Sails.... What do you do to take care of them?

Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
It is winter time and we moan about the weather, the boats not in the water, there are so many days before we can get on the water.....

But now is the perfect time to consider Sail Care.
  1. What do you do to get your sails ready for spring?
  2. Are you looking for a new sail? Sails?
  3. Are you planning a cleaning? Will you do it yourself or use a service?
  4. Do you remove your sails or leave them up in the weather?
Share your thoughts about your sails.
I was reading this AM and came across this link by Quantum Sails. It caused me to consider my own sails that are resting in their bags.
https://www.quantumsails.com/en/res...hings-you-can-do-to-make-your-sails-last-long
Now would be a great time to call a sail maker. There are winter rates, boat show rates, all geared to get you sails in time for the new season.
 
Nov 1, 2017
635
Catalina 25 Sea Star Base Galveston, TX
Luckily for me, it stays warm enough year round to keep the sails on the boat all year. However, it's the hot, sunny summer months that really wear on our sails if they aren't protected and covered properly. Since we're getting a new set of sails, we took our old ones to pour local sailmakers to get an opinion on just how bad they were. The mains'l? Well, it's the original sail from 1984, so it's definitely being replaced with a brand new performance cruising main. The genoa was in better condition, but was still very stretched, and had a little bit of UV damage along the luff next to the sunbrella. The reason for this was concluded to be caused by the fact that the manufactured sunbrella was simply not wide enough, thus not covering the sail entirely. Needless to say, our new sunbrella will be bigger and will be P-Blue to match the boat! :)
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I was raised on putting up and taking the sails down, folding, and storing the sails each time we went sailing. Furlers, Lazy Jacks, stack packs and other schemes are a great way to escape that toil of removing sails between outings. But what are they doing to the life of your sails? They do serve to let you get to the club bar 30 minutes earlier for a sundowner and share the stories of the day.

I use a furler for the head sail. The Genoa sail has a sun cover sewn over the luff that helps reduce the sun and weather damage. But even the suncover needs regular inspection and often service as the threads are vulnerable to UV damage. 2 years ago the loft charged $300 to repair the Genoa. It has extended the sail use for a few more seasons.

One of my first purchases was a mainsail cover. The one on the boat was beyond dead. There was mold and bad fit that was further damaging the sail underneath. SBO Store's sail cover resource was excellent choice for my new cover. A bonus was how it dressed up the boat in the slip...

Winter time I remove all sails from the boat. Take the sails in to the house and spread them across the living room. I look at all the corners and sail stitching. Plan on what cleaning is needed for the first nice spring day. Put my notes on the bag tie and fold stuff the sails for winter storage.
 
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Nov 1, 2017
635
Catalina 25 Sea Star Base Galveston, TX
@jssailem ,

Yeah, we inspect our covers and canvas every month, because with the weather down here (or anywhere, for that matter) you just never know. $300 is about right; we got a small discount because our local sailmaker was able to scrounge up some leftover material to redo ours. IN extreme weather (hurricanes, hard freezes, etc.) I do take the sails home, just like you do, but there's no way mom would ever let me spread them out in the house...! I usually lay them out in the lawn (soft grass, no roots or rocks) and scrub them down with a sail cleaner we buy from West Marine; it works really well! After I let them dry, I fold them properly and stow them in my closet. :) It's funny when friends come over and check out my room, open the closet and a 150% genoa falls on their face.
 

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Since we sail 12 months a year, the sun and use are the killers. We protect with Sunbrella sun covers on the RF headsails, but it only seems to last about 3 years. Of course, with the headsails, tacking does the most damage to the covers.
Surprisingly, we seem to sail enough that the sun affects the seam threads on the headsails, too. We occasionally have one part but have been lucky enough not to have any damage from the seams parting.
Actually, we had one let go about a month ago and since we were on charter, we had to change up from the Yankee to the Genoa, which Nikki had never seen in 7 years on the boat!
It's a huge, heavy 135 or 150, but even reefed, it seems to make a big difference on our pointing ability. Sadly, it's going back in the bag after our next sail to Tyrrel Bay from Bequia.
So, I guess the answer is to repair as needed and we take no special care.
 
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May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i pay attention to my sails all season long. hank on jibs. when i strip the boat in october, i'll take all the sails to the house and wait for an overcast day and then spread them out on the lawn to inspect and fold. any sails that need attention, even the slightest, i will bring back to ohio. my sail loft of choice for 30+ years is in st. clair shores michigan. i will take them up in november. the loft is near dead that time of year. i get a great discount cause they're needing to keep the crew busy. am close friends with the owner. he can give me many hours of his time cause it's so slow. we stretch out each sail at the loft and inspect together. never a rush. the sails get fixed. then he stores them till i arrive to get them in may. i pay when the bill comes in january. free storage. in may he has no time to talk. we are good friends. he is running hard that time of year. he built all my sails, he maintains all my sails.
just staying ahead of the curve. he is a rockstar racer, i love his skills. i enjoy his friendship. over the years we have sailed allot together as well.
here on the lakes the november discount is over. it is already getting busy at this loft.
 
