Put the life back into your sails with a sparkling clean makeover
The tough life of sails
The sails and covers on the average boat have a pretty tough life, not least to blame for this are the external pollutants that can cause serious damage over time, including:
Green Algae and Mildew – The continually changing weather within the UK means that the domestic sailor experiences the scourge of mildew stains upon his sails as a pretty common occurrence. To address this sodium hypochlorite (which you’ll know as bleach) can be applied. In all but the very worst of instances the stain will come off, after which a thorough rinse is required. However if, after a short time, the stain remains then the mildew has likely set too much to be removed. Note: Bleach will not affect polyester (Dacron), Spectra, or Vectran fabrics. DO NOT use bleach on nylon, aramids (such as Kevlar or Twaron), or Technora. Bleach will destroy these fabrics.
Rust Stains – Rust stains that are picked up from the wire or shackles that touch your sails can generally be washed out if you get onto the problem within a couple of months or so (after which the best result may be the stain fading). Do not be tempted to treat a rust stain with acid; it’s dangerous and not recommended for rust removal in any event. Let the professionals deal with it.
Acidic Pollution – This form of pollution is caused by exhaust fumes and Power Station chimney fall out.
Salt Crystals – Salt crystals damage threads and, if left to dry out, can consequentially attract moisture… leading to damp.
Food & Beverage Stains – Food and beverage stains will lead to mildew growth if left unchecked and unaddressed.
Oil, Grease & Diesel – From time to time sails can pick up grease, oil and diesel stains. Removing such stains requires a degreaser. The winter months - Bracing yourself for colder climbs When winter approaches it’s highly advised that you wash and service your sails, particularly when you plan to store them away over the winter months.
Are you ready for your sail makeover?
Cleaning and laundering your own sails can seem quite the challenge. From finding a room big enough to wash your sails, through to the time they take dry and onto storing them properly so that they don’t pick up dirt once more. Our SO31 team of sail experts take the hassle out of stain removal, cleaning and laundering. Through a pro service your sails can look ship shape once more, and all without you breaking a sweat. We can also provide a nice dry storage space for your sails over the colder months.
Storing your sails: Tips from the SO31 experts
Sails can stand up to the toughest of tests on the seas – from consistent beatings taken from the wind to being exposed to the harshest of conditions under the sun and covered in sea salt. Yet despite this it can be the unlikeliest factor of how sails are stored that may affect their performance (as well as their lifespan) the most. In order to ensure that your sails are in the best condition that they can be follow these top tips from our SO31 sail makers.
- Ensure that the unit in which your sails are being stored is dry and secure.
- Ideally you should roll your sails, however this does require a much larger space in which to store them. If you don’t have this space then you’ll need to fold the sails instead.
- Folding correctly requires 2 people, with one person kneeling along the leech of the sail and another along the luff.
- be sure to remove all battens from their batten pockets. You can then begin the folds (also known as flakes) along the foot, both on mainsails and jibs.
- Stretch the foot of the sail out until the sail is smooth and wrinkle free.
- Move the head of the sail each time you fold and aim for a nice, tidy package that is wrinkle free.
Our storage service - For those who don’t have a nice, dry and secure container handy
For the majority of sailors a private container isn’t just going to be at their disposal, and renting a single container will ultimately be an expensive option. In this instance there is our professional storage service that we can help with, Oh, and last but not least, we can also check to ensure that your sails have been folded correctly – avoiding any long term damage that would otherwise take place whilst you’re not even out and about enjoying the benefit of your sails!
Want to know more?
Contact the team Want to know more about our cleaning and laundering services? Need to ask a question about how you can store your sails? Whatever you need to know the SO31 team are on hand to help. Get in touch with them either here or by phone, on +44(0)2380455106.
