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Today I just cleaned what should be a perfectly good jib. When I say 'should' I mean that if the sail is not that old, its cut is an expensive tri radial, the sail material is a top of the range laminate. The sail though has been left on a furler, in the weather and the sail has now gone to crap. I can make the sail look better, yet once the UV strip starts to break down, then the sail it is there to protect also breaks down. All this happens while your unloved boat swings at its mooring as you attend to other pastimes, it also happens a lot quicker than you think.
I'm not going to get into the furler vs put away headsails here, but here are the pointers if you are going to furl your headsail. Air and dry the sail weekly even if just at the dock in calm conditions. Dacron is a much better cloth to clean, so furl that please. Exotic laminates are great sails, yet I dont think they should be furled. Make the UV strip out of 100% acrylic canvas, it lasts better than sticky back and looks better with age, and also furl it the right way so the UV is on the outside! Make the cut a simple cross panel, tri radial sails cant be cut down to remove any leach that has UV damage. Lastly, if your sail is small enough and you can handle it by yourself, then take it off the rig and put it below, it will last forever.
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