Iron your Sails...?

Joe · Feb 6, 2012

Go for it. Though it's hard to believe that it will repair damage already done by improper storage. ...................... oops, better not. after reading RichH's comments I'm taking his side... cuz... he knows about these things.

RichH · Feb 6, 2012

Absolutely do not 'iron' woven dacron (or any other) sail material.
There is no way to control even heating of the fibers and you will ultimately wind up with 'wavy' fabric.
During its manufacture, woven dacron sail fabric is 'ironed' (heat calendered) between very precisely heated and pressurized controlled rollers (mangles) and this sets the 'crimp' of the weave into a fixed structure ... there is no way you can imitate such with a hand iron, even on very old sails where the crimp locking structure will still be intact.

Sails can be 'refinished' by adding textile 'sizes' to aid in lessening the 'porosity' of the fabric but this isnt done at nearly the same temperature of 'ironing'.
If you want to remove wrinkles out of woven dacron ... on a windless day, spray them with warm water and simply let them dryout while raised. ;-)

Ed Schenck · Feb 7, 2012

I know a racing friend that irons his sails. He uses two ironing boards and he applies a resin as well. Takes practice but they come out looking new. What you cannot do with the iron is bring the shape back. If it is baggy when you start it will be a nice crisp baggy when you are done.

RichH · Feb 7, 2012

"Baggyness" can easily be removed from a woven dacron sail .... all you have to do is readjust the luff 'boltrope'. The 3 strand luff boltrope becomes shorter and fatter every time you tension the luff, and that eventual 'shrinking' of the boltrope is what causes the sail to become 'baggy' and the point of maximum draft to move aft - aggressive heeling and 'weather helm'.
If there is an 'excess' amount of boltrope 'stored' at the headboard of the sail, then to reestablilsh the proper boltrope length, all you have to do is cut the sail twine on the luff near the head, and reset the 'preload' of the bolt-rope and resew its connection to the luff tape with sail twine. Normal boltrope preload 99% of the time (for sailing in 12-15kts of wind) is: the boltrope is 'shorter' than the luff dimension by 1" for every 11 ft. of luff length and then resew by hand (needle and palm with stout 'waxed sail twine').

Here's a method for *testing* to see if your boltrope has become 'shrunken', and also directions on HOW to RAISE a woven dacron boltrope so that the boltrope is properly 'stretched out' to its *design* length when raising a boltroped sail .... and which 95% of most 'cruising' sailors never do, ..... and then complain of 'baggy' sails and 'weather helm':
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=120970

If you have a woven dacron mainsail and are a sail 'tweaker', you really need to adjust or 'ease' that boltrope after every season of 'hard' sailing. Otherwise the perpetually shrinking boltrope is going to make your mainsail take on a over-drafted, 'baggy' and draft-aft shape.

In the 'old days', before the advent of relatively dimensionally stable woven dacron, most mainsails had a boltrope adjustment system (cleat or 'knots') external to the luff sleeve so that the sailor could routinely adjust for the correct boltrope tension.
Sailmakers now sell a lot more sails because the external boltrope adjustment is no longer provided ... typically because non-racing sailors never used this 'very important' sail shaping 'adjustment'.
Easing/adjusting the boltrope and then *properly raising* such a sail to 'stretch out' the boltrope, will 95% of the time restore the sail to its 'design' shape --- for less aggressive heeling, for minimal 'weather helm' and for having a 'fast' sail that 'points' very well.

RichH · Feb 7, 2012

Squidd said:
I have a droopy boom on my Venture Cat...I noticed that last year sailing trying to "strech" or tighten the hayyard to pull the bag out tof the Luff...

I'll have to dig it out and look into the bolt rope to see if it's practical to cut loose and refasten/reshaping the sail...I do have the toolage and materials to properly refasten...

Contact me by PM or email ... or contact a sail material supplier such as Jeff at www.sailriite.com before you do this. Send close up pics of the head and tack of the sail and precise 'as is' luff dimensions, as well as 'normal' wind and wave data for your sailing venue ..... BEFORE you do this as a DIY project, the 'first time'.

RichH · Feb 8, 2012

The standard luff dimenion for this sail is 18.5 ft.
Your measurement (with old boltrope) is 17.8ft.
In the pic you sent me the luff tape, the covering for the boltrope, is severly 'wrinkled' - denoting significant boltrope shrinkage. Since this is (??) a boltrope in the the mast track arrangement, this 'wrinkling' will not allow the sail to properly 'shift' along the mast track ... lengthening the boltrope will ease also that wrinkling.

Standard luff dimensions and boltrope 'preload' for your boat is 18.5 ft. = 18.5/11 = 1.7 inches ..... the boltrope should be cut 1.7 inches SHORTER than whatever you measure with the luff 'unloaded' (slightly tensioned for the measurement).

If you are using a long splice, most certainly you should cross-sew the splice ends with stout waxed sail twine .... additional stitches through the luff tape sleeve and 'through' the boltrope is OK because the length of spliced addition is 'short'.

Rx: Unload the present boltrope and carefully measure the luff length; splice in the new section, subtract 1.7 inches of the 'as measured' luff length - that will be the 'unloaded' measurement for the 'adjusted boltrope' - 18Ft-6in (?) MINUS 1.7 inches. Resew the boltrope TO the sleeve with several X-stitches using very stout waxed sail twine, pulled VERY tight, etc. Use a blunt hard object and 'burnish' the twine stitching INTO the sleeve and boltrope. Since the splice is near/close to the tack you may consider to put a few X stitches across the spliced end in the same manner - through the sail fabric AND the boltrope ....'bury the stitches' in the fabric.
For the splice, Id slice a small hole/slit in the bottom of the sleeve near the tack and use more length of new spliced section than needed ... so that you can at a later time 'ease' the boltrope without having to 'redo' the splice.

Next time use DACRON 3 strand rope to make the splice or if you entirely replace the boltrope -- less stretchy and very predictable 'stretch'. Boltropes are made from dacron 3 strand, not nylon 3 strand. However, a short spliced addition of nylon 3 strand should make no difference in this current 'repair'.

When raising, follow the directions, etc. in "HOW TO RAISE A DACRON MAINSAIL" found in the sail trim forum to get the boat to 'dead fish neutral helm', etc. OR simply add 1.7" of stretch to the halyard after raising for sailing in 12-15kts. etc.

good luck. Enjoy the return to 'decent' sail shape of this mainsail.

hope this helps

RichH · Feb 8, 2012

A fairly accurate sail dimension data base can be found at: http://www.sailritesails.com/Search.aspx

To quickly tell the difference between dacron and nylon .... burn the material with match or cigarette lighter and denote the very distinctive 'smell'. A common 'trick' used in the textile industry.
Just melt/burn some known material and compare .... you wont forget those 'smells'.

Iron your Sails...?

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