How often do you renew your mainsail?

SAWDOC

SAWDOC

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How many years should a conventional Dacron sail last yer average cruising boat ? When does the deterioration in sail shape make the investment in a new main worthwhile?
 
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SAWDOC said:
How many years should a conventional Dacron sail last yer average cruising boat ? When does the deterioration in sail shape make the investment in a new main worthwhile?
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How long is a piece if string.... I really depends on so many factors such as amount of use, quality of material, how the sail is treated in use... it's just impossible to give an answer to this.

I think people tend to make do with mainsails well past their best thinking that the performance increase of a new sail is minimal while the reality is often very different. I have done it myself and often heard other boat owners blessing a new mainsail and wishing they had changed it sooner as you don't realise how baggy and stretched the old one it until the new one is bent on.
 
Georgio said:
I think people tend to make do with mainsails well past their best thinking that the performance increase of a new sail is minimal while the reality is often very different. I have done it myself and often heard other boat owners blessing a new mainsail and wishing they had changed it sooner as you don't realise how baggy and stretched the old one it until the new one is bent on.
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That is my point exactly. I suspect that peeps are more inclined to spend their bobs on new chartplotters, new advertised products rather than on the fundamental means we have for getting about on the water. No scientific justification for that statement but I would be pleased to hear from folk who have invested in new sails and have enjoyed the result.
 
SAWDOC said:
That is my point exactly. I suspect that peeps are more inclined to spend their bobs on new chartplotters, new advertised products rather than on the fundamental means we have for getting about on the water. No scientific justification for that statement but I would be pleased to hear from folk who have invested in new sails and have enjoyed the result.
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When we bought our current boat, the main had completed a 3 year cruise, including crossing the Atlantic twice. I was therefore planning on a new main, that was till I tried it. Though showing signs of much hard work, it sets perfectly, in fact it's the best main I have had.

So it does depend on the sail.

Brian
 
SAWDOC said:
That is my point exactly. I suspect that peeps are more inclined to spend their bobs on new chartplotters, new advertised products rather than on the fundamental means we have for getting about on the water. No scientific justification for that statement but I would be pleased to hear from folk who have invested in new sails and have enjoyed the result.
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I suspect you are correct!

However I don't have a chart plotter (yet) but I do, on average, buy a new sail every year. That said some of these are purely racing sails.

On saturday I just picked up my new cruise-lam furling genoa from Sanders in Lymington, it really looks beautifully made with excellent attention to detail in the finishing. Looking forward to trying it out!
 
We reckon that a dacron main usually needs replacing after 8 to 10 years normal coastal cruising.
It depends also on fabric quality.A tell tail sign of cloth breakdown is horizontal stress lines just in side of the leech.These show weave loads have been exceeded and the leech will have stretched.
 
Depends on Manufacturer

Sails on our Beneteau are not brilliant .. The leach on the jib flutters going upwind and you have to tighten the leach line to stop it .. That hooks the leach and the sail looks rubbish .. The main has a bit of sag and does not set that well .. Sails just over 2 years old ..

Mostly down to cloth .. Suppose these sail lofts have to do them for a price so why use the best cloth ..

Also noticed that the uv strip does not help with sail setting ..
 
After sailing my NAB35 with a mainsail that the sailmaker thinks is at least 25yo( beautifully made,sewn in cringles,but cut for round the boom furling and converted to slab) I am awaiting delivery of a new 80% battened mainsail.
The old one split twice (seams ) last year,albeit was the stitching that went,I decided it was trying to tell me something!
 
Mine is 13 yrs old, I put it into the sail maker this winter to have a bit of fullness taken out and to change the battens to full length parallel.
A lot cheaper than having a new one!
I'm looking forward to seeing if it makes any significant difference to the up wind ability, but hay-ho even if it doesn't, I reckon it will make it easier to drop and tie down single handed.
 
On the last boat the main must have been 20 years old, had more belly than Frior Tuck so out it went! New sail made the boat a joy to sail.
Last year a new genoa and wondered why we didn't buy it 2 years ago when we noticed the previous one was looking tired! But that year we spent the budget on cabin heating. New sails always worth having IMHO. But we spend our cash on what we think will give the most or improve our pleasure. If you think the sail looks tired most sailmakers will give you an honest opinion and if you think it is tired then it probably is!
 
wilkinsonsails said:
We reckon that a dacron main usually needs replacing after 8 to 10 years normal coastal cruising.
It depends also on fabric quality.A tell tail sign of cloth breakdown is horizontal stress lines just in side of the leech.These show weave loads have been exceeded and the leech will have stretched.
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Another great post from Wilkinsonsails. All I can say is I wish other commercial posters on here were half as helpful & informative. Bless you, guys! I bet your customer care is a cut above the rest as well.

Usual disclaimer - I am not even a customer (yet), just a well impressed forumite. But I know who I shall ask for a quote from first if I do decide to spend real money on the funny flappy things that keep the sun off SWMBO when I'm sailing :rolleyes:
 
I reckon that top quality Dacron sails should last ten years minimum if they are cared for properly. That means washing regularly with fresh water so that the salt crystals don't abrade the fibres, and making small repairs so that minor damage in the sail doesn't result in major tears.
Interesting comment from Wilkinsonsails....must have a look.
 
Likewise, I must have a look. I had to replace the main in the second year of ownership (i.e. 1986) and although it sets well when reefed, it's a bit baggy in places. Doesn't get a huge amount of use compared to some folks.
I replaced the old Genoa at the end of 1987, it was stamped "Kemps sails" and "1964", but the cloth was so fragile that the stitching was pulling through it - think 'tear along the dotted line' and you get the picture. I like to get my money's worth out of a sail.
 
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saltwater_gypsy said:
I reckon that top quality Dacron sails should last ten years minimum if they are cared for properly. That means washing regularly with fresh water so that the salt crystals don't abrade the fibres, and making small repairs so that minor damage in the sail doesn't result in major tears.
Interesting comment from Wilkinsonsails....must have a look.
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Quite agree. My main, admittedly never heavily used, was supplied in 1989 (Banks Sails) and while a little past its best still sets quite nicely. The No 1 Genoa marked '1978' (Mackenzie Sails, Gourock) went in the bin last year as it was, frankly, a bit embarassing.
 
A new suit of sails can transform a boat. Many years ago Cindy from Wilkinson sails came down to our previous boat, measured up, made and delivered a set.
They were not cheap but not as expensive as the "known" makes but set great and lasted really well. It was the best money we spent on that boat.
Cindy: Good to see you giving advice on here. The boat was "Stag" our Rival 32.:D
 
If the main and the jib are the same age, you will probably get a bigger performance boost by getting a new jib first.

The top racing dinghy sailors used to change jibs every year and rarely change the main at the club I used to race at.
 
New Mainsail Frequency

We have an old mainsail, maybe 20 years. It had a huge friar tuck belly. Murray Caldwell of Nicholson Hughs Sails showed me how the tack rope had shrunk, took the shrinkage out and it now looks and performs like a sail again. Much cheaper. Thank you Murray.
 
Lots of interesting informative replies! Thank you one and all. I have decided to go ahead and order new mainsail. I could try and take the bag out of the old sail in the area immediatly above the foot but the sail is old and I suspect the shape is shot. I love my boat and I would love her even more if she would sail nicely to windward. Hope to post pics of the new purchase mid april sometime!
 
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