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	Care of Roller Furling Headsails
	Caring for your roller furling genoa is simple and quick, but can add years to its life. There are 3 main things that prematurely damage a furled sail; first is UV exposure, second is high wind damage, and the third is mildew. Ultra Violet radiation will break down most sail fabrics quite quickly, without being covered the cloth can be destroyed in less than a year. So the most important thing you can do is make sure the sail is properly covered when not in use, or taken down if you don’t have a cover. While it is furled check to see that the cover completely covers the sail fabric. Look carefully all the way down the furled sail and makes sure you see nothing but cover, if the sail is not furled tight enough, or if the cover is not wide enough, there will be a strip of sail just inside the cover that is not protected. Next drop the sail down and look closely at the head. There should be cover material on both sides of the head because when the sun is high it will shine down inside right where the first roll is. Also look at the webbing loop that attaches the head of the sail to the furler. The webbing should be covered with the same type of UV protection that is on the leech of the sail and the webbing stitched to the sail should also be covered so that the stitching doesn’t break down from the UV. And last but not least check to see which side of the sail the UV cover is on AND MAKE SURE IT IS ON THE OUTSIDE WHEN THE SAIL IS FURLED. This may sound unbelievable but the biggest problem we see in sails brought in for repair, on sails with white UV covers, is that they have been rolled the wrong way! The UV cover is still in perfect shape while the back 12” to 24” of the sail has been destroyed. When you leave your boat with the headsail furled make sure it is furled very tightly and that the furling line is cleated or tied off, that the sail is rolled enough so that the sheets are wrapped around the sail at least 3 or 4 turns, and they are tied of tightly so that the sail can’t become partially unfurled. Every year we get in quite a few sails after a big wind storm where the covers and often the back part of the sails have been destroyed. This happens when the wind whips the sail enough to get a little bit of the leech loose and unfurled; that part then catches the wind even better and as it whips back and forth it can turn the whole leech of the sail into a tattered mess of ripped and frayed cloth. I recommend that if you are going to leave your boat for any extended period of time that the genoa be taken off and stored. Mildew can happen on any sail but you can greatly reduce the likelihood of it by making sure your sail is dry before leaving it furled for any long period of time. Dust and moisture in the air will gradually seep into the furled sail along the leech and if the sail isn’t used often enough to let it dry out this will enhance the growth of mildew. Inspect the sail each time you use it and if you notice mildew starting to show up take the sail down and have it cleaned or clean it yourself with mild soap and water and then spraying a 5:1 solution of water and bleach on the mildewed areas. Let this sit for a few minutes to kill the mildew and then rinse the sail very well with fresh water to remove the bleach. Sails made from a cruising laminate are much more prone to mildew, and much harder to clean afterward, than woven dacrons. This is because the moisture seeps in through the taffeta on the outside and gets trapped between the taffeta and the mylar on the inside. The mildew will start to grow between layers and the adhesives used in the lamination provide an organic layer that the mildew feeds on. The cruising laminates made in recent years have mildew inhibitors mixed with the adhesive to fight this, but if left moist long enough they will still develop some mildew. The problem is made worse if you sail in areas that are warm and humid. This one of the reasons that the Hydra-Net woven spectra and new generation of warp oriented dacrons are becoming very popular in place of the cruising laminates. <HOME>

Care of Roller Furling Headsails

Caring for your roller furling genoa is simple and quick, but can add years to its life. There are 3 main things that prematurely damage a furled sail; first is UV exposure, second is high wind damage, and the third is mildew.

Ultra Violet radiation will break down most sail fabrics quite quickly, without being covered the cloth can be destroyed in less than a year. So the most important thing you can do is make sure the sail is properly covered when not in use, or taken down if you don’t have a cover. While it is furled check to see that the cover completely covers the sail fabric. Look carefully all the way down the furled sail and makes sure you see nothing but cover, if the sail is not furled tight enough, or if the cover is not wide enough, there will be a strip of sail just inside the cover that is not protected. Next drop the sail down and look closely at the head. There should be cover material on both sides of the head because when the sun is high it will shine down inside right where the first roll is. Also look at the webbing loop that attaches the head of the sail to the furler. The webbing should be covered with the same type of UV protection that is on the leech of the sail and the webbing stitched to the sail should also be covered so that the stitching doesn’t break down from the UV. And last but not least check to see which side of the sail the UV cover is on AND MAKE SURE IT IS ON THE OUTSIDE WHEN THE SAIL IS FURLED. This may sound unbelievable but the biggest problem we see in sails brought in for repair, on sails with white UV covers, is that they have been rolled the wrong way! The UV cover is still in perfect shape while the back 12” to 24” of the sail has been destroyed.

When you leave your boat with the headsail furled make sure it is furled very tightly and that the furling line is cleated or tied off, that the sail is rolled enough so that the sheets are wrapped around the sail at least 3 or 4 turns, and they are tied of tightly so that the sail can’t become partially unfurled. Every year we get in quite a few sails after a big wind storm where the covers and often the back part of the sails have been destroyed. This happens when the wind whips the sail enough to get a little bit of the leech loose and unfurled; that part then catches the wind even better and as it whips back and forth it can turn the whole leech of the sail into a tattered mess of ripped and frayed cloth. I recommend that if you are going to leave your boat for any extended period of time that the genoa be taken off and stored.

Mildew can happen on any sail but you can greatly reduce the likelihood of it by making sure your sail is dry before leaving it furled for any long period of time. Dust and moisture in the air will gradually seep into the furled sail along the leech and if the sail isn’t used often enough to let it dry out this will enhance the growth of mildew. Inspect the sail each time you use it and if you notice mildew starting to show up take the sail down and have it cleaned or clean it yourself with mild soap and water and then spraying a 5:1 solution of water and bleach on the mildewed areas. Let this sit for a few minutes to kill the mildew and then rinse the sail very well with fresh water to remove the bleach. Sails made from a cruising laminate are much more prone to mildew, and much harder to clean afterward, than woven dacrons. This is because the moisture seeps in through the taffeta on the outside and gets trapped between the taffeta and the mylar on the inside. The mildew will start to grow between layers and the adhesives used in the lamination provide an organic layer that the mildew feeds on. The cruising laminates made in recent years have mildew inhibitors mixed with the adhesive to fight this, but if left moist long enough they will still develop some mildew. The problem is made worse if you sail in areas that are warm and humid. This one of the reasons that the Hydra-Net woven spectra and new generation of warp oriented dacrons are becoming very popular in place of the cruising laminates.

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