Caring for your sails

Sail Trim

Quantum cruising consultant, Captain Jack Klang, offers practical advice on cleaning, drying and storing sails during the off-season.

Caring for your boat’s sails is simple and easy. Whether they are made from woven fabric or state-of-the-art laminates, proper care will extend their life. Here are my recommendations for proper sail care.

Dry your sails thoroughly

At the end of each sailing season it is important to thoroughly dry your sails before storing them. I recommend you avoid the temptation to spread sails on the lawn. Lawns contain moisture and warm sunlight on their surface will cause moisture to collect on your sail material. The best way to dry your sails at the end of the season is to contact your local loft and set up an appointment to have your sails laid out on the loft floor overnight. This is a great way for these professionals to quickly assess the sail's condition and make suggestions. Your sails will be properly folded or flaked, preparing them for storage throughout the winter months.

Between sailing adventures, I keep my genoa on a roller furling unit and my mainsail on the boom under UV covering. Sailing daily (or frequently) will usually allow sails to dry sufficiently, but if you will not be sailing for several days, here is a better way to thoroughly dry your sails.

On a very calm day early in the morning or late in the evening, hoist or unfurl your sails, allowing them to hang in place. The air circulating around the sails will quickly dry them. Once dry, refold the mainsail on the boom and refurl or refold your genoa for storage. Too much breeze can damage your sails; therefore select the calmest day and best time of that day.

Get your sails washed

The end of the sailing season is a good time to get your sails washed before storing them. In the past I tried washing my own sails. This was quite an operation. Several times I sneaked into the local high school (where I taught) to use the shower room to wash my sails. The shower room floor was a great place to spread them out for scrubbing with a soft brush.

When it was time to rinse my sails, I turned on all of the showerheads and let the water fly. The built-in floor drains were a definite advantage, but I made sure I found a location where the drain water would not be harmful to the environment. To dry my sails I used the school flagpole, until the school janitor caught me!

Now, I have found a much easier solution. Taking my sails to a professional for washing is much easier than sneaking into the high school. Quantum’s service departments specialise in different levels of sail washing.

Standard wash

This consists of soaking sails overnight in a diluted solution of soap and special bleach. The solutions are sufficient to clean and treat the sails, but not so strong as to damage any sail fabrics. After the overnight soak and clear water rinse, the sails are suspended until thoroughly dry.

Racing rinse

This wash level is reserved primarily for racing laminates and nylon sails such as spinnakers. In this wash level, a weaker solution is used and the sails are dipped in the wash bin for about an hour, rinsed and thoroughly dried.

Intensive wash

With the intensive wash, wash professionals are able to remove a very large percentage of mildew, even on sails that have not been washed for a couple of seasons. In this level a more concentrated solution is used, and depending on the severity of the surface grime and topical mildew, the sails may be left in the wash bin for extended periods of time. Sometimes sails are left in the wash bin for periods up to 24 hours, then rinsed and dried. This intensive cleaning process can take some severely mildewed sails and make them look as good as new (almost), with no harm done to woven or laminate fabrics. This process is very convenient, practical, and the results are outstanding. Sail washing is priced on a per pound (of sail) basis, making it quite economical.

Sail bags and pesky rodents

The size of the sail bag used for storage should be large enough to allow easy entry of the folded sail. The goal is to avoid sharp folds. The bottom of the bag should have mesh to allow for the flow of air and to reduce the chance of condensation. It is also a good idea to place the full sail bag on a sheet of plastic to protect against dirt and moisture from the surface below.

Mice love to make nests in shredded sail materials. One small rodent can destroy an entire sail in a short time. Therefore, place a plastic vegetable storage bag in the sail bag with a few mothballs inside. Another method to keep rodents out is suspend the bags from a rafter or overhead hook.

Storage Location

Although you may find the living room floor meets the ideal conditions of clean, dry, smooth, and moderate temperature, your first mate may not agree. Therefore search for a place to store sails where these conditions can be met (be reasonable). Quantum offers on-site storage in their lofts for a small fee.

Remember, any money you spend on cleaning, drying and storing sails is actually an investment not a cost - you are extending their useful life.