hey everyone, tomorrow I'm supposed to try and fit a furler on my dolphin, the uv strip is damaged in a few places and I'm wondering what fabric they are usually made of.
uv protectant on roller furler
- Thread starter fred1diver
- Start date
cool thanks, that means the furled sail will match the rest of the canvas work on the boat, I'll just have to replace the whole strip 
If the existing fabric is course and dense then it is Sunbrella as stated. If it is smooth, thin and shiny, it is likely nylon. I would use nylon as Sunbrella is quite heavy and affects sail shape, especially on a smaller boats jib. . Chief
The fabric might be UV Dacron or polyester. Here is a link that might help. Sailrite also has instructive information on replacing the UV strip.
http://www.sailrite.com/search?keywords=uv dacron
http://www.sailrite.com/search?keywords=uv dacron
I never heard of a nylon UV strip. Nylon doesn't hold up to UV as well as polyester (Dacron.)
There are a few articles on UV protection at Pineapple Sails here: http://pineapplesails.com/articles/index.htm Overall, they feel Sunbrella is the best, longest lasting UV protectant for sails. White Sunbrella is not as good as a colored Sunbrella. Sometimes they advocate a polyester strip, with the realization it will need to be replaced more frequently. And then they have an article on how a sail with a Tedlar strip glued to the sail failed.
Here is a link to a Sailrite tutorial on installing either Sunbrella or UV Dacron sacrificial.
{url]http://www.sailrite.com/PDF/Convert-a-Sail-to-Rollerfurling-Instructions.pdf[/URL]
{url]http://www.sailrite.com/PDF/Convert-a-Sail-to-Rollerfurling-Instructions.pdf[/URL]
I have brought my older head sails in a few times now for repairs to the UV strip. It is indeed sacrificial and easily repaired, $50 or so to the sailmaker is well spent to keep it looking good and saves me the hassle of DIY.