Help with folding sails.

[moondancer]

Is there a technique I don't know about for folding sails on a boat. My Dacron cruising sails just get stuffed in a bag - but my expensive sails need to be properly flaked/rolled. Now this is OK in a Marina where I can lay them out - but I struggle to do it on the boat. Next year I am on a swinging mooring so need to know how to do it. Lots of other boats seem to be able to flake their sails (fore sails) nicely on their moorings. What's the trick to do it?

 

[rwoofer]

If the foredeck is not big enough I typically take the foot of a sail and drag it over the boom and flake it on the side deck or coachroof. The point of taking it over the boom is that with each flake you pull over a bit more of the sail. As you pull the sail the boom helps to straighten out the sail cloth and stops any kinks. Any wind and even this can be a struggle.

The other technique I have done with stiffer sails is to simply roll from the head. Because of the stiffness you get a stiff tube to manipulate the rest of the sail with.

Always easier on the pontoon though.

 

[vyv_cox]

With a large 130% genoa, drop the sail on the foredeck as it comes, which is normally roughly flaked. Loosely roll from the head as far as possible. This avoids the head dropping into the water at a later stage. Then drag the sail aft to a midships position. A genoa this big is far too long to go over a boom, so you need to flake it across the coachroof, possibly between shrouds or partly in the cockpit. Flake it with as much bias towards the luff as possible, i.e. keeping the luff rope together all the way up, as this will make hoisting it next time far easier. Once flaked, roll/fold from the clew, again so that when next used it will be as easy as possible to get into position.

A mainsail may be flaked directly from the mast but it is often too windy for this. In that case it can either be flaked in a similar way as described for the genoa, or across the boom if this proves easier. Again, partly rolling from the head helps to keep it on the boat at all times.

Personally I would never stuff any white sail into a bag (spinnakers are different). I always flake whenever they are taken down. The life of the sails will be far greater if you stick to this.

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

You can either be a stuffer or a roller.

My old boats sails were quite old, so stuffing seemed to be the easiest option.

If you have new stiff sailing material, then rolling might be easier.

You can always sort the sail out properly when back on the pontoon or mooring.

 

[eastcoastbernie]

[ QUOTE ]
My Dacron cruising sails just get stuffed in a bag -

[/ QUOTE ]

Shame on you!

 

[geoffatstanpit]

I find the secret is a long "sausage" bag, nearly as long as the foot. Very easy to drop the sail straight out of the groove into the bag. Another pair of hands on the leech is helpful but it's possible to get a satisfactory stow single-handed unless it's very windy.

My new blade jib won't flake but can be rolled into a tube - again 2 pairs of hands help!

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Don't flake... roll!

Much better on the material

 

[William_H]

Yes you always need help with folding (flaking) sails.

I sail occasionally on a Farr40 where the Mylar jib goes up a twin slot foil. It is reasonably easy with 2 or more people to flake it as it comes down then manouvre a long bag (zip up the side full length)under the flaked sail. Then zip up. Then 2 people to heave it down below.

On my little boat in practice the jibs get stuffed in the forecabin not folded, not bagged. But then after a hard race all i really want to do is get off the boat. (swing mooring) I don't believe it does any harm to sails to not fold. In fact they dry quicker and constant tight folding in the same place can be damaging.
Occasionally I get tidy. I can flake the largest jib with one person in the cabin the other at the back of the cockpit. One with tack one with clew. The head and bulk of sail inside or out. Smaller jibs are easy. They can also be flaked one person forward on the cabin top one aft in the cockpit with the tail over the boom. But this leaves you susceptible to wind so is not always so easy.

i keep my mainsail on the boom with a cover over the sail and boom. The sail is simply flaked as it is lowered (no sliders) just bolt rope in mast. It needs one person at the mast and one at the end of the boom. I put bungee around the sail as it is flaked starting from the back. I f you remove the mainsail from the boom it is probably easier to flake on the boom then disconnect from the clew and tack.

Just try every thing to find what suits you. good luck olewill