23.5.....sails

[Hawk4661]

Sail storgage or cleaning..?
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Hey guys...I have left both sails aboard at the time being.Winterized boat until weather warms or I head south to warm weather...lol

Question ; should I send the sails off to be cleaned ect..... and cost.If some one knows it would help.
Or can I just leave the main on the boom/ with battens in sail, and the jib
shaken out below?
Any ideas there all good guys and gals...mark<><

Question #2..is there gal sailor here too.lol?

 

[Brian M H23]

Hey Mark,
Stored with mast up, I take it?
Personally, on a boat this small, might as well take the mast down, fold/roll the sails up and bag them. no good reason to let your sail cover take a beating all winter when it takes less than 5 minutes to undo - as for the mast, that's maybe a 2 hour job, if you take the time to inspect all your rigging etc while you do it. Then, if you want to move the boat during the winter,she's ready to go!

 

[George H260]

If you won't be sailing, no need to expose your sails to the elements over the winter. Removing the boom/main is a 5 min job. I never take the main off the boom, I just store the whole thing down below. Price new sails and you'll get a better idea of the cost/benefit of taking care of them.

 

[Hawk4661]

If you won't be sailing, no need to expose your sails to the elements over the winter. Removing the boom/main is a 5 min job. I never take the main off the boom, I just store the whole thing down below. Price new sails and you'll get a better idea of the cost/benefit of taking care of them.

Hi Brian and George...thanks you guys for your input.

My boat is stored in a RV storage unit with an electric coded gate. Its about five minutes from home and I pay $ 150.00 per year.This is where I keep the boat about 95% of the time.

I always return from sailing with the 110 genoa jib open lying on the fore berth.The boom with the main and battens is always stored below.
Of course the mast is down in her cradle as we travel from lake home.

I'm wondering what it would cost for sail cleaning verses buying new.Have you guys ever had your sails cleaned/inspected professionally?
Thanks friends.......fair winds..mark<><

 

[Clark]

Mark, I've used Sailcare before to clean and touch up some old sails for a Cal 25 I used to own. As I recall, the bill was ~$425 for the main and 110 genoa. That price included sewing the insignia and numbers on the main (their requirement) and some very minor repair. They did a great job as the sails came back spotless and crinkly. Unfortunately, the sails were blown out and shrunken so I had a gorgeous set of sails that didn't perform worth a nickel. I should have replaced them but that was not Sailcares fault. I suspect that a new set for you would be in the area of $1200.
Hope this helps.

 

[Hawk4661]

Clark...thank you very much.I guess Ill take care of my sails as good as I can.
I guess Ill start saving for new sails.....maybe next year.Thanks again
Iam always amazed at the great responds fellow sailors offer......fair winds friend..mark<><

 

[George H260]

Mark:

If you have not visted the Sailcare website it's worth a look. Lots of info on the care of sails. There is even a section on the proper folding of sails to extend their life.

 

[Dave L]

Question to all:

A few weeks ago, I purchased my first sailboat, a 1995 23.5, The previous owner took excellent care of her and even agreed to store her in his hanger during the winter. Unfortunately, that puts 170 miles between me and the boat.

I've been doing quite a bit of research as to get familiar with what I'll need to do next spring to prepare for the 2009 sailing season. Other than a bottom coat of VC-17 and a good cleaning, what are some of the pre-season preparations that should be added to my check list?

Should the sails be stored in a climate controlled environment, or are they okay stored where they are subject to outdoor ambient temperatures inside the hanger where temperatures can get well below freezing?

Thanks in advance (this is a very informative site)

 

[George H260]

Why do you think it's necessary to paint the bottom? If you sail inland lakes less than 12 months a year, a power wash and some Slimy Grimy will clean her up in a jiffy.

Inside storage is the best option if it's available. Although you can usually get away with storing the battery on board in freezing conditions, to be safe, I'd recommend removing it and storing it inside on a trickle charger or give it a monthly charge. That will give you an opportunity to test/clean the battery, and clean up the battery box and connections. Also make sure you remove any water from bilges/tanks.

If the boat is in a building where rodents and birds are present, I'd take precautions to make sure you don't have damage to repair in the spring.

As long as sails are kept dry and out of the weather no need to remove them from the boat. Lots of info on the Sailcare.com site regarding proper care of your sails...

 

[Dave L]

George, thanks for reply and info.

The previous owner treated it with VC-17 in it's prior years and he suggested that I give it a fresh coat each spring since I plan to keep the boat in a slip next season on a lake that is infested with zebra mussels. I was also told to add bleach to ballast tank to control the zebra mussel eggs.

again... thanks for the info

 

[Hawk4661]

H23.5......tiller question

I read this somewhere and wanted your comments on this message I copied;
"The 23.5 tiller always wants to go hard over - it won't go straight on its own. Hooking a bungee cord from the tiller to the mainsheet loop will fix it. Then you can let go of the tiller for a while without doing a doughnut."

Has anyone tried this?

I used the Cajan tiller loopmethod, tied to both port and aft cleats ,the last time I was out "power sailing" back to boat ramp.It worked surprisingly good..mark<><

 

[BrianW]

Re: H23.5......tiller question

Mark, if you get a heavy rudder, something else is usually wrong. Most of the time, it's because your rudder slipped up some. Get it reset as soon as you can and you won't need to tie the tiller down. However, a tiller tamer or homemade equivalent will save you some arm power until you get the rudder problem squared away. BrianW