I have a Hunter Legend35. Last year, with the Main Reefed incorrectly, we tore out one of the Grommets in the Middle of the Sail. We installed a nice patch on it with Sail Material. This Feb 3-6 is the Strictly Sail Show in Chicago. I want to have my Sail recondioned. They are supposed to clean it, check it, and re-ad some form of polymer to restore it. With the Patch I have in it, would it be worth it?
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Rconditioning
Dave, 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. If you have done a nice job on the repair, it should have no negative effct on the sail wether you decide to clean, recondition or recut. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
Dave, 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. If you have done a nice job on the repair, it should have no negative effct on the sail wether you decide to clean, recondition or recut. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
Thanx
Thanx Bill... I forgot to mention it was the Original Sail for the 1988 Hunter, but overall in good condition
Thanx Bill... I forgot to mention it was the Original Sail for the 1988 Hunter, but overall in good condition
Dave - Re: Reefing and Sail Shape
In your post you mention you were reefing and your sails are original. With a properly trimmed new main and jib on a H35 you should be able to sail to weather comfortably in, say, 21 apparent, without feeling "tenderness" or too much weather helm. In fact, with seas that weren't too lumpy I've been able to go up into the 24 apparent okay without a reef but just because it can be done I don't mean to imply it should be done because depending on the sail cloth it can shorten the life of the sail. The first reef would be good around, say, 18 apparent, more to protect the sail than for seamanship reasons. As the sails get blown out you'll find the boat becomes increasingly more tender at lower wind speeds and the weather helm will also increase. These signs are signaling the need for new sails (assuming proper trim). As was pointed out a recut would be good at this point and that'll buy you some time to shop around for new sails and decide what options you want. The HL-35 is a great boat.
In your post you mention you were reefing and your sails are original. With a properly trimmed new main and jib on a H35 you should be able to sail to weather comfortably in, say, 21 apparent, without feeling "tenderness" or too much weather helm. In fact, with seas that weren't too lumpy I've been able to go up into the 24 apparent okay without a reef but just because it can be done I don't mean to imply it should be done because depending on the sail cloth it can shorten the life of the sail. The first reef would be good around, say, 18 apparent, more to protect the sail than for seamanship reasons. As the sails get blown out you'll find the boat becomes increasingly more tender at lower wind speeds and the weather helm will also increase. These signs are signaling the need for new sails (assuming proper trim). As was pointed out a recut would be good at this point and that'll buy you some time to shop around for new sails and decide what options you want. The HL-35 is a great boat.
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