Treat them right

Sailmakers pass along some valuable tips on caring fro your sails, by Bob Ross.

ALL SAILS, irrespective of construction materials and methods, need constant care. Leading sailmakers have maintenance, repair and cleaning services and an annual professional check of the wardrobe is a good investment.

However boat owners and crews can still make sails last faster, longer, with some simple measures:

Keep the sails out of the sun when you are not using them. Prominent sailmakers agree that all materials, from the latest membrane fabrics to good old Dacron, degrade in UV sunlight and the cloth will stretch more.

The sail cover should be the last item removed from the mainsail, not the first, as so often happens when the crew steps on the boat and makes it ready to race.

“If your sail does not roll into the mast, make sure you put the sail cover on when your main is down on the boom,” says Geoff Bishop of UK-Halsey Fremantle. “The leech of any sail carries the highest load and when your main is down on the boom, it is the leech that is exposed more than any part of the sail.”

A roller-furling headsail should have UV-resistant material on its leech and foot for protection when it is rolled up. Make sure that the headsail is rolled up with the protective material on the outside, not the inside as sailmakers, sadly, often discover.

Frank Hammond of Horizon Sailmakers in Melbourne says: “The best option is a UV cover sewn to the sail using a UV-resistant polymer thread. Adhesive sticky-back covers, which are prone to shrinkage and mildew infestation, should be avoided.”

Be aware that boom covers also degrade with age from UV exposure and need to be replaced when you order a new mainsail. “Most jib and mainsail turtle bags are not UV resistant, so will not protect the sails when on deck,” warns Julian Plante of
North Sails Sydney.

The lightest weight cloths are especially prone to damage from the sun. Bruce Hollis of Ullman Sails, Sydney warns: “Any material does not like UV, particularly laminates in the very light weights. Leaving them out in the sun is shortening the life of a sail by an extraordinary amount.

“UV is the big killer in dinghy and skiff sails. It’s distressing to see boats rigged and left lying in the boat park two or three hours before a start. A nice light two- to three-ounce Manly Graduate or whatever sail, because the fibres are so small, has very little UV resistance.”

Cover rough edges

Tape over all sharp corners on fittings, split pins and screw heads to avoid tearing or chafing a sail. Spinnaker cloth is particularly vulnerable. Spreader tips and stanchion tops should be taped over or sheathed with sewn leather patching to avoid chafing to headsails that constantly brush across them.

Tape corners of the forehatch and/or companionway if you are setting spinnakers directly out of them.

Julian Plante says: “Don’t let running backstays rub against the leeward side of the mainsail. Don’t drag sails over non-skid deck surfaces, around shrouds, or along the dock.”

Keep the face of the mast smooth and clear of obstructions if you are carrying genoas that brush across them every time you tack. Be aware that spinnaker pole tracks and other mast fittings can damage sails through tacks. Never back a genoa against a spreader.

Make sure that the sails have patches in the correct position over areas where wear is liable, like spreader tips, stanchions and pulpit. “Seams and batten pockets are particularly vulnerable,” warns Carl Crafoord of the Quantum Sail Design Group. “Apply adhesive Dacron anywhere broken stitching or soiling indicates repeated contact between sails and rigging.”

On non-overlapping headsail boats, do not let the headsail wrap around the forestay in gybes, warns John Hearne, of the Doyle Sydney loft. “This usually ensures you break the top batten.”

Avoid flogging

Minimise the amount of time that your sails are left flogging in the breeze. The sailcloth will be broken down quickly, become prone to tearing and the shape of the sail will move around, says John Hearne.

Dropping the mainsail should be done as quickly as possible. “Tidying up and packing on the boom is best done after the sail is lowered,” says Frank Hammond. Damaging and losing battens often happens as the mainsail is being raised or lowered,” he adds.

Throttle the motor back when you are hoisting the mainsail. Trim it on as soon as you can. Reduce sail as you become overpowered by freshening wind so that you don’t have to flog the main. Always keep leech lines tight enough to stop leech flutter. Sheet-on headsails as soon as they are hoisted to minimise flapping.

If you are becalmed between short course races inshore or during a long race offshore, lower the mainsail to avoid having it slat backwards and forwards to wave action, suggests Ian Broad of Hood Australia.
“It happens a lot in the longer races offshore; sitting there all night with the mainsail whacking on the backstay.”

Don’t exceed the wind range specified by the sailmaker for each sail. It should be stamped on the clew but if it’s not there, ascertain the maximum recommended speed by the sailmaker and write it on the clew.

“In heavy wind, reduce sail enough so you don’t have to flog the main,” says Julian Plante. “Always keep your main and leech genoa leech lines tight enough to stop the leech from fluttering.”

