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?
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
-- Marty
1984 Hobie 16 Redline Yellow Nationals, "Yellow Fever"
Opelika, Al / Lake Martin --
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?
~~~~ 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 ~~~~~
-- ~ 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. ~~~~~~ --
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.
-- 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 --