sails & UV in UK

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catalac08

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Hi
I need a new genoa and although the general view is that a UV strip is essential, this has a cost of about £120 for my modest size sail. My old boat had a genoa without a UV strip for about 7 years without any apparent UV deterioration ie noticable brittleness, stitching breaking or any other adverse effects.
My question is whether UV stripping is essential in the uk with the sailcloths that are used today ( my old genoa referred to was probably 25 years old and they may have used different materials then). I accept that the med or tropical climate is completely different.
If I could get 10 years ok without the UV protection that would ok and I could then spend the difference on other boaty stuff.
 
UV Strip

Hi In my opinion. If you keep your Genoa on a furling system I would recommend the UV strip. If your sail is hanked on and you remove it every time you leave the boat then don't bother.
Speak to your sail maker get several quotes and take their advice.

Regards Mike
 
Hi
thanks for response but sailmakers are not exactly impartial in this so I am looking for some actual experience of deterioration & timescales for furled sails in the UK, rather than just the standard advice that a UV strip is essential.
 
When i used to have a 34 footer in the med it wasn't to difficult to lower and stow the sails even though they had UV strips. Perhaps you could do the same in the UK and not bother with the extra cost of UV strips
 
If you leave the sail on all the time then go for a UV strip. Just look at what happens to strips over time and be grateful that is not happening to your sail!

If you want to "save" the 120 take the sail off when you are not using it.
 
I used an old sail for five years plus, it needed bits and bobs of restitching and stuff, mainly on the luff, but I got this done cheaply by a chap "down the club" so it did not worry me much. One year he said to me "it won't last forever, you know it has no UV strip" I hadn't realised. It lasted a good few more years and eventually fell in tatters in poor weather. It set very well right to the end, I liked that sail. However I guess the thing must have lasted 12 yrs probably much more (perhaps used as a hank on in its early life)
I have had its replacement in regular use for about 5 yrs and the UV strip is starting to break up. I don't think I will replace it as if I get another 5, or more, years cruising I will have had fair use and it is time to move on.
I am not sure where this takes us. But maybe if you are a sort that expects 5 years of less out of a sail there is no point to a UV strip. If (like me) you expect 10 years or more, it might be useful in the first instance.
 
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The UV index in the UK is surprisingly high. I wear photo chromatic spectacle lenses thet change with the UK and after living for 35 years in Africa I am still surprised at just how intense the UK UV is. If you are leaving the sail on a roller furling system then the £120 is well spent.
 
catalac08 said:
Hi
I need a new genoa and although the general view is that a UV strip is essential, this has a cost of about £120 for my modest size sail. My old boat had a genoa without a UV strip for about 7 years without any apparent UV deterioration ie noticable brittleness, stitching breaking or any other adverse effects.
My question is whether UV stripping is essential in the uk with the sailcloths that are used today ( my old genoa referred to was probably 25 years old and they may have used different materials then). I accept that the med or tropical climate is completely different.
If I could get 10 years ok without the UV protection that would ok and I could then spend the difference on other boaty stuff.
Click to expand...

UV in the uk is more than half the level you will find at the equator - surprising isnt it, given how we moan about the cold. So maybe deterioration would take twice as long as down south but it will still happen. Really its a trade off against how long you hope the sail will hold its shape. On a racing sail I wouldnt bother - 2 years and its done. On a cruising sail you might hope for 10 years I would cough up the 120.
 
£120, just go for it.
I am in the Med and definatley need UV strip, they want twice that for my little Jib.
As mentioned above UV is still quite high in UK especially if you leave it furled.
 
Why not look at as many furled jibs as you can, paying attention to the condition of the UV strips - do they all look pristine? If not why not? Then decide if you are really 'saving' £120.
Alternatively, why not sew your own UV strips on?
 
UV strip

i would be inclined to suggest that you make up a sock of canvas that has buttons, hooks, ties or velcro that can be fitted arounbd the bottom of the sail and forestay and hauled up using a spin halyard or similar. You would have to button the join together as it goes up but would be good for holding it all together in the wind as well as UV protection.
Your alternative might be to let it fall apart with UV when and if it does then reduce the size of the sail by having the leach cut off and fit new eyelets. It should only deteriorate in a patch the size of the UV strip initially invisaged. Any harm done elsewhere would happen even with a UV strip.

Years back here, small off the beach sailing catamarans became incredibly popular. They all had a sail cloth trampolene and were mostly stowed horizontal in the sun. The cloth deteriorated quickly even though it was very heavy. The cloth split and you fell through. Now we get a lot more sun here but polyester (dacron) sail cloth certainly does not like sun.

I would never leave any sail of mine out in the sun uncovered if possible. good luck olewill
 
Genoa socks

My experience with a genoa sock, as suggested by some posters, is that it won't last much longer than a UV strip, and it costs more. Mine had a long zip to close it and cords criss-crossing all the way up to compress it tightly around the sail. The cords vibrated in the wind and rubbed through the canvas. I have just changed to a UV strip. I agree with the other posters who point out the damage that exposure does to the UV strip over time - better a sacrifical strip than the sail itself.
 
Sac strips in the UK last longer if they are made in better UV resistant cloth.
If you have a 6 0z.dacron sail weathermax is a good cloth, lasting twice as long as oddysey or polyester.
Light weight acrylic canvas may be a bit on the heavy side for that genoa.Without the strip the sail will deteriorate in about 3 seasons,the stitching will go first on the exposed seams,if you dont keep an eye on this then you have seam failure and loose the sail a lot earlier.
Cindy
 
Ok i will declare my hand straight away. I am a sailmaker but as i am not doing this job i have ne vested interest. The honest answer is that it depends on when you are going to replace the sail. The fabric could last anywhere from a couple of years to 10 years. It depends on how much of the season the sail is on for and how it is looked after. The issue is that the stitching will last for nowhere near as long. The sail will fail it is just a question of when. If it is a cosmetic issue you can put on a sock that is removable and will protect the sail when you are away and is quite easy to fit and remove plus when it gets dirty you can pull it down and wash it at home. Chris
 
One of the best ways to ruin genoa, is not to use it, and keep your boat in a marina.

On a mooring your boat will move around, on a marina it has the same side facing the sun day in, day out. Over time the UV will get to the stitching and then the cloth.

Look at a 5 year old UV strip, and look at a new one. Try tearing a new one, and try tearing and old one....It's not just there to make your boat look pretty it serves a purpose :)

We spoke to one of the biggest manufactures of sail cloth last week, his recommendation, if you want to extend the life of your sails, was to have a UV strip AND a sock.

Saving your sails has no benefit to him, but it was still his advice to protect the cloth from UV
 
I'm a sock man, though b**ger it the zip went on mine the other day, so I've got to source a 6.95m zip and crawl to SWMBO with the chocs and flowers in order to get her to "Fire up the Bernina".

I'd do it myself but a) lack skill b) would hate to break the Bernina as its her pride and joy.

I think I'd be offended by the way a UV strip mucks up the sail shape, though I accept their usefulness/necessity.

When parachuting there was/is a 'Bible' call the Dan Poynter parachute manual which goes into great detail about UV degradation rates. It was a real eye opener for the sun gods who did their parachute packing outside in the open as even in the UK on cloudy days the degradation and weakening rates were quite frightening.

After only 3 weeks of full sun exposure, some type 1 nylons were weakened by 94% breaking strain, and even faded webbing straps were breaking at 2000lb... I know sails are more robust, but the stitching isn't too much more, and the principle applies just the same. I've had chunky looking toe straps on dinghies snap on me due to UV, and they looked OK ish at first glance


Tim
 
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