Pascal Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 Looks like there is different schools here. Some say that fresh water is not good for the sail hence washing them after sailing in salt water is not good. Some religiously wash the sail in detail after each sailing drill. I guess the concept is either fresh water is doing more damage than crystal of salt on the long run. We do have a decent set of sails on our F18 and the idea is to do whatever it takes to keep them in pristine conditions. Any ideas on that matter ? please share them with the community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado Posted October 15, 2006 Report Share Posted October 15, 2006 G'day Pascal, Fresh water is your boat and sail's best friend. Every chance you get to wash down your sails after sailing, do so. Just do not use any detergent on them..... Detergent is not your sail's freind. Cheers Stephen AUS 43 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PP Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 I sailed Hamilton Island race week with a sailmaker onboard and this question was asked of him, the answer was; if you wash sails with fresh water you must dry them out completely or bacteria will grow and permanently discolor the sail, if you don't wash the salt out it wont matter because the salt kills bacteria. He didn't mention wear fron crystallised salt so I expect this is a very minor concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pascal Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 I got the same explanation in regards to bacteria. So now I need to figure out whether salt is doing more damage than bacteria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Salt won't worry the material or stitching,It will worry any metal eyelets (battern tensioning) head boards, clew eyelets ect salt is a major nightmare to anything metal on your boat followed by the sun ,the sun will root your boat faster than anything.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Originally posted by PP: I sailed Hamilton Island race week with a sailmaker onboard and this question was asked of him, the answer was; if you wash sails with fresh water you must dry them out completely or bacteria will grow and permanently discolor the sail, if you don't wash the salt out it wont matter because the salt kills bacteria. He didn't mention wear fron crystallised salt so I expect this is a very minor concern. Very interesting..... Never heard this theroy before. I was always told that the salt cuts into the stitching of the sails as well as the tramp. I have had salt attack our head and clew boards. We will continue to hose them down as often as we can, but insure they dry. What cloth is the bacteria a problem with..... Darcon, Mylar or both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warbird Posted November 3, 2006 Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 All I can add is this. I used to be lazy and not wash and they seemed to be fine and keep colour and no probs. I got a great new sail and got energetic. I washed that down after sailing and put the sail away for six months. Yes, I had dried it in the son, but not enough. For the first time ever I pulled the sail out and was shocked to find it marked badly by the little black spots we hate. Oxy action did a good job but I am careful now. Salt rules. Originally posted by Pascal: Looks like there is different schools here. Some say that fresh water is not good for the sail hence washing them after sailing in salt water is not good. Some religiously wash the sail in detail after each sailing drill. I guess the concept is either fresh water is doing more damage than crystal of salt on the long run. We do have a decent set of sails on our F18 and the idea is to do whatever it takes to keep them in pristine conditions. Any ideas on that matter ? please share them with the community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Rogers Posted December 11, 2006 Report Share Posted December 11, 2006 When i did sailmaking years ago, all the guys told me to wipe my sails down with a damp cloth or sponge. This was because the dacron edging and the synthetic thread did not mix well with water and would stretch in a non-uniform manner. Whether or not this is true who knows? But i have never had any problems with my sails following this policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Proper sail maintenance is easy and takes little time, but it can make a big difference in the life and performance of your sails. Whether you have new racing built from aramid or Dacron cruising sails that are several years old, a little care can maximize the value of your investment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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