Can sails "shrink" after cleaning?

CCHer · May 4, 2012

I had full batten main cleaned on my old boat several years ago- an outfit in Baltimore-don't remember the name. No problem getting the battens back in. I wouldn't think dacron would can shrink from normal washing but I guess its possible. Perhaps a little sailing will stretch it out.

abyssal · May 4, 2012

We had ours sails cleaned at Sail Care a few years ago. The process caused our sails to shrink. We had to cut the battens down a couple of inches. A hacksaw or coping saw will solve your problem. Measure twice; cut once.

deke · Jul 6, 2012

main sail cleaning

I sent my stock Catalina furling main out for cleaning through a Quantum Sail loft. They do not clean but recomend Sail Care. The sail returned and was beautiful. My 2001/310 has a Charlston furling mast. The luff slots are narrow and as I was hauling the main I noticed that the luff was gathering some wrinkles and was getting harder to raise. I tried to pull it back down but could not. I had to continue to raise with much effort. When the tack reached the horn I noticed that the luff rope had torn loose and was about a foot short and trapped up inside the luff. The main now has some camber in its shape at the luff and wrinkles when I furl. The interior space in the mast is just large enough for a tightly furled sail, any wrinkles cause the sail to jam up and bind so I can't complete the storage and leave about 3 feet exposed. I think that the root cause was that the original luff rope shrunk in the cleaning thus causing the sail to wrinkle and bind. I can't pull the main down so I may have to cut it out of the furler and use the second slot with a new main. Any suggestions on how to pull the main down without cutting would be greatly appreciated. Ron

anchorclanker · Jul 6, 2012

Wow, good to know. I could tolerate stains more than I could a screwed up sail. Fly them till they shred.

Bob James · Aug 1, 2012

Shortened the battens

iSailor said:
I had my full batten main sail professionally cleaned over the winter. Now I cannot get the battens all the way in the sail??? All the battens stick out several inches. I have the velcro straps holding them in fine but it looks odd with 2 inches of batten sticking out.

I tried loosening up the batten "sockets" as much as possible but that has not solved the problem.

Thoughts?

I shortened the battens after the cleaning by Sale Care. No problem.

accp1947 · Aug 12, 2012

Wow. I was just about to send mine off to Sail Care. Not now!!! I'll just wash them again. Anyone tried citrus? Anyone tried oxyclean? I've been told both.

justsomeguy · Aug 12, 2012

I'm leaving the bloodstains right where they are.

FastOlson · Aug 12, 2012

Gotta say... that having sails commercially cleaned has garnered complaints and criticism for decades. Best advice still is to DIY with very mild soap - no harsh chemicals, lots of clean water to thoroughly rinse, and dried 'em naturally, preferably outside.
Any remaining stains might be a bit unsightly, but as noted from other posters the commercial cleaning result can be a decidedly mixed bag.

One thing that an owner can do, and lots of sailors in our rainy and damp climate do every winter, is to remove sails (and canvas) for the winter storm season. At the very least remove any furled headsails -- both to protect from storm winds and to prevent them having mold and mildew forming inside the leach folds over a 4 month period.

Those sails are the "main engine" on your boat and the main & jib are about a 6K replacement value.... best to care well for them.

Sidebar: if the battens no longer fit after the so-called "cleaning" then the sail was damaged and a $$ settlement is in order. Period.

Warren Milberg · Aug 12, 2012

I sent my North Dacron main to Sail Care and when it came back it looked great, but the battens were now a bit too long for the pockets. I've talked to Sail Care about this and they do not believe their process is the culprit, yet I can not think of another explanation. My guess is that the thread used to sew the panels of a sail together is what actually shrinks in the cleaning process, not the Dacron material. Bolt ropes in the luff and foot will also shrink, all on their own over time or with cleaning, and may have to be reset if you get problems with getting a good set.

Tom J · Aug 25, 2012

I've cleaned my sails several times over the years, using mild soap and rinsing well. The battens finally ended up protruding about 2". Not only is this unsightly, but the topping lift kept fouling on the batten ends, screwing up the Dutchman flaking system. I trimmed the battens this season and we're all set.

captainpat · Aug 26, 2012

Jerry at sail care is terrific to work with, however, no matter what he says, the sails will shrink. They did a great job on reconditioning my main sail with the LaManey??? system. It came back like a new sail; BUT...it did shrink. Had to trim the battens. It's a good way to add life to old sails that are not blown out!!! - if you can accept the shrinkage. I researched before having the job done and knew that there would be some shrinkage. I was so impressed with the job on the main that I sent the furling jib the next off-season. I would not do that again. The shrinkage negatively affected the way the jib would furl and for severak weeks I had to fight with it every time I furled to get it to lay right so that the UV cover would actually cover the sail material. In time the sail may have streached a bit, but after a couple of weeks the problem went away. When I sold the boat 3 years later the surveyor thought that the sails were new!