Submitted on December 7, 2005 by Robert McLaren

Question: Hi there,

We have recently purchased the Farr 40 G’NET, and are now the proud owners of an extensive inventory of 3DL sails! Can you please confirm the best way to store them when not in use? Also, any tips on preserving their useful life would be appreciated.

Kind regards
Robert McLaren

Answer: Robert,

In the perfect world, the best way to store sails would be spread out flat on the floor (not likely you have the space for that). The next best way is rolled, BUT the roll must never be bent to the point of kinking. Laminated sails that are rolled and then bent in half suffer irreparable shrink damage to the film. So, only roll such sails if the roll can be stored straight. They are safe if rolled around a PVC tube or something similar.

If neither of those methods are practical for you, do as most racing sailors do....."brick them". Start by folding the sail (preferably clean and dry) in the normal manner from the foot, keeping the luff forward. Next, roll or fold the sail from the luff to the leech, smoothing any wrinkles as you go. This method avoids crumpling the leech area which takes the most abuse while sailing. Make sure the resulting "brick" is tight enough that nothing moves once you wrap the sail with a web tie. Tie it up then put the bricked sail in its bag to keep it clean and dry.

To maximize the sail's life in use, avoid doing anything unnecessary that causes the sail in make noise. Straight line sailing, even with the sail fully loaded, does little to shorten its life. But hoisting, luffing, tacking, dropping, tying down on deck, etc, all damage the sail, particularly laminated sails. Of course, all these things are part of normal sailing and racing but you should minimize them where you can. Do your practicing with an older sail. Drop and carefully tie your heads'l between races and on downwind legs. Try not to luff the main while motoring or before the start. When the sail is quiet, it is happy.

Good luck,
Steve Reed

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