to walls where no gap is required. The join (to the wall) is also water resistant to inhibit water seepage down the wall. Sail tracks have the benefit of distributing the sail load over a much greater surface area. You will know if you already have a sail track.

"Cable Pockets" are a fabric sleeve or pocket with a stainless steel wire reinforcement inside. They are used within the shade sail (not along the perimeter) to support wide areas where sag may be a problem. They act like the "spine" in a tent.

Yes, you should take your shade sail down during a cyclone warning. On the Gold Coast and wider SEQ region, BOM warnings can escalate quickly…

Even though high‑quality shade sail fabric is extremely strong, leaving a sail up during a cyclone, severe thunderstorm, or damaging‑wind event can put your sail, fittings, posts, and home at serious risk.

As a Gold Coast shade sail company that has attended storm sites after two cyclonic events and a rogue tornado/gustnado, here’s what we consistently see.

Why shade sails should be removed before a cyclone or severe storm

1. Heavy rain softens the ground
   Cyclones and severe storms usually bring intense rain before the strongest winds.
   This softens the soil, reducing the stability of your shade sail posts.
2. Strong winds create huge loads on posts and fittings
   As the sail moves in the wind, it transfers very large forces into:
   
   1. steel posts
   2. house brackets
   3. turnbuckles and tension fittings

   Even a perfectly installed sail can experience loads far beyond design limits.

3. Posts can shift in waterlogged ground
   If the concrete footings are shallow — or the ground becomes saturated — the post can move or tilt.
   Once a post shifts, the sail geometry changes and the sail becomes loose.
4. A loose sail “flogs” violently
   A loose shade sail will whip and snap in gusts, creating:
   1. shock loads
   2. sudden jerks
   3. extreme strain on fittings

   This is where we see most failures.

5. Failed fittings cause secondary damage
   If a corner fitting breaks, the loose corner can: A loose sail then “flogs” violently in gusts, creating shock loads that can break fittings or tear corners.
   1. tear the sail
   2. damage gutters, fascia, roof structure, or vehicles
   3. become a dangerous projectile

   This is why BOM‑level events (cyclones, severe thunderstorms, gustnadoes) are not worth riding out with a sail still up.

Our professional recommendation

If a cyclone warning, severe storm warning, or damaging‑wind warning is issued for the Gold Coast or SEQ, you should remove your shade sail as early as possible.

It is the safest way to protect:

1. your shade sail
2. your home
3. your posts and fittings
4. your insurance position

Need help removing your sail?

If you’re not confident removing the sail yourself, we offer a shade sail removal service for a nominal call‑out fee.

For DIY instructions, see our FAQ:
“What tips are there to remove my sail?”

This is a judgement call: generally no, but if you have a very large sail, or the sail is situated in an exposed prone position, then prevention is better than the cure.

If you do not feel confident removing the sail yourself, we offer this as a service, for a nominal call-out fee.

For guidance on doing it yourself, see our FAQ: “What tips are there to remove my sail?”

1. Take a photo of every corner before you start. This helps with corner recognition later (including fittings), and how much the turnbuckle was wound in.
2. Mark one prominent corner with a chalk pen, such as "Roof Mast - Top" or "Post-box Post - top". This helps with sail orientation when it comes time to re-install.
3. It is good to know which side of the sail is uppermost (or "top").
4. Use some WD40 or spray lube on the stainless steel fittings prior to undoing them.
5. Use a 2 metre piece of rope to double through the sail corner and a post eye to relieve the corner tension, to make it easier to undo and remove the turnbuckle.
6. Once one corner is removed, the other corners are much easier, especially if you use the little piece of rope.

Simply tell us using the "Strong Wind Area" option during the quote. This will tell us to use the next size up for your perimeter wire which is stronger and more durable for stronger wind applications. For large shade sails, we may need to discuss other options.

In short, yes! But you will need to be comfortable with using ladders and perhaps moving around on the roof if some pick-up points exist there. You will probably need some rope to pre-tension the shade sail to allow the fittings to be engaged. Tensioning is relatively straightforward, but you need to be patient and adjust each one separately, in turn, and a little bit each time. Getting this wrong may harm your shade sail or create unsightly creases with a poorly set shade sail.

We specialise in Shade Sail Replacement — Gold Coast & SEQ. That is: we replace worn or old shade sails, utilising the poles and roof-fittings you already have installed. We can, however, arrange a quotation for new sails and poles/roof-fittings, taking advantage of all the benefits already mentioned.

We use the best quality PTFE Long-Life Thread available in the marketplace. Thread technology has come a long way since your original sail and the thread will now have the same longevity and sun resistance as the shade sail cloth.

We are very proud of the way we sew our "corners". To ensure strength and quality we use double-layer corner patches, double and triple-sewn areas, seat-belt ring webbing, marine-grade 316 wire and rings and double-folded hems. Features include:

1. The corners have an extra two layers of cloth reinforcement sewn in by several rows of double stitching.
2. The "D" rings are retained by seat-belt webbing sewn in using a cross pattern of double stitching.
3. The perimeter wire is retained by a double-fold of sailcloth and double-sewn.
4. Where the wire exits to go around the "D" ring, the ends are triple-sewn.

As with all things to do with the sun and heat, summer is the busiest period. Winter will get you your shade sails fastest, and you may even get yourself a winter bargain!

Rope will do the job and is considerably cheaper than stainless steel fittings.

Rope characteristics:

1. It can work-harden and squeak against the fittings when the sail moves in the breeze.
2. People are reluctant to adjust the sail tension as they feel they cannot untie and retie the knot.
3. It is one of the ways some companies can provide a cheaper quote

Stainless steel fittings characteristics:

1. They do not "squeak" on the fittings when the sail moves in the breeze.
2. A home handyman can easily adjust the sail tension with common tools, plus, we provide a free tail tensioning service for all of our sails fitted with stainless steel fittings.
3. They look much better, and much more professional.