Sails.... What do you do to take care of them?

[TomY]

So not to hijack the topic.... sorta related.... what do you do will sas past their usefull life?

My sails are at their end per the sailmaker i had inspect them. They are 14 yrs ... so its time.

Can anything usefull be made out of the old sails. Or do you just toss them?

They sure can be repurposed. Seabags will likely take it (you'll have to check with them), and give you a free bag for it. They need the raw materials.

I had some emotional attachment to my last mainsail , from the memories it provided. These bags are the strongest material and with a design and build that will last several lifetimes.

 

[TomY]

I don't fight gravity, if I can help it, when it comes to boat work. The easiest method I've found to take sails on and off, is at the dock. The docks are usually clean but I'll hose them if not.

With a newish stiff mainsail, pushing the head off onto the decks, we bring the foot under the boom (loose footed main helps with every mainsail move) and pull it out on the dock. With a helper (my wife these days), we flake it, roll it up and bag it, right there. Similarly with the genoa, we leave the material on the boat and just pull and stretch the foot out on the dock.

If we're lucky, it's highish tide like this, so the total vertical lift is very small. We lug the boom to the truck rack. Lastly, she and I drop the mizzen at the dock. There's only one moment when that move is a little tense.

This all gets done in a pretty pleasant few hours which saves hundreds on the haul out bill.

The bagged sails go on a high shelf in my shop.

I remember, this early November 2018 day was just as pleasant as the reverse day - bending on sails. This step is just a little less work. It was a great season, I was glad to put the sail bags on the shelf.

 

[thinwater]

If the water does not freeze (Washington) you sail all year. That's what I was taught.

Sails stay on furlers or under covers. The covers and UV strip are maintained at a high level, because they are what determine the life expectancy of the sail. repairs to the sail and stitching are made when first visible and I go over the sail 2x per year.

Sunbrella, if in good condition, blocks >98% of the UV. It is water repellent and the sail should no mildew (if it does the Sunbrella probably needs re-treating). Cold certainly does not bother the cloth. Thus, in my 35 years I do not see a big difference in sail life between one that is taken home and one that stays on the spar. The are replaced when they loose shape, not due to stains or UV burned cloth.

Finally, this is a financial calculation. My time is worth something, let's say $35/hour for two people. Taking the sails home each season would take several hours for, perhaps 8 years = $1120. The sails are big (not current boat) and injury is possible. It's not a one-man job on larger boats. How much did that extend the life expectancy of the sail? One more year of poorly shaped sails? A better choice would be to replace the sail sooner.

But it is irrelevant to me, since I think it is a better value to put on warm clothes and sail through the winter. It is a different experience, free of sweat and crowds.

If the water got hard for months, as it does in the NE or Great Lakes, I would haul out and take sails home. But it doesn't.

 

[jssailem]

If the water does not freeze (Washington) you sail all year.

This is true. Getting ready even in our current snow flurries to cruise for the next 14 days. Yet I do not sail every day during winter. I choose to take the sails inside during those non sail winter periods. This also reduces the chance of damage during wind storms that sometimes occur. Sure it’s an exercise in seamanship and takes time, but being retired my vision of cost for time has changed. Taking the sails down and raising them provides an opportunity to exercise the equipment and inspect it.

 

[thinwater]

This is true. Getting ready even in our current snow flurries to cruise for the next 14 days. Yet I do not sail every day during winter. I choose to take the sails inside during those non sail winter periods. This also reduces the chance of damage during wind storms that sometimes occur. Sure it’s an exercise in seamanship and takes time, but being retired my vision of cost for time has changed. Taking the sails down and raising them provides an opportunity to exercise the equipment and inspect it.

I can relate to all of that, being semi-retired. The winter weather is rather like that here, hit and miss. But I also see lugging sails as an opportunity for injury or damaging something wrestling them off the boat singlehanded. For me, the cost/benefit doesn't wash, not to take them home for a few weeks or a month at most. Same with people who take halyards off and mouse them.

Last week we had highs of 16F. Tomorrow is 59F and sunny. I'm going OUT!

 

[jssailem]

I would... Hell I am... We are having snow in Everett. Temps near freezing. Schools are closing.

But it is the planned 2019 Winter Cruise Les & John's Excellent Adventure. We are armed with chem hand warmers and a dry suit... Will post pictures. Just have to get the boat out of the marina before the ice forms.