sail cover: Clips vs twist lock fasteners

[Leeward Rail]

Hello All.

I hope things are going well for everyone this Holiday Season.
I can only assume we are all looking forward to kicking 2020 out of the house tomorrow night.

In what might be a Christmas miracle, I am planning ahead and ordering a new mainsail cover for our Catalina 22

I am considering the idea of combining a few quick release buckle+straps, IN ADDITION TO twist lock fasteners the whole length.

The buckle+straps are nice and quick, plus allow leaving them loose if needed, to give better ventilation or pulling them tight.
The twist locks seem to be a more thorough way to fasten the bottom, when left at the dock, between weekend sailing.

What setup do you prefer and why ?


Fair Winds
Roy

 

[dlochner]

I've always used twist lock, aka common sense, fasteners on the bottom of the cover. Don't see a need for a belt and suspenders approach. On the 22 the mainsail is small enough that it can be easily removed if high winds are expected or it could be wrapped with some line.

 

[Roland5048]

The buckle+straps are nice and quick, plus allow leaving them loose if needed, to give better ventilation

Ordered a new mainsail cover from SBO earlier this year. Had the buckle straps installed for exactly the reason you stated.

 

[Mark Maulden]

I use twist locks on straps to leave the bottom open. The twist locks are unlocking themselves over time ..

 

[PaulK]

Our cover has a zipper around the mast and buckles under the boom. The buckles aren't on adjustable straps; they simply hold the sides of the cover together, leaving a gap between them. Quick & easy. Twist-lock buttons would work too. Having both would be overkill.

 

[Indysailor]

My favorite cover had a bungee running through grommets on one side of the bottom and hooks on the other side that were easy to just loop over the bungee to hold the bottom closed. The bungee could be adjusted to make the bottom tighter if desired, but I left it pretty loose for air flow. My initial concern was that this would not hold in a fresh breeze, but for ten years it never failed. The best thing was that it was just very quick to close the bottom.

 

[Gene Neill]

Funny thing, Roy, I'm in the market for a new main cover also. Lucky me.

We've always been happy with just twist locks. Although, when removing the boom and stowing it in the cabin (with sail still on), I sometimes throw a sail tie around the big end, to make it a little more compact and manageable.

Happy New Year!

 

[jssailem]

SBO provided me with the resource to buy a cover for my mainsail.

I spoke with the lady who makes the covers. She was happy to provide what ever choice the buyer wants. She explained that the clips along the bottom of the cover provide a quick and easy way to fasten the cover around the sail. The system allows air to get up under the cover. The hope is that this opening will reduce the formation of mold and mildew on a damp sail. The cover is not as tight as the twist clips so often seen on boats. The twist clips are more difficult to close as they require the sail and the cover to be more specifically aligned.

I have used the clip on cover for 5 years. The fit and function have been great. I would not go back to the old twist clips.

 

[PaulK]

One thing our sailmaker suggested about sail covers.... One layer of Sunbrella or whatever isn't enough to really stop UV degradation. He added another opaque layer underneath to really cut out all of it out.

 

[Justin_NSA]

The twist locks are pretty common here. Wise sailors still put a few wraps around the cover due to our high winds.

 

[PaulK]

Hurricane prep...