Hi, T11,

Allegedly, as the salt water evaporates, the left-behind salt crystals can abrade the batten stitching, leading to failure of the batten seams. I always fresh-water wash and dry my sails after use, but very few others that I sail with take this trouble to look after their gear.

There's plenty of opinions on the rec.windsurfing and Boards (UK) forums, for and against washing.

Regards,

WindmanV

i wash in it in the ocean when i go sailing. shouldn't wash gear every time you go sailing, the chemicals in fresh water kills stiching and material faster then anything..

I used to work for a company that made lycra rash shirts and stuff, the expected life span of any product being used in a fresh water pool was 3 months.

The levels of chemicals in tape water are obviously alot lower but none the less are still present.. plus they throw in a few more..

Maybe you could wash them in natural spring water..

I wash my sails with bottled water after ever sail. Get the mt. franklin at the supermarket on special.

srsly.

swoosh said...

I wash my sails with bottled water after ever sail. Get the mt. franklin at the supermarket on special.

srsly.

Damn Swoosh, that's love! I used to hose my gear down and dry but info seems to suggest it is unneccessary. I now just ensure it is sand free. Hate the sound of sand scratching inside the material.

No. Unless, gear is covered in sand or leaves or other crap - IF I can't brush this off by hand

At one spot I sail, the amount of water that is used washing clean gear is mind boggling... I can wait several mintues simply to get a drink from the tap! So much water goes on the ground here that there is a constant puddle and the grass doesn't grow!

Pugwash said...

No. Unless, gear is covered in sand or leaves or other crap - IF I can't brush this off by hand

At one spot I sail, the amount of water that is used washing clean gear is mind boggling... I can wait several mintues simply to get a drink from the tap! So much water goes on the ground here that there is a constant puddle and the grass doesn't grow!

That's probably from me washing all my gear!

what a waste of time
just roll them up and drop in the a bag
nature will do the rest

I've never washed a sail in my life and they last just fine.
I think this sail washing thing is a leftover from the old canvas sails of a million years ago. If you didn't wash and dry them then the next season they would be a nice shade of black from all the mildew on them and be half rotten.
That doesn't happen with the new materials so instead of wasting time with the washing, stay out another 15 minutes, and when you come in, roll them up still dripping wet and chuck them in the back on an old towel or two maybe to catch the drips. This will make you feel much happier unless you have a washing O.C.D.

{edit} I should have added however, this does not apply to kites and ALL kites need at least a 1 hour wash and gentle rub down afterwards to maintain them in a flyable condition. Make sure that this routine is rigorously maintained. Also a 90 minute rubdown and line inspection prior to each use is also recommended. {/edit}

cleaning? does dropping a sail into its bag classify as cleaning? if yes, then yes I do clean by gear.


the funniest thing is watching guys with watering cans cleaning their sails, whilst they are cleaning, im half way home heading for a fresh cup of Dilmah.

best recipe for long lasting sails is never take them out of the bag to begin with.

I wash my race sails because I figure they will go faster with out a layer of salt crust and sea weed on them.
I like to wash my masts so they don't get jammed together and I wash my wetties so they don't smell like piss.