I used to keep my windsurfing sails upright in the garage so the mice wouldn't eat them. A little harder with the Prindle sail; plus its dacron. What are you guys doing with your sails in the winter? And no, I don't want to hear about how you don't store them because you are still sailing in some balmy southern state :)
Pete from snow country
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New Prindle 18-2 Owner
Former Prindle 18 Owner
Multiple Hobie 16s
Boylston Massachusetts
Webster Lake Indian Lake Narragnsett Bay in Rhode Island
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Storing Sails
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- Rank: Mate
- Registered: Aug 26, 2013
- Last visit: Apr 13, 2018
- Posts: 151
Posted: Nov 06, 2013 - 04:32 PM
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- Rank: Chief
- Registered: Nov 26, 2009
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Posted: Nov 06, 2013 - 06:35 PM
C'mon Pete, man up. Get a wetsuit, booties, gloves & keep sailing.
We sailed yesterday, up here in Canada.
On a more serious note, first have a good look see at your sails. Take note of stitching letting go or frayed,(especially around clew plates), batten pockets torn, bolt ropes where the fabric is worn, & that little rip you fixed with tape.
Get 'em to the loft & get that stuff fixed, now. It'll be cheaper in the long run.
If all is good, undo the batten ties to relieve any tension. Spread the sail out, then take the head & pull it down to the foot, halving the sail. Starting at the fold roll it loosely into a cylinder, neatly, but not trying to make the smallest roll you can. Put it back into the sail bag if you have one. (I also lay the jib on the main & roll them together).
I leave them (6 of 'em) on a shelf in the garage. My waterfront house is pretty new, & mouse proof, so I don't worry about that. Just in case though, the shelf is up near the ceiling, with clean walls, & no way for mice to get to it.
If I were dealing with an older building, or otherwise had concerns, I would make a shelf out of plywood & suspend it from wires. You can use 3/8", just screw a 2x2 lengthwise along each edge to stiffen it. Hang it from a wire at each corner, & make them long enough that a rodent would be reluctant to jump from an adjacent attic or wall. Obviously, hang it in a "clean" room, drywalled or plywooded walls/ceiling that prevents critters from being able to get close to them.
If my garage was an old rickety building, I would keep them in my house, under the bed if required. It doesn't matter how well you dry/roll/repair. If mice get to them they can be destroyed.
When I first got my 5.7, I put an anchor & small Harken block up near the ceiling of the lake house,(20' ceiling) & hoisted the sail. My theory was, A) it would look good, B) cover a very large vacant wall, & C) we don't use the place much in the winter. They were all good points, but wifey overruled them all, so I put up a 4' wide x 10' shelf in the garage corner, 3' down from the ceiling. Leaves me enough room to push the power boat on trailer under it, & I can still get at them for whatever reason.
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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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- Posts: 165
Posted: Nov 06, 2013 - 08:55 PM
What you need to get a cat..
but this kind
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Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
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- Posts: 115
Posted: Nov 07, 2013 - 08:18 AM
This is what I use in my garage:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bicycle-Lift/11065164
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Jeff
Houston TX
1986 Hobie 18 Sail# 13031
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