UV strip or sock ?

[simonfraser]

Just wondering as I am tempted to do away with the strip and go for a sock ....

 

[Rossynant]

May be less baggy when rolled. Also safer in a blow, from flapping. Going to try mine this way, before spending on new strip.

 

[davidwf]

Socks are a real pain to put on if you are single handed and not much better with help. You have to faff about with the zip and whatever haliyard you are using to pull it up.

Done this many times on a friends boat and hated it every time.

 

[VicS]

Socks are a real pain to put on if you are single handed and not much better with help. You have to faff about with the zip and whatever haliyard you are using to pull it up.

Done this many times on a friends boat and hated it every time.

and they need some form of lacing to tighten them up or they flap and flog alarmingly

 

[William_H]

UV strip or sock

We don't have so many roller furling jibs around here yet last winter I saw 2 jibs destroyed one taking mast down as well because jib was not tied tightly. So it seems to me a sock might be safer in a blow on mooring. Though I don't know how they work. good luck olewill

 

[charles_reed]

Having tried both I'd advise strongly against the sock.

It's difficult to put on, not easy to take off and, even when fitted with a continuous lacing, billows and bellows alarmingly in any wind, wearing away your expensive genoa.

 

[r_h]

I attach an extra line to the halyard when hoisting the sock, and then wrap this repeatedly round the sock to solve the problems Vic and Charles identify. Only adds an extra 30 seconds to the task if you're organised.

 

[wotayottie]

Just wondering as I am tempted to do away with the strip and go for a sock ....

Wondering the same thing. Clearly will be more work but the appeal of a decent sail that can be trimmed nicely without the effect of the sacrificial strip.

 

[antares]

As we are installing roller furler this year and converting existing genoa, am tempted to not have either as I don't see it as being too much hassle to take the sail off and stow below when leaving after each cruise. How long would this take, and you'd certainly do away with any possible risk of it unrolling while out on the mooring? The amount of sun/UV damage during last few summers must have been pretty minimal!

 

[simonfraser]

Can't see the risk of it unfurling as being great, I tie the furling line down well and mouse the genoa, never come undone in 20+ years.

Famous last words ...........

 

[KellysEye]

>I attach an extra line to the halyard when hoisting the sock, and then wrap this repeatedly round the sock to solve the problems Vic and Charles identify. Only adds an extra 30 seconds to the task if you're organised.

Why bother when you can have a simple sacrificial strip.

 

[Stork_III]

Having tried both I'd advise strongly against the sock.

It's difficult to put on, not easy to take off and, even when fitted with a continuous lacing, billows and bellows alarmingly in any wind, wearing away your expensive genoa.

+1 and socks are a pain in the BS for berthholders in the vicinity, a banging halyard is bad enough, but a poorly fitted sock has to heard to be believed.

 

[r_h]

Why bother when you can have a simple sacrificial strip.

Its advantage is that the sail shape when partially reefed is considerably better without the sacrificial strip. But that advantage comes at the price of convenience.

 

[Goldie]

Socks are a real pain to put on if you are single handed and not much better with help. You have to faff about with the zip and whatever haliyard you are using to pull it up.

Done this many times on a friends boat and hated it every time.

SWMBO made ours as she has for friends. OK it takes a few minutes longer (about 3 mins if I'm on my own) BUT, it keeps our white UV strip clean (after all, the boat's alongside far more than not and we are downwind of Southampton Water), saves the UV degradation, delays strip replacement and, because it's tightly laced, barely quivers in 40kts of breeze. When we're away sailing, we rely on the UV strip if we're only stopping for one night unless we're far enough south to be in really intense sunshine. The UV strip is now 5 years old and showing no disernable sighns of any degradation at all.

 

[Rossynant]

As we are installing roller furler this year and converting existing genoa, am tempted to not have either as I don't see it as being too much hassle to take the sail off and stow below when leaving after each cruise.

+ 1
For longer I would take it off to stow below; especially if that is THE ONLY one forestay... no reason to risk metal fatique there but being outdated myself (long time no sail, sahib) have little practise with it; on my roller it's easy. Not everybody have a nice sail locker and forepeak hatch though.

Still no need to put the sock on for the night, anyway
and on leaving the boat for longer some more work should be done in both cases as well, it's not prudent to leave the sail without extra lashing and such.

 

[xyachtdave]

My new North Sails genoa had a spray on paint UV protector instead of sacrificial fabric.

It looks the absolute business, whether or not it works is another matter - time will tell!

 

[Bav34]

We tried a sock on one of our boats.

Nightmare.

First you have to let the sheets go and drop them onto the deck.

So then the sail unfurls.

The fix is obviously a bit of bungee

Way above your head ... on a foredeck.

Not good.

Then you need a spare halyard to take the sock up. We didn't have one.

It's near impossible to pull the sock up single handed.

Final straw was that despite having drawstrings on it (on the shoelace principal) in any wind over F4 it would shake the forestay/mast around to the point where if on board I would go and drop the whole lot.

And I think that's the simple answer.

If you don't want a UV strip, take the sail down.

It's actually quicker to do that than rig the sock.