I came across some 12 inch corrugated culvert pipe long enough to make a winter storage tube out of. 3/4 inch plywood will cap on one end and a hinged cover of the same material will be the working end. As rodents are in one of the storage buildings, does anyone know if this is enough to protect the sails? I coukd put flashing on exposed plywood to prevent gnaw thru. But 1/8 inch wall plastic isn't much of a barrier. Any ideas to fortify this? Load with moth balls and dryer sheets?

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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Rat poison and glue traps would be my method of attack when it comes to protecting your sails in this situation.

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Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
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My sails get stored in 14" round spiral duct work made of aluminium. One end cap is sealed and the other is removable. I have used this sail tube since '89 without a problem. Light weight, no rust and no paint......I have a large tube sock to protect against wear and each sail has it's own sail bag. My rudder assemble also fit along with a small crane I use to raise my mast....the 21SE mast is a beast to rise....

Contact your local industrial sheet metal contractor to see if they can supply you with one and have them fabricate the end caps too.

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Bill 404 21SE
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get a cat

Quote

get a cat

Then the cat pees on the sails.

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'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
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I wouldn’t use corrugated culvert, for 2 reasons. You want a smooth tube to slide the sails in to minimize wear, and galvanized sheet metal will eventually start to deteriorate and possibly stain. Aluminum and PVC are both good choices. Not always cheap, but neither are sails. I agree on sailbags as well, adds a lot of life

gahamby

Quote

get a cat

Then the cat pees on the sails.

then you get a dog to chase the cat

Quote

I wouldn’t use corrugated culvert, for 2 reasons. You want a smooth tube to slide the sails in to minimize wear, and galvanized sheet metal will eventually start to deteriorate and possibly stain.

good call, esp on the wear part

Quote

I agree on sailbags as well, adds a lot of life

as long as the sail is dry
another great way to extend the life is to release the battens during storage
i actually release mine after ever sail



Edited by MN3 on Aug 12, 2018 - 01:17 PM.

I didn’t read the original post entirely, I guess you are using plastic culvert, so my argument about galvanized is not relevant. Additionally, polyethylene board is far superior to plywood for end caps

Where can PE board be sourced from? I coukd buy some cutting boards.

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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I got mine off amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Po…-D4976-245/dp/B00CPRDN3W

These screw on lids might work.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-5-gal-Screw-Top-Lid-5GAMMA6/203205720

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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MN3

gahamby

Quote

get a cat

Then the cat pees on the sails.

then you get a dog to chase the cat

Hi-ho, the derry-o... the farmer and in the dell....

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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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When addressing an issue of any kind, the key is to seek out the root cause. In this case, the root cause is the rodent problem.
Eliminate the rodents first, then address the storage of the sails. Tubes, containers, and sail bags all sound like a good way to safety store and protect the sails when not in use, but even stored in a container of some sort there would still be the issue of the rodents and I would be paranoid about the rodents still getting into the container, that is why I would address the rodents to begin with. I have a PVC tube on my trailer but I only use it when transporting the sails. I store my sails in their sail bag, on a long shelf that is up high in my storage building.

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Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin
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I have a Catahoula dog that kills rodents, probably not the easiest solution to your problem though

truth about rodents (esp rats)
they can eat through concrete so the best defense is a strong offence

If you want best protection from them - place your sails in a bag, hang your sails from a rafter with a
use a piece of wire (something a rat can't grip onto) - hopefully they can't get to the rafter in the first place, but if they somehow have spiderman skills ...

for max rodent resistance - use a coffee can or lid or something similar in the middle of the line ... something that will prevent the rodent from getting past it

It's time to put the sails to sleep for the winter soon. I just pulled out the pool cover that was in a reinforced nylon bag, and a mouse had chewed a few holes, and was still raising her babies...there were no survivors. The point being, mice will chew anything, and I don't want to lose my sails.

I can use Flex Tape on the pool cover, but a sail is harder to repair. Anyone have a favorite solution for sail storage?

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Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
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~~~~ Use a sail bag, place mothballs & dryer sheets in it, and use plenty of them... Always worked for me and mice don't like steel wool, maybe to plug the hole where's it's tied... my bags zip up... Got'em from Colorado bag company ~~~~~

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~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
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I have a zip-up Sunbrella sail bag, and will give this a try.

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Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
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As stated, keeping rodents out of the building from the get go is the best defense.
I built a shelf in the garage, about 8' up a a wall with 12' ceilings. It's smooth drywall, mice can't climb it. About 5 sails get stacked in regular sail bags on the shelf, never had a problem...so far.
I also leave a couple of baited mousetraps in the garage, just in case one gets in during the day if the big door is left open.
The setup is not as messy as the photo looks!




Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 06, 2019 - 01:07 PM.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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I built my mouse proof sail tube on my 21 trailer out of 14" round aluminum spiral tubing 30 years ago. Strong enough to lightly step on.

For my 16 trailer, I built a 10" long 1/8 aluminum "mail box" in 1986 that is mouse free. It is strong enough to dance on.

My three spare sets of sails are stored in a rack of three galvanized spiral pipe 12" round by 10' long, hung from my garage ceiling by unistrut and all thread rod. Never a problem.

Get with your local sheet metal contractor and be sure to buy the metal end caps too. Most companies have the galvanized pipe in stock and these work great out of the weather hanging from your garage ceiling. For your boat trailer, seek out aluminum spiral pipe with end caps from a larger more regional company.

Poynter Sheet Metal out of Greenwood, Indiana would be a good source for aluminum spiral with end caps. Buy in bulk with your buddies to be cost efficient............

Don't forget to use sail bags too. I purchased several from the Colorado Bag Company and they made my righting bags too.

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Bill 404 21SE
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Solid tips.
Do you have ventilation for the boxes as well?
I cut holes in the bottom of my trailer box and covered them with window screen.

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Joshua

Texas Gulf Coast
'82 Prindle 16 (Badfish)
'02 Hobie Wave (Unnamed Project)
‘87 Hobie 18 (Sold)
‘89 Hobie 17 (ill-advised project boat, Sold)
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I only store my sails in their tubes once they are dry. So, there is no ventilation on my setup.

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Bill 404 21SE
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I drilled a bunch of holes in both ends of my sailbox, covered that with window screen to keep bugs out and then placed a vent cover over it to keep rain out