I have the sails (main and 150 "gen") off our Hunter 285 and in storage. They are a tad bit dirty and I was thinking of cleaning them myself but here are my problems/concerns. The boat is in Havre de Grace, MD but we live near Harrisburg, PA where the sails are being kept for the winter. We're in a drought here in PA and the water use is restricted. Can't even wash my own car! So I was thinking of taking the sails to a self serve car wash. With a tarp on the car wash floor and a big pocket full of quarters I thought I might be able to do the job. But I'm a bit worried about the detergent used at these car washes and the other problem is how to dry them once they are washed. I could take them back to my house (about two blocks away) wet and lay them out in our small grass covered back yard, I guess. Has anyone ever tried this or have I been spending too much time out in the sun painting the bottom of my boat? Has anyone ever taken sails to a "pro" for cleaning and if so how much should I expect to pay. Bob
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Sail cleaning
I sent mine to sail care for cleaning and reconditioning... they charge .85 per square foot sail area. And make any necessary repairs (they will call with an estimate first). Mine came back like new and I have never been able to clean a sail like that by hand. Expensive but "I" think well worth the expense. Much cheaper than new one too.
I sent mine to sail care for cleaning and reconditioning... they charge .85 per square foot sail area. And make any necessary repairs (they will call with an estimate first). Mine came back like new and I have never been able to clean a sail like that by hand. Expensive but "I" think well worth the expense. Much cheaper than new one too.
SailCare
I used sailcare this winter for the first time to clean the two sails on my 30. First off I got an estimate on the cost of cleaning my sails by telling them what boat I had. The estimate was $290. They do not mention that the process damages telltails, logos, and numbers. The cleaning alone was $405.45 plus $20 for sewing around logos, $8.50 for telltails, and $28.79 for return shipping. (I did mention to them that $405 was higher than the estimates on any of the boats on their website, even ones that were much larger than mine). They also identified several other repairs that totaled to $387.50, which I was aware of most of what they identified, but at this point how can you question them. This stuff needed to be fixed anyway. In the end, my biggest complaint is the customer service I received. Maybe they are used to people spending $1000 without any problem, or without expecting personal service. I at least expect them to call me back. There was only one time that they returned my call, and that was probably because the person that deals with the customers was out to lunch one time when I called. The lady that answered the phone said she would have the regular person call me back, and I told her that she hadn't ever before, so the one that answered that day called me right back. I will not use their service ever again. I will clean my sails as I need to and then buy new ones. I guess I should also mention that although I have not put the sails up yet, they do look nice and clean and crisp. The repairs that I could see from the folded sail were OK, but not what I expected.
I used sailcare this winter for the first time to clean the two sails on my 30. First off I got an estimate on the cost of cleaning my sails by telling them what boat I had. The estimate was $290. They do not mention that the process damages telltails, logos, and numbers. The cleaning alone was $405.45 plus $20 for sewing around logos, $8.50 for telltails, and $28.79 for return shipping. (I did mention to them that $405 was higher than the estimates on any of the boats on their website, even ones that were much larger than mine). They also identified several other repairs that totaled to $387.50, which I was aware of most of what they identified, but at this point how can you question them. This stuff needed to be fixed anyway. In the end, my biggest complaint is the customer service I received. Maybe they are used to people spending $1000 without any problem, or without expecting personal service. I at least expect them to call me back. There was only one time that they returned my call, and that was probably because the person that deals with the customers was out to lunch one time when I called. The lady that answered the phone said she would have the regular person call me back, and I told her that she hadn't ever before, so the one that answered that day called me right back. I will not use their service ever again. I will clean my sails as I need to and then buy new ones. I guess I should also mention that although I have not put the sails up yet, they do look nice and clean and crisp. The repairs that I could see from the folded sail were OK, but not what I expected.
I agree on Cust Serv
I have to agree with Todd on customer service but bottom line on cleaning and conditioning I was satisfied with the work. Most post on this site seemed to be pleased with them.
I have to agree with Todd on customer service but bottom line on cleaning and conditioning I was satisfied with the work. Most post on this site seemed to be pleased with them.
Take them to a local sailmaker
He is allowed to use water. He can clean the sail using the least amount of water!
He is allowed to use water. He can clean the sail using the least amount of water!
I used a jacuzi
I washed my 40.5 sails in a 4-person hottub. I used just cold water, no soap. Stirred the sails with a wooden oar and spread them to dry in the yard. They came a bit cleaner and all of the salt should be out of them too. Afterwards, my sailmaker looked at them to do a few repairs and he said that they looked pretty good. Since this was a 'borrowed' jacuzi, I didn't want to add any soap, but if it was mine, I would had added Ivory or something mild.
I washed my 40.5 sails in a 4-person hottub. I used just cold water, no soap. Stirred the sails with a wooden oar and spread them to dry in the yard. They came a bit cleaner and all of the salt should be out of them too. Afterwards, my sailmaker looked at them to do a few repairs and he said that they looked pretty good. Since this was a 'borrowed' jacuzi, I didn't want to add any soap, but if it was mine, I would had added Ivory or something mild.
Next time, a low suds detergent like Wisk
You don't want to use soap...soaps and detergents are different "animals". Soaps are made with fats, detergents emulsify fats and oils. And detergents won't hurt the pump--in fact would actually be good for it...give the whole system a good cleaning. So you can run the tub to clean the sails...then hang 'em and rinse VERY thoroughly with a garden hose. Nor do you want to use anything in a hot tub like Ivory that'll produce billows of bubbles--at least, not without a camera crew handy!
Even a low-suds detergent can produce enough to require standing by with a bucket to scoop 'em away. Fwiw, sails aren't the only things you can clean in a hot tub...I've been putting my miniblinds in the Jacuzzi tub in my bathroom to clean 'em for years...putting 'em in the shower to rinse 'em.
You don't want to use soap...soaps and detergents are different "animals". Soaps are made with fats, detergents emulsify fats and oils. And detergents won't hurt the pump--in fact would actually be good for it...give the whole system a good cleaning. So you can run the tub to clean the sails...then hang 'em and rinse VERY thoroughly with a garden hose. Nor do you want to use anything in a hot tub like Ivory that'll produce billows of bubbles--at least, not without a camera crew handy!
Even a low-suds detergent can produce enough to require standing by with a bucket to scoop 'em away. Fwiw, sails aren't the only things you can clean in a hot tub...I've been putting my miniblinds in the Jacuzzi tub in my bathroom to clean 'em for years...putting 'em in the shower to rinse 'em.Use a kids pool.
I've used a kids swimming pool, it worked great, with a little soap (Ivory) and some elbow they came fairly clean. The rest of the summer the kids are happy.
I've used a kids swimming pool, it worked great, with a little soap (Ivory) and some elbow they came fairly clean. The rest of the summer the kids are happy.
SailCare Redux
We had the opposite experience with SailCare. They hit the estimate on the head, called us before the (minor) repairs, didn't damage the sails in any way (although we had no numbers or logos on the sails) and returned dirty and aged sails back to us in nearly-new condition. The sails felt great and sail great--and are nowhere near as good as new sails. Cleaning and re-gooping them won't cure stretch or any other problem caused by age.
We had the opposite experience with SailCare. They hit the estimate on the head, called us before the (minor) repairs, didn't damage the sails in any way (although we had no numbers or logos on the sails) and returned dirty and aged sails back to us in nearly-new condition. The sails felt great and sail great--and are nowhere near as good as new sails. Cleaning and re-gooping them won't cure stretch or any other problem caused by age.
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