Bunch or Fold a new sail

D

David1st

New Member
I just put the new sail on. It seems to be quite brittle and I don't know how to treat it. Do I dare tie it to the spars? Folded or bunched? After using my old patched rag, which handled easily, I find I am treating this new one a lot more like it might break if I fold it or bunch it. This is my first new race sail and I want to treat it right. Are the spar bags big enough for spars and the sail.? I am thinking of protecting my investment and buying the spar bag if it will hold both.
 
What most people do is to roll the sail up to the spars and then tie it up with the halyard, or I use small bungees. If you lay the spars on top of each other so the sail is in half, then you just roll that up to the spars. Be careful around the window, try to to put creases in the window especially. You aren't going to break the sail however, just rolling it seems to be an easy way and a good way to keep the sail in good shape. Hope that helped.
 
f2's method is just fine if you take your boat out every week or so. but if it sits longer of it travels on the road(vibration) the best thing to do is un bolt your top spar from the bottom and pull the spar out of the sail ties and roll the sail around the top spar starting with the head and rolling down to meet the bottom spar. When you are done your sail should be smooth and flat around the top spar which is now sitting neatly next to the bottom spar. This takes more time, but most of the people I race with seem to do this.

THIS DOES NOT WORK IF YOU USE SAIL CLIPS. YOU MUST USE SAIL TIES TO ATTACH YOUR SAIL TOTHE SPARS FOR THIS TO WORK.

Either f2's way or the above method are far better than rolling your sail around both spars...
 
Yes sailorof, I get your point about rolling up the sail, I used to fold my old sail then roll it on to the spars, then lightly tie. the new sail didn't want to cooperate very well and seemed very brittle. My gut was telling me more brittle, equals more where. I think that un doing the tacht bolt is alot of work, but has diffinate advantages. A neat package has to be better! Will the sail and spars fit in the spar bag?
 
My race sail (rolled up to the spars, not around the spars) and spars fit in my spar bag. I don't know what spar bag you are using. My spar bag came from Annapolis Performance Sailing and does it's job very nicely.
 
Offramp thank you for your response to my question about it all fitting in the spar bag. I don't have one and never seen one. I have only seen pictures. I think I will order one to protect my investment. Thank you again!!!
 
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