Sail Refurbishing
Mark, When sails get old the cloth starts to break down and the sail stretches out of shape. The resin matrix that stabilizes the weave breaks down as well. There is a company that will clean the sail and attempt to restore the resin matrix. They actually do a great job with the cleaning part of the process. On the other hand I don't believe that their resining process will add significant life to a sail. At best it will temporarily lock in the current distorted shape of the sail. I don't recommend doing this. All sails will usually benefit from at least one recut before they are retired. The draft position and overall depth can be brought closer to its original shape by a good sailmaker experienced in recutting. Due to the fact that the cloth is old, a recut is not a permanent fix but rather serves to postpone the inevitable replacement. Usually a good recut will enable a sail to be used for another season. Spinnakers can be recut as well although they rarely need a shape adjustment. When kites get old they get soft and stretchy, but generally they still fly OK. If you push an old kite too hard it will blow up sooner than a new one since the old cloth is not as strong as it once was. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
