Newbie? Remove sails for winter?

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Oct 3, 2005
159
Catalina 387 Hampton, VA
I live in VA, Southern Chesapeake region. I will be getting my first sailboat in the next couple of days, and am trying to make my winterizing list. Do you remove your sails for the winter? I have a roller furling head and main sail. I figure the main would be OK rolled in the mast, but don't like the idea of the exposed head sail all winter long. Thank you in advance for the advice.
 
T

Tom

Do you Sail??

I would remove the sails unless you plan to sail all year. Winter sailing can be some of the best!!! I've been known to chip ice and snow out of the cockpit to go sailing in January. The biggest down side to winter sailing is the cold water if you should go overboard. But winter in the chesapeak the water should be around 50?? Probably some readers of this board have water temperatures near that in summer. In winter we tend to day sail so that we can have hot showers and plug up the heater at night. With a small electric heater we have slept aboard many times being comfortable even with frost on the deck. Here on the gulf coast we tend to see a lot of migratory birds during the winter and bugs are almost absent. We avoid sailing in the rain because the wet and the cold are just too much. But a few times we have been caught out and had to sail back in the rain...it wasn't too bad. Tom
 
Jun 2, 2004
12
Oday 28 Bayport, Minnesota
Yes...

Hi, there... my bet is that if you bring your sails in you won't be in the "doghouse". Up here (Minnesota) I always take the sails off even tho' the boat is shrink wrapped for the winter. Around here the little "beasties" (birds, squirrels, etc.) that hang around in the winter love to find a protected place in the sails if they're left on -- even furled. Taking the sails in has another very important benefit -- you have a chance to inspect them for rips, loose threads, wear, etc. I just think it's the right thing to do... Bruce
 
Jun 4, 2004
834
Hunter 340 Forked River, NJ
Caution!

Never, ever remove sails from a boat that is out of the water and on jackstands (poppets). You will run the risk of knocking the boat over. Most people remove their sails over the winter to prevent wear and tear due to weathering and for repairs. If you are fortunate to have some winter sailing days, then I would leave them on as long as possible.
 

Shippy

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Jun 1, 2004
272
Hunter 356 Harve de Grace
Remove them

As everyone has said, if the boat is going up on the hard (jack stands) and not left in the water, best bet is to remove them for winter if you want to extend the life of them. We remove ours, inspect them carefully, treat any spider gunk (spot clean) and every couple of years take them to the sailmaker to restitch and repair anything needing attention. Besides the advice to remove them while in the water (I watched one year when a fellow sailor tried removing his while on the hard and the wind kicked up out of nowhere....I thought for sure he was going to tumble his boat and the domino effect probably would have taken another two or three) Is to take good notes, pictures if you can also help of the way the sails are attached. It is a pretty straight forward process, but after 5-6 months the memory tends to forget some of the details and that leaves you standing there in spring trying to recall how this attached, or where that goes, etc. BTW - welcome to the club!
 

Bill N

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Sep 10, 2005
53
- - Barnegat Bay, NJ
Remove them and have them inspected/cleaned

Heed John's advice on doing this only if the boat is still in the water, on a cradle, or if there is absoutely NO wind when on Jackstands (poppets)... Albeit I have to (drop mast every year), I would remove them no matter what. Also, just because your Mainsail is an in-mast furler, water will still get in during the winter, possibly causing mold/mildew or freezing damage (Dacron resists but is not impervious to mold/mildew -- and needs air to do so). This is much the same as with the reasons for removing the furling headsail, albeit wind damage shouldn't be possible with your main. Further, removing the sail will reduce 'weight aloft' (better for the hull during lay-up) and de-stress all the bearings and lines of your in-mast furling system. That said, Consider opening up the sails when there is little wind, hose them off as much as possible, let them dry (maybe by going for a sail, hey why not, right?), then Remove them, and... assuming you have not already had them removed and inspected during your purchasing process, Have them inspected and repaired (if needed) by a good sail loft. The nice thing about sending them to a sail loft is they will also typically store them over the winter for you, reducing mold/mildew concerns if stored in boat, or finding a good place for them at home. Also, if not cleaned within the past 1-2 years, also have them cleaned. Regarding cleaning, do ask how they clean them though as some just soak them all rolled-up in a 'big vat' which doesn't really do much more than you could do/did with a hose. Hope this helps..
 
T

tom

Looks Good for All year Sailing

I just checked the weather channel and the NWS.NOAA.gov sites for Hampton weather. It looks pretty good for year round sailing. Even in Jan-feb the average temps are in the 50's for highs and low thirtys for lows. And a 10 knot breeze in the winter has more energy than a 10 knot breeze in summer. The air is denser when cold. I've really noticed this effect flying in a small plane. The water will have less extremes in temperature. Does it snow much in Hampton??? I can't stress enough the joy of being the only boat on the water on a sunny winter's day. Of course here at Panama city most sailers sail year round. In Minnesota it isn't an option... the water is too hard in January. But Hampton seems like a boundary state where if you are reasonably competant and hardy winter sailing should be fun. Oh BTW we have had days with no wind in the winter. Tom
 
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Bill O'Donovan

Fellow Bay Sailor

I agree that unless you're sailing through the winter, you should remove the sails. I would check with North Sails in downtown Hampton if they do cleaning and restoration. Or try Hayes Sail in Hayes, up from the Coleman Bridge in Gloucester. Very reliable fellow.
 
