Cleaning Your Sails

[Peter Milne]

Bill,I have had a lot of conflicting advice about having my sails cleaned.First, will cleaning reduce the life of the sail?Second, will I notice any difference ie will they be whiter? andThird, what questions should I ask of the loft about what materials they are going to use to clean them?Thanks for your thoughtsPeter

 

[Jay Hill]

Definite Difference

Reduce Life of Sail? I *think* (oh no) this is dependent on the condition of the sail before having it treated/cleaned. Some cleaners however, are NOT good for sails. Make sure the loft you use is a pro. Life of sail is also dependent on use. Sails used for light air cruising a time or two a month during non-winter months will certainly have a longer life than those used twice a week in heavy air, rain, passagemaking, etc. If the "Sydney" in your homeport is Sydney, Australia then sail life becomes more of an issue. If you're still in Canada, I suspect your sails will have a long life anyway, and how much life is sucked out of a sail by cleaning may be insignificant. Looking forward to what everyone else says.Whiter? Definitely!! I've seen some sails come back whiter than the boat. (I've not personally used this service; I've seen some others do it and I'm doing the same research you are.)Cleaning solvent used is my concern as well. Some folks I know use their swimming pool (with a little extra pool-type chlorine) and this works wonders, but I don't feel very safe putting my sails in a chlorine bath; I tend to wonder HOW this could possibly be good for the sail. Research to date shows it isn't.

 

[Bill Colombo]

Sail Cleaning

Peter, No dirty sail has ever made a nice yacht look good. If your sails are soiled you should have them cleaned by a professional. You will be happily surprised to see them come back quite a few shades whiter(especially the stitching which tends to attract dirt). If done properly the cleaning process will not reduce the life of the sail. The materials used are a bit stronger than the sail soap found in chandleries, and are designed to remove dirt but not the cloth finish. Specific stains such as mildew, blood, oil or rust need special treatment. Ask your local loft for a reference if you want to be sure that they do a good job.Good Sailing, Bill Colombo, Doyle SF

 

[Bob Camarena]

Extra Life

I had the sails on my C-30 cleaned and re-resined by Sail Care (I think that's the correct name) out of Pennsylvania. They did a great job at a reasonable price, and I would highly recommend them.

 

[Dexter Davis]

Having your sails cleaned

I had my sails cleaned by the Sail loft in Harve De Grace and my main looked nice and neat but, I was not satisfied it still looked gray and had a black mark that I was able to clean with sail cleaner. I said something to them and their response was well not everything comes out. Make sure you get refrences.