Sail maintenance
Tips about how to maintain your sails
Sail maintenance - how to
Sail maintenance is as important as it is on your car or house. Well maintained and good kept sails will perform better for longer – and more vitally, a well maintained sail will give you more peace of mind every time you set sails and use it.
Clean and dry the sails before storage are key here – if the sails are left with salt or moisture all winter long, chances are that you’ll get an unpleasant surprise in the spring.
It is always a good advice to get it done at the end of the season. Sailmakers are always super busy at the start of the season. But sail maintenance has two seasons and as the winter preparing is important, then there is also a lot of things you can do during the sailing season to keep your sails maintained.
👉 Contact us for a chat about your sail maintenance
Maintenance tips
- Do always close your zipbag
- Furl all in to protect the sail
- Avoid constant impact
- Flush your sails regular
- Never leave a wet sail packed for long
- Wash and dry your sails before winter storage
- Never use any chemical solvents or detergents
- Fold the sails zig zag (EPEX rolls)
- Take down the furling head when not sailing
- Check the sails before winter storage
This er the key points in sail maintenance you can do yourself and is more detailed described below.
The two seasons for your sails
Sail maintenance can practically for many people be split up in to two seasons. One is the constant maintenance and the small good tricks you can use through the sailing season – and the other is what you should note and take care of before and during winter storage. Below in the drop down list we will explain it more detailed.
👉 During sailing season
When the sails are in use through the season, your small actions and tips can make a big difference for the longevity of your sail and indeed its performance. The main enemies of sails are ultraviolet light, salt, constant standing water, loose furcovers.
This is where your regularly routine really comes into play, which can make a big difference here, given that you manage your sails correctly. Also, keeping a sail clean will make a big difference in keeping the original properties of the sail.
1. Do always use a cover on the sails when they’re not in use. We offer a wide range of covers such as boomcovers, furlcovers and zippacks – all of them are made with the all-important purpose of shielding your sails from the UV from the sun.
2. If you have a furling sail, its usually equipped with a built-in UV protection. Make sure to furl your sail the right way around – the UV must be on the outside when furled and the sail must be furled all in, so all the sail are protected – otherwise it won’t make a difference! The UV cover, is there to shield the sail material itself from UV-related damage. The UV is made to take the damage, and at the end of the day it’s much cheaper to replace a worn out UV than a worn out sail.
3. Avoid impact – if possible, make sure to take down the sails in calm conditions. It cannot always be avoided but try to minimize the time where the sails flap or flog around when being put up or taken down. If you have a furlcover, then make sure to tighten the lines enough – a flogging furlcover can wear of stiches in short time.
4. If possible, give your sails a clean with fresh water every now and then. Salt retrains moisture, meaning that salt water dries much slower than fresh water. This can cause issues with green mold and mildew black stains if wet sails are packed or furled – and over time, salt can also make further damage to the hardware.
5. Make sure that you never leave wet sails packed or furled for more than a couple of days and pull up or unfurl at first possible opportunity. Do always make sure that they are dry before packing them for a longer period of time.
👉 Winter season
The other part of good sail maintenance is the storage for longer time. Just as important as dry packing is in the shorter term, then its also vital when storing your sails for the winter. Mildew can quickly form in moist conditions – and once its there, its hard to get rid of.
So try to avoid getting the problem. This is done by ensuring that your sails are salt-free when you prepare for storage. Rinse the salt off first using fresh water and make sure the sails are fully dry before you proceed. You should by any means store the sails dry and in an ideally well ventilated room at around room temperature.
If you don’t have a storrage room, then we can give you a quotation for cleaning, drying and winter storrage at our sail loft in Palma. We can also offer you to take the sails of and send them to Palma. Place feel free to contact us.
I you have to leave the sails on the boat or know that you are not sailing for some months. Then take at least the dry headsail down and store it in a aft cabin or sail locker if your boat have such one. If you leave the mainsail on, then lift or lover the boom end, so rain water can run out of the sail.
What you can do to maintain your sails
You can either let someone like us take care of your sails, or do it yourself and there is a lot you can do to maintain your sails, to give them a longer life with less surprices.
👉 How to clean the sails?
1. The best tip against mildew is to avoid getting it in the first place. Should it appear anyway, you can try cleaning it, but make sure to use the right method.
2. Cleaning mildew can be done using warm water and dishwashing liquid or special canvas mildew remover. Agitate the spot with a soft brush and try to clean the spot and flush good with fresh water after.
3. Do NEVER EVER use any chemical solvents or detergents. It may destroy the material integrity of the sail. Warranty is also void if chemicals are used on the sail, so this is just a pure no-go.
4. If a sail develops mildew, please ensure that it doesn’t spread. If one sail has mildew, make sure it is kept well away from other, clean sails.
5. It is also important that sails are stored when fully dry and clean.
👉 Folding techniques
Creases are also nice to avoid – and the proper folding technique this should be a part of the routine no matter if you pack the sails after use or for storage.
EPEX sails should be rolled from top to foot, especially for winter storage. Other sail types are best kept folded or rolled. If you fold the sail, make sure to zig-zag it – this method makes sure that the sail will not get permanent creases.