Leech flutter, if left unchecked, will dramatically shorten the sail’s life, says Frank Hammond. “Use the leech line to trim out the flutter. It is preferable to have a slight hook in the leech than to allow the sail to flutter excessively. A simple and inexpensive leech take-up or re-cut may be required if leech flutter is excessive.”

Geoff Bishop of UK-Halsey Sailmakers Fremantle warns of a problem affecting the leech of laminate sails: the laminate bending inside the vertical Dacron tape enclosing the leech line.

“The tape usually extends one to two inches into the sail and then you are left with whatever laminate the sail is made of. When the leech flutters, the laminate bends or hinges back and forth just inside of this tape and as we have all seen, this frequency of bending can amount to 100 times per minute in stiff breeze.

“To get an idea of what this is doing to the laminate, straighten out a paper clip and bend it back and forth a couple of times. Of course the metal in a paper clip isn’t nearly as flexible as a sail laminate but Mylar film and some high modulus yarns in racing sails do break down rather quickly when flexed.”

Bishop says leech lines should be of low-stretch line of sufficient diameter to hold in the cleat. “On large genoas you may need a mechanical advantage (2:1, 3:1 or even a small tackle). If your leech line cleat gets stripped and fails to hold the line, tighten the leech line and then tie it off until you can replace the cleat.”

The mainsail leech line should have adjustment ability when the sail is reefed, with extra cleats just above the reefing position. Because cleats on the leech of a mainsail cannot be adjusted when the boom is eased out over the water, some offshore mains have leech lines led over the top of the sail and down the luff to a cleat at the tack.

Practise reefing, suggests John Hearne, warning that a reef executed too slowly can damage the mainsail through severe flogging.

Don’t hoist spinnakers to flap dry at the dock after racing.

Ensure that roller-furling sails are well secured when leaving the boat, says Carl Crafoord. Cleat the furling line, take an extra turn of the sheets around the sail and secure both sheets. “A sail that unfurls itself when you are not there can destroy itself in minutes in a strong breeze,” says John Hearne.

Release tension

Ease the tension from halyards, Cunningham and outhaul when you are off the wind and tension battens just enough to take the wrinkles out. Release them in aramid and carbon sails between regattas to avoid distortion in the leech area.

When you are reaching around before the start, do not leave the headsail halyard and mainsail Cunningham tensioned so they create large creases down the luffs. Re-tension the halyard and Cunningham at the five-minute gun. Tighten the leech cord just enough to remove leech flutter and trim it on harder as the wind increases.

Release Cunningham and outhaul tension for downwind legs as soon as possible after rounding the windward mark to avoid over-loading the sails.

While the new laminate sails should be fast straight out of the bag, a new sail for the first couple of hours should be used well below its recommended wind speed maximum to allow its components to settle in uniformly. This is especially true for spinnakers.

When hoisting and lowering mainsails, relieve the weight on the leech to avoid stretching it. On a dinghy or small keelboat, hold up the boom by hand or on bigger yachts, use the topping lift. Always ease the foot tension before lowering the mainsail.

Never pull a headsail down by the leech; always by the luff.

Halyard tension of furling headsails should be eased slightly before you leave the yacht.

De-tension or remove the battens when storing sails to avoid distortion around the batten pockets.

Bruce Hollis says that it is important to always release tension on full-length battens in skiff, dinghy and catamaran sails after racing. “And if you are travelling frequently or over long distances take the battens out before rolling the sail.

“The shape of the sail will compress and you end up with little vertical creases along the length of the batten pocket. As you travel, the fibreglass batten vibrates inside those creases and where there’s contact, it will wear through the pocket.”

For dinghy and skiff sailors especially, Hollis suggests having the sailmaker check the luff rope tension after the off-season or any long break from racing. “Luff ropes shrink with age, so when you pull the Cunningham adjustment to the same position as last season, you squash the mast and flatten the top of the sail.

“You will go low and slow and blame your sailmaker.”

Similarly, he says, covers on big-yacht leech lines tend to shrink while being stored in the off-season and should be checked by the sailmaker. Luff lines in a spinnaker will shrink as well.

The sailmaker should be asked to routinely check membrane sails for shrinkage after 12 months’ use and if necessary have the leech straightened out and the entry rounded-up.

“The sailmaker will usually take a picture the first time the sail is on the boat for reference so that when the sail deteriorates with use it can be detected and corrected,” says Hollis.

Storage

When flaking a mainsail onto the boom, first release the outhaul and then ensure
that all the battens are aligned along the boom to avoid bending them across it, which can lead to permanent deformation. The boom cover needs to be generously
cut to allow air to circulate.

