Is it worth having my sails valeted?

[Tam Lin]

Well the title says it all really. The sails are fairly old but in reasonable condition, not racing sails as they are for my Centaur. I've never taken sails to a sailmaker before so is it worth it? Could I clean them by spreading them out on the floor and using detergent? Any thoughts?

 

[wilkinsonsails]

The term valeting, to me ,means having them checked over for damage and needed repairs.Cleaning and giving them a good rinse off to get rid of the salt is really secondary .
Always ask for an indication of price before giving the go ahead on repairs.
A centaur main and genny valet can be as littie as £90 or as much as £400 depending on age and condition.
Single stained areas can be treated on the floor,if mucky .Rinse the salt off in the garden ,on a still day .
You may notice bits that need restitching and other faults whilst doing the cleaning
Cindy

 

[William_H]

I tend to be amazed at the mention of sail valeting. Totally unnecessary to my mind. Take the sails home or some suitable place. Give them a hose down to wash off salt. Perhaps a bit of detergent or even ozalic acid on any stains then check over yourself for damage from chafe or just age. get repairs done if necessary. Fold them up when dry and store until next season.
Put the valeting money towards new sails. good luck olewill

 

[tillergirl]

You might care to read the relevant article here:

http://www.eastcoastsailing.co.uk/features.html

 

[VicMallows]

If you need any work done on the sails by a sailmaker, you may find they insist that the sails are laundered first. Otherwise I just spread the sails on the lawn and use a hose/soapy water/soft brush. Then hoist them to dry using a ring-bolt fitted high up on the house wall. (I guess not so easy if you live in a flat!).

 

[BlueChip]

If you just want to get your sails white again, fill a wheelie bin with warm water and any of the 'Oxy' laundry additives, you can get this from the £ shop.
Leave the sails to soak in this for some days and then rinse off, you may need to scrub the genoa leach depending on how bad it is.

The results are amazing.

 

[pagoda]

If you just want to get your sails white again, fill a wheelie bin with warm water and any of the 'Oxy' laundry additives, you can get this from the £ shop.
Leave the sails to soak in this for some days and then rinse off, you may need to scrub the genoa leach depending on how bad it is.

The results are amazing.

I had the jib professionally washed last year - prior to a couple of small repairs. It was done out of doors on a very large tarpaulin - with soapy water. I could have done it myself, but once you add water to a lawn, you end up with muddy or green stains as a hazard!
I like the wheelie bin idea, but manipulating 38 M2 of jib into one would be pretty challenging!! Drying it? barely enough garden to dry our dinghy sails never mind 45ft leech yacht sails...
If you have the space & weather, DIY cleaning is possible, but like sailing, you could do with a crew to make a better job

Graeme

 

[Caer Urfa]

Well the title says it all really. The sails are fairly old but in reasonable condition, not racing sails as they are for my Centaur. I've never taken sails to a sailmaker before so is it worth it? Could I clean them by spreading them out on the floor and using detergent? Any thoughts?

Most sails for any boat are in reasonable or good condition and only when you have to replace them to you find there real value and very few of us have the skills or right sewing machine for any repair jobs needed.

I sail all year round in varying conditions and want to be 100% sure as far as possible my sails are up for the job, so yes every two years I get them washed and serviced, quotes for sail cleaning are usually not on there sizes but on their weight, last year I paid £200 LS for my Genoa and main sail cleaning including some odd stitching repairs.

Mike

 

[Toutvabien]

Valeted alone no, it is just washing and folding nicely but valeted inspected and overhauled by a good sailmaker is, to my mind very useful. We had our sails done last year for our ketch and all of the historical niggles were resolved and worn stitching on seams redone, patches replaced, reinforcing renewed, missing sail slides replaced, sacrificial patches replaced, tell tales renewed. All in all the sails came out as good as new, they were very good quality sails to start with and I guess the virtue of the process depends upon the basic material and how worn the sails are.

 

[Talulah]

Over the years I have had a number of people say to me they have had their sails valeted. Everyone I spoke to has said it was a waste of money. No one has ever said they were really glad they got it done.

 

[pagoda]

Over the years I have had a number of people say to me they have had their sails valeted. Everyone I spoke to has said it was a waste of money. No one has ever said they were really glad they got it done.

I only did it that way to satisfy the sail repair outfit.. I have scrubbed (older) sails at home -and tied of the head, tack and clew to various trees/ fenceposts and such in the garden to dry off. A big genoa is quite scary leaping around near head height with a good drying wind!!
Maybe we need a garden flagpole to hoist it and dry sideways
So I won't be having it done professionally very often either..

Graeme

 

[jwilson]

Over the years I have had a number of people say to me they have had their sails valeted. Everyone I spoke to has said it was a waste of money. No one has ever said they were really glad they got it done.

Depends on the size of sails. I get mine done most years: I don't regard it as a waste of money, as after getting cleaned the sailmaker goes over them and does any repairs, and there are almost always some repairs needed, usually to batten pockets, sacrificial patches, etc. Also they get handed to the sailmaker at the end of October and I collect them from him in April, so I never have to store them.

 

[JumbleDuck]

If you need any work done on the sails by a sailmaker, you may find they insist that the sails are laundered first.

A cynic writes ... Would that be the sail laundering which is only done through sailmakers, who get a cut? The boys at N-H have never even suggested washing my sails, though of course Scottish weather tends to keep things clean ...

 

[Seajet]

I'm quite fussy about my sails, but they just get a wash in very slightly soapy water then a rinse down each winter to remove the salt crystals, no way am I paying to have that done and I do inspect for any damage, if it's a matter of a bit of frayed stitching I fix it myself, anyone can !

Whatever you do don't use bleach on stains, there are some horror stories on these forums of sails completely knackered by that.

 

[Lucky Duck]

Depends on the size of sails. I get mine done most years: I don't regard it as a waste of money, as after getting cleaned the sailmaker goes over them and does any repairs, and there are almost always some repairs needed, usually to batten pockets, sacrificial patches, etc. Also they get handed to the sailmaker at the end of October and I collect them from him in April, so I never have to store them.

+1

There is no way I would be able to clean my sails at home and dropping them off & collecting them from my sailmaker means two less car journeys when laying up and recommissioning the boat

 

[NickC]

How about just clean them with Oxalic acid, see my earlier thread here.

 

[Malcb]

Over the years I have had a number of people say to me they have had their sails valeted. Everyone I spoke to has said it was a waste of money. No one has ever said they were really glad they got it done.

I just have mine valeted and checked over every 2 years. I have it done via Arun Sails and I've been very satisfied, especially as they also store them for me until I need them. The cost is very reasonable and they come back looking like new.