Can You Valet Your Own Sails?

[Anwen]

Last weekend, I took the genoa and main off the boat, with every intention of sending them away to be washed. The sails were new in April, so they are not too bad, but I'm a believer in preventive maintenance! However, the cost is coming back at over 100 squids!

I was wondering whether its possible to clean my sails myself? Would the results be as good as sending them away to a sail loft? Our boat is a Sun Odyssey 32.

Thanks,
Jon

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[LORDNELSON]

Yes, you can valet your own sails but it becomes more difficult as they become older and need repairs involving machine stitching and other machines used by sail makers. I think the best guide is given in "Sails" by Jeremy Howard-Williams. However for sails as new as yours I would not think they need much more than the salt rinsing off them. My sails are probably a bit larger than yours but wash quite well using our Avon Redcrest as a bath and after washing using a weak detergent (a bit of washing up liquid) in water and a good rinsing are dried by hanging by the luff from a line in the back garden (line aligned from an upstairs window to a post in the garden); I usually give a final hose rinse when the sail is hung from the line. Personally I send my sails to the sailmaker for valeting about every 3 or 4 years, when they are showing real grubbiness and need some small repairs.

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[silverseal]

I valet my sails at a Gosport launderette, which brings then up like new.. I also launder the halyards, sheets etc in the washing machine when SWMBO is out power shopping.. just bought a Singer hand sewing machine for £5 to sort out the seams in a sail cover, but leave proper sail making problems to the sailmaker

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[William_H]

It is funny but around here with thousands of yachts you never hear of sail valet ing. When available a hose is used to wash the salt off but more often not. (dinghy sailors usually hose them down but that is only cos it is easy and they love playing with the hse) Modern keelboat sails just stay on the boat. Maybe I am slack but haven't washed my sails in 5 or 6 years since new. Occasionally they get rained on when hoisted thats it. Certainly put your money toward new sails and just hose them off if you have to.
Regards will

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[Robin]

Valeting is more than just washing as it includes a full check of the sail for chafe or damge, stitching and so on, maybe replacing tell-tales and in most cases it also includes free storage until required on the boat next season. There is no reason of course why it cannot be done at home if you can handle the size of sails you have, if the bath is big enough, if there is somewhere to dry them and if there is somewhere to store them. Our sails were too big on our previous 33 footer and certainly are on our present 41 footer so expensive or not they go to the sailmaker.

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>