Sail storage on board

cliveshelton

cliveshelton

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Being a cruising sailor I don't have too many spare foresails (gennaker and storm sail) but these are quite bulky. We use the fore cabin a lot for sleeping and the under bunk locker is full of water tank. The sail bags are stored at the foot of the bunk which is less than ideal but of course this is the logical place for them.

What do others do? I have an idea for a net strung across the bunk but there might be better solutions.

Cheers.
 
What do others do? Well, I put them under the bunk. Not much help for you :)

Worth noting that there's no particular reason to keep them in the forepeak. It's one of those unreexamined habits based on how we used to do things, like putting the plotter at the chart table because that's where you used to use paper charts. When you were always changing hanked-on headsails, it made sense to keep them up forward so you could pass them up and down through the forehatch. But I'm guessing most people these days are a bit shy of opening the forehatch in any kind of sea, to avoid soaking the mattress in what has become a cosy boudoir instead of the functional forepeak of old. So you might just as well keep them in a cockpit locker, or under a saloon berth, or anywhere else you have the space, and save the walk back through the saloon dragging a sailbag after you.

Pete
 
cliveshelton said:
Being a cruising sailor I don't have too many spare foresails (gennaker and storm sail) but these are quite bulky. We use the fore cabin a lot for sleeping and the under bunk locker is full of water tank. The sail bags are stored at the foot of the bunk which is less than ideal but of course this is the logical place for them.

What do others do? I have an idea for a net strung across the bunk but there might be better solutions.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
When i ordered my Code 0, the sailmaker threw in a sailbag designed to hook on to the rail. This bag protects the sail from UV and the weather.

When we used this bag last summer we found that with a little bit of squeezing we were able to get the (rolled) assymetric into the same bag.

Last winter we got some webbing sail ties sewn into the bottom of the bag to help squeeze the content, but I still feel it could be improved.

I had a workshop with my sail maker some weeks ago, no I'm waiting for a new improved design..

Closed bag with both sails in it, attaches to the top rail wire with sail hanks.
c0076e41.jpg


Velcro to close front and top
80a523d7.jpg


75977840.jpg
 
What bag do you keep your cruising chute in? I have a North Sail spinnaker bag which is not water proof - there being a hole with a velcro tie through the eye for the halyard. I worry about keeping the chute on deck and it staying damp if we are sailing for weeks at a time. Am I worrying unduly?

TudorSailor
 
cliveshelton said:
What do others do?
Click to expand...
Now stored in forepeak - no berths there :) On another boat also were in forepeak, under bunks, but there were big lockers there.
On bigger boats I sailed last there were forepeaks proper for storage, but stormsails were kept in cockpit lockers as a matter of safety - no need to open forehatch, sails easy to prepare in safety.
As for sails kept on guardrail - saw a genoa once that has been tied to guardrail; that is sad remains of both genoa and guardrail... Well, there was a reason genoa was down, replaced with storm jib in this case.
 
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tudorsailor said:
What bag do you keep your cruising chute in? I have a North Sail spinnaker bag which is not water proof - there being a hole with a velcro tie through the eye for the halyard. I worry about keeping the chute on deck and it staying damp if we are sailing for weeks at a time. Am I worrying unduly?

TudorSailor
Click to expand...

Regular non waterproof dacron bag. Goes below if it threatens to rain. Very rarely in Greek summer. Some mornings a bit of dew but by 9 it's dry as a bone!
 
tudorsailor said:
What bag do you keep your cruising chute in? I have a North Sail spinnaker bag which is not water proof - there being a hole with a velcro tie through the eye for the halyard. I worry about keeping the chute on deck and it staying damp if we are sailing for weeks at a time. Am I worrying unduly?

TudorSailor
Click to expand...
Most normal sail bags is not UV resistant nor waterproof.
My sailmaker told me about customers storing the spinnaker in a standard bag on deck for a trip to the Caribbean, both sail and bag got destroyed by by the sun.
 
Rossynant said:
Now stored in forepeak - no berths there :) On another boat also were in forepeak, under bunks, but there were big lockers there.
On bigger boats I sailed last there were forepeaks proper for storage, but stormsails were kept in cockpit lockers as a matter of safety - no need to open forehatch, sails easy to prepare in safety.
As for sails kept on guardrail - saw a genoa once that has been tied to guardrail; that is sad remains of both genoa and guardrail... Well, there was a reason genoa was down, replaced with storm jib in this case.
Click to expand...

forgot to write - if expecting storm the whole bag and sails will / can be taken off and down.
For normal summer cruising works fine.
 