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Oct 6, 2007
1,023
Hunter H30 1982 Chicago IL
My sails come off at the end of the season, get folded and stored in their sail bags. When I see boats at the yacht yard with their sails and running rigging left on through the winter, I tend to assume everything else on the boat is maintained with the same level of care.

With my old sails, I stored them an a storage room at home every winter until I realized that my shrink wrapped boat, with adequate ventilation and damp-rid buckets is perfectly fine. If I saw signs of wear or chafing or they just needed cleaning, I would drop them off at the sail loft for the winter. That was probably every third year on average.

Since I bought a nice new pair of sails three years ago, they have been going to the sail loft every winter for free inspection, cleaning (not free) and storage. This is the first year they actually washed them because the loft didn’t think they needed it the first two years. I’m sure that would not be the case if I was in salt water though.

I learned the hard way last year that carrying the sail bags over my shoulder down an extension ladder when the boat is already on the hard is NOT a good idea. Rotator cuff injury, five months physical therapy. An older sailing friend suggested that I need to keep in mind “age appropriate” activities. This year I carried them off the boat at the dock. The next time I need to get them off the boat when it’s on the hard, you can be sure I’ll be lowering them from deck on a line.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Capta I have a 148 Genoa that is great on a reach but less so beating to wind. Better I such conditions is the Jib. It’s cut flat. Is newer or at least less used. Coupled with the new Main I can make reasonable VMG to upwind waypoints.
 
Oct 29, 2016
1,915
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
I bring either of my sails in to the loft every second year, jib first year, main the next and so on. I pays to have your engines looked at, at least every second year...
@jon hansen which loft in St Clair Shores? I am only a few minutes from the area.
 
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Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
I take the sails down at the end of the season and bring them to the original sail maker. He inspects, repairs cleans and does a racing rinse. He stores them all winter and I go pick them up in the spring. Easy peasy.
 
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May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
Al Declercq with his wife Sara. dole sails known Al for 40 years.
https://www.doylesails.com/doyle-sails-detroit

i've raced on boats on lake erie with him. he's come to wisconson to race on aeolus and we won. he has come to wisconson to play on my ascow just for fun. he built my racing sails, he built my cruising sails. great guy i think. great skills.
he recently found his fathers home built boat, flying buffalo. bought it, restored it, won both macs with it just as his father did back in the 60's.
the boy's got skills
 
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Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
Thanks for the reminder @jssailem
I need to get my sails over to our local sailmaker for cleaning and small repairs. While they are relatively new, they could use a cleaning and the jib has a wear spot on the UV cover.
I'd also like the jib marked at the foot with vertical 8-12" stripes to marked various furled reefed points with corresponding tell tales. My Hyde Sails Direct jib had this and I used it a lot.

My sail care program is:
During the season, a good sail cover on the main and UV cover on the jib. Extra wraps using a tie on the jib if storms are forecast.
If a NorEaster, hurricane or other high wind events threaten I also tie-up the main sail cover to avoid it flapping.

Off season I inspect carefully, fold neatly, put them in their sail bags along with a few dryer sheets to keep out unwanted pests and store in a back room.
 
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Jan 26, 2019
68
Catalina 30, mkI 2462 Waukegan, IL
All right, here it goes.

New to me boat this fall. Previous owner had boat ~15 years. He sent sails to Sail Care every few years (you can Google that).

Sails replaced ~5 years ago. This fall, they were in good shape.

Here's what I did:
1. Removed main and genoa at winter haul (Columbus Day weekend).

2. Spread sails on front lawn. Thorough freshwater rinse, gentle scrub with OxiClean (careful with chemicals). Sails pretty clean. Some spider stains, some grease stains near heads, foots, tacks. Some stains remained.

3. Thorough inspection revealed:
a. Main awesome. Not a loose stitch. Flaked, folded, bagged. Indoor storage at home. Space a challenge.
b. 135 Genoa had ~2 areas of zigzag stitching loose, ~5 areas loose on UV cover, and two pinhead size holes at another location. Also visible was UV cover fraying where it chafes on spreaders during tacks.​

4. Coaxed wife's home machine into the repairs. Spoke with SailRite for recommendations about threads, spreader patch material, needle size, and techniques to make this work with home machine. It does, but BARELY. Not all stitching is perfect. But, it got the job done. I jokingly call the sail "Frankensail", Really, it looks decent. I restitched everything that needed it and patched the two small holes with spreader patch material.

5. Improvements include (all materials purchased through SailRite):
a. Added sail numbers to main
b. Added spreader patches to genoa​

6. Flaked, folded, bagged, indoor storage of genoa at home.

Future plans (who knows, this might change):
Seek what one year of my use does to the sails and go from there. If little visible wear, then same procedure next fall. At some point, I will have a sailmaker look over them. Sails are Ullman brand.
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i have never washed a sail in my life. unless you consider tipping over a wash.
i always liked patina :)
 
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kmart

.
Jan 1, 2012
87
Pearson 10M Fall River, MA
So not to hijack the topic.... sorta related.... what do you do will sas past their usefull life?

My sails are at their end per the sailmaker i had inspect them. They are 14 yrs ... so its time.

Can anything usefull be made out of the old sails. Or do you just toss them?
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Depends on the sail material. A light weight spinnaker might serve as a shade or even a hammock.

Dacron Main or Jib might be remade into bags or rope organizers.