Took down my jib over the weekend to clean it and I discovered that the 12" wide U.V. strip (on mine it is white) is deteriorating badly. I think I'll put some repair tape on it to get through the season but I was wondering if a sail shop can sew a new strip on...or do I have to buy a replacement? The rest of the sail is in great condition and has not seen alot of use prior to my purchasing the boat a year ago. I would appreciate any advice or input.
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No big deal
Steve, Replacing the UV protective strip is routine maintenance for a sail that any decent loft would be able to do for you. I just had mine done at a cost of $7.50 per foot of luff. You have a few options for materials. You can stick with sunbrella which will protect the sail from UV, or you can use protective dacron which will protect the sail and also add a degree of strength. Being lighter, if you have a large genoa the dacron will help the sail maintain it's shape better in light wind and will thus help performance. I hope this helps. Good luck! Allen Schweitzer s/v Drambuie C-30 Hull# 632
Steve, Replacing the UV protective strip is routine maintenance for a sail that any decent loft would be able to do for you. I just had mine done at a cost of $7.50 per foot of luff. You have a few options for materials. You can stick with sunbrella which will protect the sail from UV, or you can use protective dacron which will protect the sail and also add a degree of strength. Being lighter, if you have a large genoa the dacron will help the sail maintain it's shape better in light wind and will thus help performance. I hope this helps. Good luck! Allen Schweitzer s/v Drambuie C-30 Hull# 632
UV Strip
Of course any sail shop can do that. If the sail material is fine, you should have no problems. You even get to choose what color you want! I guess it would be obvious that you may want to consider checking this out more often in the future. I also had a similar problem in the past where my old Cruising Design roller furling system was so fouled that I could not get the jib down at all. I unfortunately (or fortunately) waited too long to get it down, I waited until I had the standing rigging replaced and I installed new Profurl roller furler about a year later. Unfortunate: The UV cover was so shot that the edge of the sail was deteriorated so much that the sail had to be cut down from a 110 to an 85. Fortunate: I had purchased a used 110 a year earlier for all of $100!!! The sail maker said it was in perfect shape! So, I now have an 85 to use in San Francisco's summer winds, AND a great 110 for the rest of the year.
Of course any sail shop can do that. If the sail material is fine, you should have no problems. You even get to choose what color you want! I guess it would be obvious that you may want to consider checking this out more often in the future. I also had a similar problem in the past where my old Cruising Design roller furling system was so fouled that I could not get the jib down at all. I unfortunately (or fortunately) waited too long to get it down, I waited until I had the standing rigging replaced and I installed new Profurl roller furler about a year later. Unfortunate: The UV cover was so shot that the edge of the sail was deteriorated so much that the sail had to be cut down from a 110 to an 85. Fortunate: I had purchased a used 110 a year earlier for all of $100!!! The sail maker said it was in perfect shape! So, I now have an 85 to use in San Francisco's summer winds, AND a great 110 for the rest of the year.
Now you know why...
...it is called a "sacrificial strip." Look at it this way, if the strip was not ruined, the sail would be. Does the same thing as a zinc, only for UV.
...it is called a "sacrificial strip." Look at it this way, if the strip was not ruined, the sail would be. Does the same thing as a zinc, only for UV.
Dacron vs canvas
I had mine replaced a couple of years ago. For a Ranger 29 it was something like $150. Also had the sailed cleaned for another $150 and it looked much better. The sailmaker said he only uses dacron as it doesn't shrink, thus keeping the sail shape. Canvas will shrink. Then again, sail shape isn't a priority for roller furling genoas as we've already compromised sail shape somewhat to make it flat enough to furl.
I had mine replaced a couple of years ago. For a Ranger 29 it was something like $150. Also had the sailed cleaned for another $150 and it looked much better. The sailmaker said he only uses dacron as it doesn't shrink, thus keeping the sail shape. Canvas will shrink. Then again, sail shape isn't a priority for roller furling genoas as we've already compromised sail shape somewhat to make it flat enough to furl.
UV Strip Color
Another issue to consider when replacing your "white" UV strip is whether or not to change color. I once used a white UV strip on my jibs, thinking that white will reflect heat and believing that "heat is bad." I had a discussion with a sailmaker about this issue just before deciding the color of the UV strip on the jib of my new boat. He said that he only had some anecdotal evidence that UV strips should be dark and opaque. The darker the better. His rationale is that heat generated inside a rolled up sail will help discourage mildew formation. Further, he noted that sail cloth is produced under heat, so, heat is not bad for sail cloth. Something for you to consider as I did. My new jib has a navy blue UV strip.
Another issue to consider when replacing your "white" UV strip is whether or not to change color. I once used a white UV strip on my jibs, thinking that white will reflect heat and believing that "heat is bad." I had a discussion with a sailmaker about this issue just before deciding the color of the UV strip on the jib of my new boat. He said that he only had some anecdotal evidence that UV strips should be dark and opaque. The darker the better. His rationale is that heat generated inside a rolled up sail will help discourage mildew formation. Further, he noted that sail cloth is produced under heat, so, heat is not bad for sail cloth. Something for you to consider as I did. My new jib has a navy blue UV strip.
different approach.
I didn't like what the sacrificial strip did to the set of my sail (h27). I removed it and made a removable sailcover from sunbrella to match main. It is basically a tube over the foresail. Takes a few minutes longer to remove or button up, but worth it in sail shape. If you are a DIYr, check out the sailrite catalogue. Good luck red
I didn't like what the sacrificial strip did to the set of my sail (h27). I removed it and made a removable sailcover from sunbrella to match main. It is basically a tube over the foresail. Takes a few minutes longer to remove or button up, but worth it in sail shape. If you are a DIYr, check out the sailrite catalogue. Good luck red
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