Dinghy mains can be rolled around a length of large-diameter PVC tube with the tack and clew fastened to each end to hold the foot out.

Headsails should be flaked into their turtles in folds of about 60cm to 70cm parallel to the foot. The person at the luff should begin to make the first fold with the person at the leech just holding the clew to keep the luff at the front of the folded sail.

Don’t fold the sail across the same creases all the time, to avoid permanent creasing. Having a number of smaller creases that will quickly shake out is preferable to having eight or ten permanent creases.

One-design sails can be rolled and stowed in their sausage bags, which is preferable to flaking because any kinks and folds will straighten out in the roll during storage. Roll the sail from the head to the foot, beginning with one generous fold at the head. Rolling the head patch into a tight roll can permanently deform the head of the sail.

Yarn-tempered Dacron cloth will break down if crushed or creased through mis-handling. North Sails’ Julian Plante, when he is racing an Etchells, has his crew unroll the mainsail and loosely flake it in the boat before hoisting and repeats the procedure after the drop, before re-rolling it.

Avoid folding rolled sails in half to fit them into the car boot, which will point-load the fibres across the fold and/or cause film shrinkage. If the sail cannot be transported in a full roll, flake it and then roll it into a “brick”, take it home and then unroll the sail.

Bricking sails is also favoured for offshore yachts to avoid having crew members walking over flaked sails in their turtles, which is liable to crush fabric and break battens. Don’t brick them too tightly and if you are not sailing until next week, unroll the brick and leave the sail laid out as flat as possible.

Ensure that sails are aired regularly, especially after rain, says Julian Plante.
“This may mean unrolling the headsail at the mooring for an hour or so on a calm,
dry day. Do not hoist the sails and let them flog to assist with drying.”

As sails are being flaked or rolled they should be checked for any small tears, chafing or potential wear points, says Frank Hammond. “Special attention should be given to batten pockets, luff hardware attachment, leech line and cleats, foil tape of headsails, spreader and chafe patches and stitching.”

Simple repairs

Broken or chafed stitching should be attended to immediately with a few securing hand stitches. Try to pick up existing holes. Patching and bigger stitch replacement jobs should really be left to your sailmaker. The Australian sailmaking scene remains highly competitive and lofts do give prompt repair service at reasonable prices.

Small tears and holes can be repaired on board with “stickyback” material. You should obtain from your sailmaker matching stickyback or offcut scraps for each of your sails.

Make sure the damaged area is clean and dry. “The quickest way to do this is to wash the affected area with methylated spirits,” says John Hearne. “This removes salt, dirt and moisture and will ensure a much better repair.”

When you have to patch on board during a race or passage, the rule of thumb is to make the patches three inches (8cm) bigger all round than the tear. Care should be taken to line up the weave of the patch with that of the sail.

The weight of the patch material should approximate that of the sail cloth, and the warp and fill should be oriented in the same direction as the area to be patched.

To apply a cloth patch to a tear, first darn along the tear to pull the ragged edges together. Fix the patch in place with a few dabs of adhesive then sew around the edges of the patch.

Dry and clean

Sails should not be stored wet, damp, or encrusted with salt, which will attract moisture. The sail’s hardware, if left wet with salt water is liable to corrode. Regularly rinse zips on turtles with water and lubricate them with silicon spray.

Salt and dirt should be rinsed off with fresh water. Don’t chuck the sail into the swimming pool as the chlorine will degrade the stitching and with spinnakers, the
nylon fabric.

Don’t store spinnakers wet as darker colours will blend into lighter ones and dampness will promote the growth of mildew.

Be cautious about using commercial cleaners and solvents to treat mould
and stains, especially on nylon. Instead, try washing the affected area with salty water. Don’t use any solvents or cleaning agents on Mylar because they will dissolve the glue in the laminate and cause separation.

Furling headsails should be aired regularly, especially after rain to avoid mildew. If mildew occurs on any sail, treat it as soon as possible. There is an excellent chance of getting mildew stains off when they are new and relatively small and close to the surface.

Watered down household bleach in solution with water can do the trick, but it should not be used on nylon or Kevlar and should be rinsed off thoroughly with fresh water.

Ben Gemmell of Gemmell Sailmakers: “For general grime, hand-washing with warm water and a mild detergent with gentle scrubbing should be enough. In areas of heavy soiling, neat liquid detergent can be applied and left overnight before washing.”

Rust stains can be removed with proprietary products such as Rustiband available through most chemists, says Gemmell. “Take care to follow the instructions closely.”