One measure of a cruising boat might be the emphasis on storage over extra berths. Now that is not particularly helpful to read of course but here's a couple of suggestions that work for me ( and I have er 7 bagged sails in addition to the in-use main and genoa).
Firstly folding them really flat makes a lot of difference rather than stuffing into a bag generously. Don't be generous, you haven't got the room.
Think deck head: under the cockpit coamings, strapped to a cockpit locker lid perhaps, the deck head in a quarter berth, sharing a liferaft locker.... It's just a matter of string and net and bungee cord...
Make a deck bag and stow em on the coach roof, when cruising and at home when not.
I have a temp inner forestay with hank on, reefable working jib permanently attached, this stows in a dedicated sailbag on the side deck at the shrouds, so is always ready to go, and not 'below'..
The storm jib lives in the under deck anchor locker, ahead of the hawse hole and secured right up in the bow with bungee..
It is usually possible to stuff one often-used sail ( say, my cruising chute n sock) at the base of a quarterberth without cramping the sleeping..
Hope that helps
 
I dont have any good sugestions I just have the problem.
I have to say I'm impressed with the bags along the rail. I expect it would help protect the crew from grape shot;)
Seriously I'd quit like one.
on my old boat I kept the spiniker and a No 2 in the cockpit locker.
My "new" boat is much bigger but it has much more in the way of gear. 3 jibs, storm Jib, try sail, Asymetrical spiniker, Symetrical spiniker, Heavy Spiniker,
put the all on the boat, I'm down by the head with sails.
Where the heck do I put a life raft?
tender, fenders, mooring lines, wet weather gear, spare parts, tool kit, out board, fuel can,

I don't think there is any room left for me. ;)

I have decided Malt Whiskey takes up a lot less space than beer,
I like the island ones myself.
 
nigelmercier said:
Q
That's pretty much what I'm planning for my cruising chute, but with a double-ended zip and Velcro straps for the rail. What sort of prices is your man quoting?
Click to expand...
The bag in its original shape (as in the picture) was part of the "package" with the new Code 0 - so I don't know the real price :)

Now we are modifying this bag to work better with two sails inside, modifications are (by memory)
-Increasing the width at the bottom - giving more space so both sails go inside easily (it was originally designed for the Code 0 only).
-Adding a dividing wall in the middle (made of mesh) that can be clipped on to both sides (not at the same time) to contain the sail not being hoisted/taken down
-Adding webbing on the outside (sewn) to compress and secure the bag
-Adding attachment for bungy cord, at the outside/bottom other end goes on toe rail.

Still no quote - as this is kind of joint development project :)

I'm considering replacing the piston hanks with soft shackles - don't know if velcro is better.
As for attachment I use a thin dyneema line from both the upper corners to the next (for & aft) stanchion to prevent it from sliding along the rail wire.
Problem with using a zip is that zip's need to be parallel while zipping or the will split easily. So when you want the bag to be as small as possible and squeeze the content..
 
Agree folding them flat is the key. Mine are all stored in sailbags in the cockpit lockers, taken out periodically during the winter to dry them out as they do get a bit damp in there if it's really cold. Currently have in addition to the main & genoa in service a spare mainsail, no.1, No.2, spinnaker, cruising chute & stormsail. These live in the cockpit lockers along with full set of cockpit cushions, two 110AH batteries, two 907 gas bottles & various other stuff including full diving kit inc. tank. All on a 27ft Albin Vega...
 
cliveshelton said:
Being a cruising sailor I don't have too many spare foresails (gennaker and storm sail) but these are quite bulky. We use the fore cabin a lot for sleeping and the under bunk locker is full of water tank. The sail bags are stored at the foot of the bunk which is less than ideal but of course this is the logical place for them.

What do others do? I have an idea for a net strung across the bunk but there might be better solutions.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

I've got a spare main, storm jib (only used x2 in anger) and 140% genoa, under the foreberth forward locker, and in the cockpit locker; solent, working jib, genniker and x2 spinnakers.
All the cockpit locker sails are used fairly regularly (except the 1.5oz spinnaker).
 
knuterikt said:
The bag in its original shape (as in the picture) was part of the "package" with the new Code 0 - so I don't know the real price :)

Now we are modifying this bag to work better with two sails inside, modifications are (by memory)
-Increasing the width at the bottom - giving more space so both sails go inside easily (it was originally designed for the Code 0 only).
-Adding a dividing wall in the middle (made of mesh) that can be clipped on to both sides (not at the same time) to contain the sail not being hoisted/taken down
-Adding webbing on the outside (sewn) to compress and secure the bag
-Adding attachment for bungy cord, at the outside/bottom other end goes on toe rail.

Still no quote - as this is kind of joint development project :)

I'm considering replacing the piston hanks with soft shackles - don't know if velcro is better.
As for attachment I use a thin dyneema line from both the upper corners to the next (for & aft) stanchion to prevent it from sliding along the rail wire.
Problem with using a zip is that zip's need to be parallel while zipping or the will split easily. So when you want the bag to be as small as possible and squeeze the content..
Click to expand...

Did you get the new version sorted? If you did, I'd be interested to see it and know how it worked out.
 
cj! said:
Did you get the new version sorted? If you did, I'd be interested to see it and know how it worked out.
Click to expand...
It works fine, If I want to get the sails of deck I got two options
- take the whole bag down
-take sails out of bag and roll the bag into a sausage tied in to the top guard rail wire.
Here are some more recent pictures
You can see the dividing wall inn the middle
D0AE7702-B4E6-4D69-A3AB-12BD73CDBACE_zpsoqt2zuwv.jpg

Sail ready to hoist
63093284-90C9-455E-BDA5-333314A4B14A_zpskryzq6zs.jpg

E973B6DA-E644-4C42-8994-3A4E3E63A3A8_zpsztwuzcvi.jpg
 
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