If you take good care of your sails, invest in high quality woven polyester, and use your sails as an average weekend sailor typically does, you can expect your sails to last between and hours of active use.
Storage time between active use hours should not affect the life of the sail provided they are correctly stored. Most sailors sail only on weekends and holidays. For such a sailor, who takes their boat out a couple of weekends a month and for a several week vacation, will generally accumulate about hours of active use in a year. Such a sailor may see their sails last for 15 years or more.
However, if you are living on your boat and cruising extensively, you may put your sails through around 1, or more active hours a year. That means that your sails will probably only last for a few years. Calculate the active hours that your sails spend up and in use to determine how long the sails are likely to last. How long your sails will last can vary dramatically depending on several variables, including what kind of sails you have and how you treat them.
To protect your sails and keep them as long as possible, it is essential to understand why sails degrade. Once you understand what makes your sails lose integrity faster, you can do more to preserve them.
Most sails are made of woven polyester materials. These materials are susceptible to sunlight. Overtime, sun exposure makes sails more susceptible to tearing. This is the primary reason that sails breakdown over time: sun exposure.
If you live in a climate that tends to have a weak sun or is often cloudy, you may see sails last longer, whereas if you live in very tropical sunny areas sails may break down faster. Racing sailboats that often sail under intense wind and are pushed to go as fast as possible will often have sails degrade faster than casual sailboats that are usually taken out under mild conditions. How you store your sails is one of the most essential elements in their long-term survival.
Sails that are allowed to bake under the sun will age and break down much faster than sails that are stored under UV-resistant fabric. On small sailboats, sails are often removed entirely when the boat is not in use. On larger boats, sails are generally packed into bags that protect them from the sun.
Sails that are stored under material that completely blocks UV rays will last much better than sails that are not protected from the sun. Sailors that promptly put their sails into bags as soon as they are dropped after every sail will see sails last longer than sailors who let sails sit out between trips every now and then. Some sailors are happy enough to live dangerously and wait until the sail rips extensively or fails underway. However, there are some very real dangers to letting your sail degrade until it fails.
Here are some indications that it may be time to get new sails. It is normal for most sails to get a tear every now and then.
The material is relatively delicate compared to its job of holding vast amounts of wind and propelling your boat forward. Most tears can easily be fixed with patching or sewing back together. However, if you encounter a tear that extends very easily with even moderate pressure, your sail is unlikely to be repairable. When you do decide to replace them, your boat will come alive as dramatically as if you had put a new engine in your car.
No items Shop now. Toggle navigation. Sailing Accessories Apparel One Design. Live Video Series Schedule. Find a Loft or Consultant. About Us. Quantum Racing. May 10, Unfortunately sails don't last forever; however, with a little understanding about what ages a sail and how to care for them you can maximize their life and get the most out of them. Shape Life The shape life of a sail is more difficult to assess, since sail shape deteriorates gradually with every hour of use.
To help protect your sail investment, here are some suggestions: Protect your sails from unnecessary exposure to sunlight and heat.
Avoid prolonged luffing and flogging. Motor with your sails down unless they can be filled. Never back a genoa against the spreaders when tacking.
Use the correct halyard tension: halyard tension changes as a function of apparent wind velocity. Add just enough tension to remove horizontal wrinkles as the apparent wind increases. Ease when the apparent wind velocity drops.
Protect from chafe: make sure spreader and chafe patches are in the right place. Take sails off the boat when not in use or out of the water for any extended time period. Periodically rinse with fresh water annual professional servicing and washing is recommended. Using this equation, you can then scale it to get an estimate of the lifespan on your sail. The frequency with which you get out on the water will affect how long your sail lasts.
For example, if you get out on the water 60 times a year for roughly 5 hours at a time, you can expect your sail to last roughly years. These, of course, are just rough estimates. You might get more or less out of your sail based on a number of different factors.
Sailboat owners will want to always be diligent about the condition of their sails, constantly inspecting them before use for signs of potential wear and tear that could compromise their integrity. A natural next question when considering the lifespan of a sail is what makes for a durable sail. This question is a far easier question to answer with precision, as the things that make for a durable sail on one sailboat will make for a durable sail on all sailboats.
So, what makes a sail durable? Knowing the best material type for your type of boat and needs, properly fitting it and rigging it to your boat, and knowing the proper storage and care practices for the material will all help you extend the life of your sail. Sails get worn out with usage, plain and simple.
It is unavoidable that eventually your sails will reach a point of needing to be replaced, no matter how well you think you take care of them. So, how does a sail get worn out? Sails get worn out through a combination of wear and tear from wind, exposure to the elements, and UV exposure. While the impacts of some of these factors can be mitigated, it is impossible to completely prevent it.
Additionally, in keeping with life on a boat, sails face other factors that make life harder. Things like high or low temperatures, wind levels, and UV exposure are all things that will degrade the condition of your sail and should be considerations when shopping for a sail. Most damage that can compromise the integrity of the sail is caused by chafe, or the rubbing of materials.
On a sail, places like seams, stiches, and rivets are especially susceptible to this. The question then becomes, how do you know when your sail is worn out? All of these can be discovered with regular inspection of the sail between uses, and should be addressed as they come up to prevent further damage. One of the main forms of damage from wear and tear on a sail are damaged or fraying seems.
All seems on a sail should be taut, and any daylight coming through is a bad sign. Even one or two stitches being damaged can be a problem, as one or two quickly multiply into a dozen broken stitches or a full rip across the length of your sail. Another common form of damage is overworked attachment points. The points at which you sail attaches to the rigging will often face more stress than any other part on your sail.
Wrinkling in this way is a sign your sail has stretched out of shape. Use this helpful guide to keep your sail in top condition and maximize its lifespan. Using these tips can help you to maximize the lifespan of your sail, and ensure it performs to its fullest capacity all the way till the end. All of these techniques can be done on your own, and should be part of a regular routine for care.
Check out this article for a more thorough list of maintenance and care practices. I am the owner of sailoradvice. I live in Birmingham, UK and love to sail with my wife and three boys throughout the year. Now you want to know how hard it is to sail across the Atlantic. You can cross through parts of the country such as Cape Verde, the Canary For most sailors, boating season ends when the weather begins to get cold.
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