Jun 1, 2004
227
Beneteau 393 Newport
leave them on the boat

I left the sails on my last boat for the winter. I removed them two times in 12 years for cleaning and whatever repairs the sailmaker thought necessary. The sails were not the worse for staying on the boat. I intend to leave the sails on my current boat on for the winter until I have some reason to remove them. Jim
 
Jun 14, 2005
165
Cal 20 Westport CT
Stay off boat on jack stands?

Does John's comment mean "don't get up on your boat when it's on stands"? I do my off-season repairs just this way. For example, I'm going to be changing my keelbolts this winter. Am I making a big mistake/taking a big risk? Dick
 
Jul 20, 2005
2,422
Whitby 55 Kemah, Tx
All relative

it's common sense....if your boat weights 15,000+ lbs, I don't think you climbing around in it is going to make much of a difference. If it's a 1/3 of that, then I would be very careful and make sure the stands are well set. Basically, use the same common sense you would going underneight a jacked up car.
 
Mar 1, 2005
220
Hunter 34 North East, MD
Take 'em off

Doghouse, taking them off will not only preserve the sails but the boat as well. Having sails rigged while the boat is up on jack stands will add to its windage. It can (and will) cause the boat to rock in the stands, which eventually will lead to their working apart and dropping the boat. In a tightly packed storage yard, this leads to a domino effect, bringing great pain to others as well. Take 'em off, examine them, send them to SailCare, but don't keep them rigged up on stands.
 
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Tim R.

boarding boat on Jackstands

It is ok to board your boat. I believe the point John was trying to make was that it is very dangerous to unfurl a head sail when on the hard. I small puff of wind could easily start that doomed domino effect. As far as sails is concerned remove'em, wash'em and store'em. The salt impregnated in your sails will greatly reduce the life of your sails. Sure they will still work but not as well as if you had cared for them properly. Ultraviolet light will also do quite a bit of harm. Sail covers keep out most of the light but not all. Tim R.
 
Jul 20, 2005
2,422
Whitby 55 Kemah, Tx
Ultraviolet light and salt

isn't as much an issue during winter...take right now here in Houston. It's 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, but the UV index is only 6. In Baltimore right now it's 2. Sure they have a lot of clouds, but they usually do during the winter. If it were summer down here, the UV right now would be 11. Salt in many cases, IMHO, isn't I problem. A truck parked on the beach will get salt all over it because it's blowing in the wind because of the splashes and from it being in the sand. A truck near salt water that's not near a beach will not get salt on it. So, if you sail in conditions where the salt water is splashing up on the deck and you haven't rinsed your sails after that day, then you will have salt build-up, but I can't see any other time you would unless you anchor or dock near a beach. Am I missing something?
 
Jun 2, 2004
1,077
Several Catalinas C25/C320 USA
Sunbrella?

If there is a chance you may sail over the winter leave them on. If there is no way you will sail over the winter, take them off. However, if you have the leach and foot of the sail protected by Sunbrella, makes no difference whether you remove them or not.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
what's the big deal?

I take my sails off all the time.... what's the big deal? Removing a headsail or mainsail shouldn't be so much of a problem that you would leave it on the boat for months in inclement weather. If it is a huge problem to drop the genny or main then your sail handling system needs re-evaluating. Doghouse...remove the sails at the dock and store them in the boat. If you fold them properly, bending them back on is a piece of cake.
 
Jun 4, 2004
844
Hunter 28.5 Tolchester, MD
U.V Degradation

I wouldn't have as much faith in Sunbrella, because, typically, the threads holding everything together may not have the same level of U.V. protection. You've probably seen the deterioration of the threads in your mainsail cover or bimini. Why not take everything off the boat to reduce windage; flake and roll up each sail and store them in a cool dry spot such as the attic of the garage. I cover the cockpit of my boat with a heavy guage tarp and again, every so many years replace that after the thread seams have gone past being repairable.
 
Jun 4, 2004
834
Hunter 340 Forked River, NJ
When out of the water ...

My earlier point was that you can easily knock your boat over trying to remove the sails when the boat is on land - that is unless you have a substantial cradle. The you can take the main down without raising it but you have to unfurl the jib and that is when the wind will get you. I have crawled all over my boat(s) over the years during winter storage and have even stayed overnight. I even ran my engine once or twice but then thought better of it when I realized that I could shake the jackstands right off. Those old Yanmars can really shake!If the boat is well supported, with enough jackstands that are chained, then you should have no reservations about climbing on your boat during winter storage.
 
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