Sunbrella cover ripped off of genoa

[Jerry Holloway]

I have a 40 footer with a 120% genoa on an autofurl. Shortly after putting her up for the winter the boat yard was in the center of a storm with 60 mph winds. The sail came unfurled and the Sunbrella cover was torn from the sail in various locations up the sail. Is it reasonable to assume that the least expensive option is to have the old cover removed and a new sun cover applied to the sail? What material is best for the cover?thank you,Jerry Holloway

 

[Bill]

Yes, replace

Jerry, the cover is referred to as a sacrificial cover because it's intended to do so, rather than the sail itself. The UV rays from the sun actually destroy the threads first, so it may be that your cover's stitching was degraded to the point of failure. I had my cover replaced a couple of years ago, for a few hundred dollars. I think the sail loft did use Sunbrella.

 

[Jeff]

Sailcare

Sailcare replaced my worn sacrifice clothe and did a great job. They can also recondition the sail and it will seem almost new.They will give you an estimate on line.Good Luck.Jeff

 

[Rick]

SailCare

I recently had my 10 year old main sail reconditioned by SailCare. They did a great job and at a truly reasonable price. It came back looking like new. They also handle all types of repairs/upgrades.

 

[Tim11435]

Don't remove yet!

We see this quite often. Many times the cover comes apart at the seams and can be put back together at a reasonably less cost than new. Contact your local sailmaker and let him inspect it before you just opt for replacement.And in this, I caution all cruisers to have their RF Cover stitching inspected and restitched when necessary, to avoid this problem.Good luck,Tim StodolaDoyle Ploch Sailmakers