I'm contemplating having an old main sail cleaned and re-resined. I'm trying to coax another year or two, at least, out of this 20 year old mainsail. Has anyone out there had any experience, good or bad, with this process? The sail presently has no rips or tears and no obvious wear spots. I got the sails with the boat about 15 months ago - it's an O'Day 192 from 1985. I'm replacing the jib and roller furler (CDI)this winter, so the budget would like to make the main serviceable for another year or two. Suggestions of comments?
Re-resin treatment for old sails
- Thread starter timohara
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Timohara, If the main is working and you
are going to replace it next year. I would buy the new jib and furler and just wash the main. One of the big things that destroys sails is dirt. If you are going to buy a new main next year or the year after that, I would just wash it well and get the dirt out. If the main is not in the near future, have it done by SailCare. It will not make it better but it will be cleaned and reresined( not restored) and Sailcare will tell if it is worth doing your sail. They are not out to take your money. They are too busy for that. They will clean and reresin your sail and repair it if it needs it. My suggestion, Buy the jib and the furler this year. Save the money for your main next year r.w.landau
are going to replace it next year. I would buy the new jib and furler and just wash the main. One of the big things that destroys sails is dirt. If you are going to buy a new main next year or the year after that, I would just wash it well and get the dirt out. If the main is not in the near future, have it done by SailCare. It will not make it better but it will be cleaned and reresined( not restored) and Sailcare will tell if it is worth doing your sail. They are not out to take your money. They are too busy for that. They will clean and reresin your sail and repair it if it needs it. My suggestion, Buy the jib and the furler this year. Save the money for your main next year r.w.landau
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I've used Sail Care with good results. It might even be worth the extra money to have them re-sew any frayed seams before cleaning and adding resin so the old thread won't rip next spring
I've used Sail Care with good results. It might even be worth the extra money to have them re-sew any frayed seams before cleaning and adding resin so the old thread won't rip next spring
SailCare
Got mine back about 6 wks ago. They did an outstanding job. You may find you'll get better than a year or so out of your sails if you have SailCare service them. If they're in reasonable condition you could be looking at 5 or 6 years and they'll look and feel good. All you're risking is the shipping charge. They won't do a thing untill they inspect them and then contact you.
Got mine back about 6 wks ago. They did an outstanding job. You may find you'll get better than a year or so out of your sails if you have SailCare service them. If they're in reasonable condition you could be looking at 5 or 6 years and they'll look and feel good. All you're risking is the shipping charge. They won't do a thing untill they inspect them and then contact you.
Not sure about it
I sent my main to Sailcare and it came back looking great and they also did some minor repairs. However, when I took it in to my local sailmaker/sailrepairer to get the batten pockets repaired he told me to never do that again! I don't know really know why ... maybe someone out there might have more insight into this. This is just a data point so do with it what you want, but he did say, 'just wash it'. I was happy with the work they did (until then anyway...).
I sent my main to Sailcare and it came back looking great and they also did some minor repairs. However, when I took it in to my local sailmaker/sailrepairer to get the batten pockets repaired he told me to never do that again! I don't know really know why ... maybe someone out there might have more insight into this. This is just a data point so do with it what you want, but he did say, 'just wash it'. I was happy with the work they did (until then anyway...).
Re-resin?
Have never heard of re-resining a sail. As far as I am aware, resin is used in sailcloth to hold the fibers in place so as to help maintain the sail's shape. Using the sail causes the resin to crack. (Hence the crackling sound when you luff in a new sail) When the resin cracks, the sailcloth it was holding starts to stretch, and the sail starts to change shape away from what the sailmaker had in mind. A 20-year old sail has had PLENTY of time to crack and stretch, and has probably done a lot of both. Re-resining it would "lock in" the stretched -out shape, add to it's weight, and make it really noisy each time you tack. Why would you want to do this? A sail that old is probably not a super performer, but aside from chafe & possible seams here & there that might need restitching, it will probably push the boat for a few more seasons. There's no need to spend more on it than necessary, however. Especially if you're planning on getting a new sail soon anyway.
Have never heard of re-resining a sail. As far as I am aware, resin is used in sailcloth to hold the fibers in place so as to help maintain the sail's shape. Using the sail causes the resin to crack. (Hence the crackling sound when you luff in a new sail) When the resin cracks, the sailcloth it was holding starts to stretch, and the sail starts to change shape away from what the sailmaker had in mind. A 20-year old sail has had PLENTY of time to crack and stretch, and has probably done a lot of both. Re-resining it would "lock in" the stretched -out shape, add to it's weight, and make it really noisy each time you tack. Why would you want to do this? A sail that old is probably not a super performer, but aside from chafe & possible seams here & there that might need restitching, it will probably push the boat for a few more seasons. There's no need to spend more on it than necessary, however. Especially if you're planning on getting a new sail soon anyway.
new old sail
In '03 I had SailCare process a main and jib that were pretty grimey. They did a great job of cleaning and restoring the body (resin) to the sails. It was worth it to me at the time, as didn't have the bucks to buy new sails and was willing to live with less than optimum shape (they weren't badly blown out.) It cost me about $230 and bought me some time - I raced them a season and did a lot of cruising then too. Later that year I was able to spring for new sails and of course the performance difference was very noticeable. Looking back, I'd still do it again in those circumstances. As many have said, the re-resining process won't restore any shape to sails that are shot, but it will make them look pretty fresh. Back then it was about $0.85/sq ft.
In '03 I had SailCare process a main and jib that were pretty grimey. They did a great job of cleaning and restoring the body (resin) to the sails. It was worth it to me at the time, as didn't have the bucks to buy new sails and was willing to live with less than optimum shape (they weren't badly blown out.) It cost me about $230 and bought me some time - I raced them a season and did a lot of cruising then too. Later that year I was able to spring for new sails and of course the performance difference was very noticeable. Looking back, I'd still do it again in those circumstances. As many have said, the re-resining process won't restore any shape to sails that are shot, but it will make them look pretty fresh. Back then it was about $0.85/sq ft.
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