What does everyone else do? I just push my fore sails down the hatch when I'm done for the day. My 150 and 100 hank on sails easily fit down the bow hatch and I just close the hatch. I do stick a rope under the hatch to leave it ajar for some air circulation. I'm wondering if this is bad for the sails? If I had to fold every day, wow, what a PITA that would be. Let me know, thanks. JM
Putting away sails
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Stuffing any sail down the hatch is hard on the material no matter what it is. Dacron or Pentex can take more abuse than Mylar, Kevlar and some other exotic materials. The object is to avoid sharp creases and repetitive folds at the same location. Stuffing a sail in a bag or through the hatch will create hundreds of random creases which will damage the resin finish that is applied to Dacron fabric. It will cause Mylar sails to shrink in time due to the many creases throughout the sail. A headsail on a 25 foot boat is pretty small and should be easy enough to put away properly. Best method for all sails is rolling. Exotics should never be folded or flaked. I always roll my Kevlar and Carbon headsails and place them in a long sausage bag.
When I had my C&C, it did not have furling headsails. I always took them down and off the boat and folded them up at the end of each sail. I found that doing so had a number of advantages. First, I got to see/inspect just about every seam in the sail. Secondly, the sail fitted nicely into its bag and didn't take up too much room in the forepeak where they were stored. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it made hanking the sail on and raising it a lot easier the next time I sailed. Sure, it's a bit harder but using only took 10 minutes or so to fold up a 150 even when alone. Sails are expensive and will last longer and perfom best when you take care of them...
Good advise! Anytime you continually fold and unfold materials along the same lines you stand the risk of fatiguing them. You see so many books intructing to fold sails when removed from the boat. I myself am a roller too.
With the price of sails and the importance they play I have no problem rolling and bagging my sails at the end of each sail. Its no different than cleaning my match rifle at the end of practice or tending to all my other gear for various activities. Take good care of your equipment, it will take care of you and cost a whole lot less than repairs or replacement.
Geezus, man.... there's no excuse for such poor seamanship. Have you no regard for your equipment? Do your self a favor and purchase a good sailing book, like "Annapolis Book of Seamanship" and take a few minutes to read why storing your sails properly is so important. Not only will it make them last much longer and keep the inside of your boat squared away, it will be way easier and faster to bend them on.... Folded properly, all the corners should be on the same side. When you bring it on deck you simply pull it out of the bag and roll it out on the deck.. ready to attach.
By the way......... they're called headsails.
By the way......... they're called headsails.
I guess I've been doing it wrong. I do flake the main and cover it on the boom. But the 150 is very old and I bought it used. It has a ton of wrinkles and it is very soft. The smaller headsail, (thanks Joe! what was I thinking) is in alittle better shape and I will try to roll that. I would really like to get a jib furler to make it easier to select sail size. Thanks for the advice! JM
I second Joe's advise on the "Annapolis Book of Seamanship" -- a great book with tons of info on why things are done a certain way. Tons can be learned by reading one or two of these type books. Also, watch a video and notice how the crews in that video handle the equipment. Good self teaching tools.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Sorry to be so harsh, Jerry... you know I mean well... thanks for understanding. Now I'llsay this.... even though your 150 is old and wrinkly.. you should still store it properly... you'll be surprised at how it may actually begin to look better...
Try washing it, letting it dry, then folding it, accordian style. Start at the bottom and pull the folds over...18-24 inches is a good width and make sure you keep it loose... don't crease... You should end up with the head, tack and clew on the same bottom edge... then, from the clew end, lightly roll the sail up towards the tack... then pack it in the bag with the three corners at the top. The sail will be infininitely easier to be deployed if you keep it stored this way.... no matter the condition it makes it so much nicer to work with.
Thanks Joe for the info, I will try to fold it this way from now on. Thanks everyone for the advice! Jerry Mc
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