Sail rejuvenation

[tamas]

I was going to start this process as a business about 15 years ago but never got around to it. Last night I tried it on one of my old jibs, again with great success and thought I will never do it as a business so decided to share.

Making your sail crisp again. You can with very little effort. When I first started this I was racing lasers and my then sail was like a bag, stretched out and useless. I measured each panel then I hoisted the sail cranked it on and measured the panels again. I discovered at least 5mm stretch per panel, any wonder the sail was useless (except for light air).

I decided to try and fix it because money was tight and I could not afford another sail. It works perfectly.

So this is the process to making your old sail like new again. The results are astounding, I went on to use that sail successfully for many more years.

Mix polyester resin with mentholated spirits (20% metho) This thins out the resin and makes it easier to work. Then work the resin into the sail, one side only needed, with a rag. Try to spread it as much as you can as you don’t need to soak the sail, the resin only need to be rubbed into the surface. I use about 250ml per 8m2 of sail. That is about $10. Leave the sail over night and in the morning you will have a crisp sail again. Leave for about a week then use. You have just saved thousands on the cost of a new sail.

Try measuring the sail before you do this and then again after the week, under load. You will see no stretch at all.

Email me if you need any further help and I would like to hear some results back also. wegosurfing48@yahoo.com.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Only one side, eh?

One of the issues with Sail Care that we have to keep reminding folks, is this: "crisping" a sail will NOT improve the shape of a blown out sail.

If all you want is "crisp" way cool. But old sails have rotten shape and are usually baggy, which is why people buy new or lightly used pre-owned.

So what can your system possibly do for sail shape? If nothing, please confirm.

 

[Hermit Scott]

I think I see where he is going and how it could potentially work to some degree. Old sail fabric is loose, so as the wind picks up the weave is sloppy and allows more stretch. The resin holds the sails shape even though the sail is baggy, the resin won't allow it to stretch any more to a worse sail shape.
I will do it to mine and then sell it for $1000. Take the $1000 and buy a new sail.

 

[Stephen K]

...and I have some swamp land

I will do it to mine and then sell it for $1000. Take the $1000 and buy a new sail.

Good luck...why would anyone in there right mind buy a stiff but old blown out C-30 mainsail for $1,000 when they can buy a brand new one for a few hundred bucks more?

 

[Ross]

Re: ...and I have some swamp land

There are many surface coating better suited for this than polyester resin. But when you are through you will still have a poorly shaped sail that at the very least needs to be re cut. most sails by the time they are blown out of shape are also in need of re stitching.

 

[Warren Milberg]

This process seems to assume that the "before" sail, that is unstretched, still has the shape of an unblown-out sail and using the polyester resin will "freeze" its unstretched shape. While you may be able to "freeze" the dimensions of the unstretched sail, it also would seem that you are just freezing a blown out sail. If the sail really is not blown out to start with, why bother?

 

[Ross]

Some sail makers will build soft sails for cruising. Sails don't have to be heavily resinated to hold their shape.

 

[Mougly]

"Mix polyester resin with mentholated Spirit"

what type of resin is it? and where can you bye it? also where can you by the Menthoatel spirit?

Cheers

 

[Hermit Scott]

Good luck...why would anyone in there right mind buy a stiff but old blown out C-30 mainsail for $1,000 when they can buy a brand new one for a few hundred bucks more?

Exactly! I am looking for a buyer not in their right mind. If you know any, send them my way.

 

[RichH]

"Mix polyester resin with mentholated Spirit"

what type of resin is it? and where can you bye it? also where can you by the Menthoatel spirit?

Cheers

The resin is simple polyester resin used for 'fiberglassing'.
The Metholated (no N) is straight grain ethyl alcohol which is 'denatured' with methyl alcohol ... to make it poisonous so that no one drinks it.

'Resinating' woven sail fabric is an oldfashioned way to reduce the air permeability THROUGH the fabric so that air cant flow THROUGH the sail material from the high to low pressure side; the 'stiffness' doesnt affect the shape or performance. Modern woven sail material using microfibers has a minimum of 'added resins' that are 'pressed' into the fabric.

Woven dacron sails dont 'blow out', with the exception of the fibers along the leech and other high tension areas becoming permanently elongated/deformed (plastic creep). The 'bagging' that one sees in woven dacron sails can be easily corrected by re-adjusting the boltropes.
The probable reason why such sails seemingly 'blow out' is because few sailors know how to raise them. You need to stretch out the luff AFTER 'raising' a boltroped sail (about 1" for every 10-11 ft. of luff length). When constantly stressed, the boltrope eventually shrinks its length (and gets slightly 'fatter') and when you cant any longer stretch out the boltrope properly .... then its time to have a sailmaker re-adjust (or replace) the boltrope. A too tight/shrunken boltrope will cause: draft aft, too much draft, leech hooking up towards the weather side ... slow boat, boat aggressively heels, boat that cant point. 95% of the time a boltrope adjustment will return the sail back to its original shape .... and no need for 'fillers' in the weave.

 

[tamas]

Most of you are on the right track, dont do anything if your sails are good. However read my post again, if you are getting stretch in your sails "under load" (5+mm per seam is a lot over 900mm) then your sails stretch when in use, that causes the bag and poor performance. (compare dacron and carbon, one stretches) Doing this process while the sail is not under load will lock the sail shape. If your sail is a bag not under load then re-cut and do process. As far as price goes, some of you guys must have cheap sail makers as I can do this for $50 but a new main costs me about $1500. You also should feel confident that the sail was a good (fast) sail when it was new. Most bigger boats may not know the difference because they race in longer or over night races but certainly smaller TS will if racing regularly. If you cruise, dont do anything because who cares how long it takes, that's the pleaseure. Not sure what the bolt rope post was all about because the bolt rope only adjust luff tension not leach or max draft where the load and stretch is.

 

[tommays]

This cracks me UP my older J24 sails are from 1993 and while there not as good as the 2002 race set that has 15 days on them and gets used for the good partys

The 1993 set is fine other than a bolt of bolt rope shrink Rich mentions

I can say the same thing about the big boats i race on NOBODY uses there good stuff on NON-RACE days and the old stuff is fine without and majic sauce

 

[Richard Bryer]

I am presuming that what is meant by the original poster is resin AND hardener? Otherwise I would think you would end up with the biggest piece of flypaper on the water!

 

[catsailor]

Yes, the bolt rope shortening is very real.

Not sure what the bolt rope post was all about because the bolt rope only adjust luff tension not leach or max draft where the load and stretch is.

It is not the simplest thing to explain, but induced stretch is a major shaping tool on soft sails. No as much on laminate or heavily resinated sails.

Ask your sailmaker, or read a book on the subject of sail repair.

I had a sail where I added about 10" to the rope (35' luff) and it made a huge difference. It had gotten to where properly stretching the sail was not possible. Very common problem with mains, less common on jibs. It is not a difficult DIY repair. Spotting the problem is more difficult. The same is true with re-cutting a sail; easily done in many cases... but where and how much?

 

[kendall]

Agree, it's a real problem. Also used by some people to 'show' how badly stretched out the sail has become.

My old dingy had a sail that was measured at 6" less than designed, until I cut and replaced the bolt rope, then it went to original size and sailed much much better.

Ken.