A friend told me I really don't have to rinse my sails every time I go out. He said dacron sails can take it and only occasional rinsing is adequate. Another person told me just the opposite, that when you don't rinse, salt crystals get into the fibers of the dacron threads and over time abrade the cloth. This causes the sails to age prematurely, stretch more and make them much harder to achieve the desired shape. Who's right?

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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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IMO: If you are an avid racer, then you should probably pick up some mylar sails and wash them regularly. If you aren't... Well, your typical sailboat rental place practically never washes the sails in their inventory which are used almost daily and still last for years. YMMV of course... Obviously, if you do clean them regularly they will last longer. I'm sure the salt does abrade the cloth and over time ages them... But it's not a short amount of time.



Edited by danielt1263 on May 21, 2023 - 11:52 AM.

i have only had 1 dacron sail rip on me (without it getting snagged on something), and it was when my jib unfurled in 40-50 knots (on the beach) ... it shredded in 1 millisecond

with dacron i think it is more important to release batten tension after use vs washing them. imho dacron sails will last a very very very long time, they just keep stretching out and creating more draught/draft and become less responsive and due to the draft, less. unable to depower. releasing the batten tension will reduce this marginally

If you sail predominately in salt water then yes you should rinse every time, even with dacron. Those little salt crystals really tear things up when they dry. Fresh water you can get by for quite some time! And like MN3 said, always release batten tension (no matter the cloth type).



--
Master UniRig Sailor
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More importantly is rinsing the corners of the sail - head, clew, and tack boards. These aluminum plates will corrode very quickly with the sitting salt water. I have set up an area in the back yard where I can hang the sails, rinse, and dry them. My sails also live inside in the a/c. My 5 years old sails for Franken pure carbon and are still in very good condition (from a racer's/sailmaker's POV). The jib is starting to show wear from use. I have a Tornado jib that did the 1984 trials that is in good condition and a set of Ulman's that did 2000 Olympics that are my racing sails. Some of the more brackish areas (like here in Galveston Bay), you can cheat and not wash sails every time. I'll always wash the bottom 10' of the sails, unless it was a high wind day.

With all my sails, the battens get released after sailing. I would invest in the quick adjustment ends and place a mark on the battens so you, or even an inexperienced crew, can quickly set the tension.

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Scott

Prindle Fleet 2
TCDYC

Prindle 18-2 Mod "FrankenKitty"
Tornado Classic "Fast Furniture"
Prindle 19 "Mr. Wiggly"
Nacra 5.8 "De ja vu"
Nacra 5.0
Nacra 5.8
Tornadoes (Reg White)
--

I have a 1987 Prindle 18-2 and the original sails are pristine, and still have the 1988 Prindle National sail measurer's approval signature on them. They are nearly as crispy as when they were new, and I took a trophy in an ocean race in 2013 with them.

I store them outside in Arizona in my cat box on the trailer. Both sails are loosely rolled up together, carefully without wrinkles, the main folded down at the third batten. All battens are completely loosened, and the sails are stored in a slightly oversized zippered acrylic bag. So they are dry, loosely rolled, and in the dark all the time.

I always wash them down with fresh water after leaving the beach to get the salt off. When I get home I string the sails between trees to hose them off and let them dry thoroughly in the sun before storage.

36 year old sails with laminated fiberglass battens still in great shape.
My $0.02.

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Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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Quote

I always wash them down with fresh water after leaving the beach to get the salt off.

there is salt water in arizona?

MN3

there is salt water in Arizona?

Yes and no.
Three lakes are on the Salt River. and the center of the state is fed by the Central Arizona Project Canal which brings surprisingly salty water from the Colorado river into Phx. The concentration is aggravated by the evaporation over hundreds of miles...
But a lot of my sailing is in the Pacific.
And that is what I am referencing here.
You are always a stickler for details, my friend.
Bob

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--

Quote

You are always a stickler for details, my friend.

I was literally raised in a law firm, and just spent diner listening to my father and mother debate that they don't ever argue, just are in the middle of a 30 year disagreement.

MN3

I was literally raised in a law firm

My father was an attorney as well.
I hear your pain.

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--