As this shortened season draws to a close, Mark Mansfield, Quantum Sails agent, outlines five tips to think about at the end of the season in order to get better life from your sails.
If the sails are at the end of their life, Quantum has a winter discount running till the middle of October, so contact us for a quote, or even just for a chat.
Read our tips below
Mark Mansfield Trimming spinnaker during DL week on a J109
Tip 1 Wash all the sail bags. How often do you start the new season with all great enthusiasm and try to open the zipper on the sail bag only to find the zip is fully jammed up with salt? When this happens, there is about a 50% chance of getting it unstuck. For the other 50% of the time, it is an expensive new zip fitted by your sailmaker.
Tip 2 If you have a Code 0, try and wash it down and dry it before you put it away. Code 0 sails, in particular, get covered in salt and this sometimes prevents them from furling and unfurling. Make sure you wash out the top and bottom mechanical parts of the furler as well. On a light wind day, washing the sail can be done on the dock with a hose and a soft brush, otherwise, you will need clean floor space.
Tip 3 Inspect your sails carefully for wear and small tears. Often wear on battens and where spreaders hit the mainsail happen and need repair before they become a bigger issue. If you don't have the room or time to do this, send them to your sailmaker where they have a full-size loft. At Quantum we have a full-size loft in Galway to do these jobs and sails can be left at the Quantum Sail Box at the top of the ramp at Dun Laoghaire Marina.
Damage where the mainsail hits the spreaders often occurs even if you have spreader patches
Tip 4 Don't leave your sails in the boat. Too many owners think the sails are fine to be left in the boat. They are not. Firstly, they likely may not have been properly packed the last time they were used. Also, the temperature changes are very bad for the sails and in particular for laminated sails. I know of one well known competitive boat that even left the mainsail on the boom till mid-December. Get them into a dry warm store to extend their life.
Tip 5 Take Advantage of winter discounts offered by your sailmaker. Quantum has a discount going till mid-October of up to 15% so don't miss out on this!
Good Sailing
For further information or quotes
Mark Mansfield email: [email protected] or Ph. 00 353 87 250 6838
