yeah, I almost choked on it when you said that you keep your spi in the snuffer sock all the time!

But are you sure it's better that way?

It's supposed to last a LOT longer that way.


I've also been told that leaving it in the snuffer bag outside that the bag will actually intensify the rays from the Sun.

It might not be that BAD, but I don't want to find out.


Mike

Certainly better than letting it sit on my pole, with an abrasive line running through the middle of it, letting the UV kill the snuffer bag, and letting acid rain pool inside the spin.

Well i have heard everything.. from flake it... to flaking causes weak spots along the folds.
I have tried removing, washing drying and flaking (which is interesting living in an apartment on the 3rd floor) and only to rip it on my furler...

I do have a tarp over my boat and most of my snuffer. I cover the mouth of the snuffer with a dacron cover i made (from an old jib) that keeps most of the water, bugs and bird poop out.

Since i sail every weekend... and use the spin every weekend... the time savings is tremendous.

Last weekend i spent 30 minutes rigging it... only to find it was wrong (during launch) and had to mess with it 2 more times to get it correct....

Yes i will probably have to replace it a little sooner than if i babied it.. but as much as i use it... it doenst seem that big a deal to me.

I'll bet it's whisper quiet when goes up and down too. Those crispy spins can be sooooo annoying.

It has extra rigid headboard and actually was problematic before it was softened up a little. It still is pretty crispy... and snuffs much better...

I know you guys all have your methods... and have lots of experience,.. but if i save 30-40 minutes of rig time, get to sail more, have less issues with snuffing, have less errors in running the retrieval lines... i will accept the fact that i will have to replace it after 400 snuffs vs. 500....

Stick that in your snu!

Now that's funny!!!


Mike

Yeah, I guess I had that reaction coming.

Anyho, from past experience the difference isn't 400 and 500 it's more like 400 and 800. I used to just stuff it in the spin bag and throw it in the truck. When I started flaking it (dry of course) it made a significant difference.

And yes, you're trading spin life for setup time. It all depends where the priorites are.

800 vs 400 is significant. perhaps i will reconsider my priorities.

Its not just the rigging time, but rinse / dry / flake takes allot of effort in my apartment.

It's not great to leave the kite in the chute without a cover on it. If we are sailing the next weekend we will leave the kite chute but we've got a full cover that goes over the whole chute, and keeps it nicely protected. If its not in the chute we just put it in the bag as flaking a kite supposedly doesn't really gain you anything.
There are quick and simple ways to rig a kite so that it only takes 5-10 mins.

Rigging from scratch isnt too bad either when your used to it, if you set to it could be done in 30 mins.

Build yourself a massive sail box were you can put the whole pole in. Then you can keep the kite in the snuffer.

If needed, my crew and I could go from tilt trailer to rigged in 30 mins. However it normally took us an hour due to talking with everyone.

see... more mixed info

I saw that, but I'm going to take the advise from the guys who basically do it for a living. And that person told me to Flake it.

I was told by Robbie and Jill (pros) when i bought the spin from them that flaking it would extend it's life as well. I do believe it is true.

Did they include instructions?

Just showed me...:)

I think someone posted in that thread on how to do it.

It's really not that hard, but it is harder to do if you do it yourself. Like me and I believe you.

I did it last week after soaking it in Holmekol. I just had to walk side to side and straighten the middle. It's more work, but if it's going to last longer, it's worth it to me.


Mike

yes, Jill showed me how to do it... its not hard.

From personal experience I can't tell whether is has any effect. For winter storage I flake but during the 5 months of sailing I just thrown it in the bag. My spi is from 2003 and the first two causes for spi degrading are respectively; being blown-out (1 to 2 years), damage from the retrieval line.

I'm still using this spi despite its sticking spi tape retrieval line damage repairs. But you can feel it is really blown-out and have been for some time.

I have yet to see any damage from not-flaking and wouldn't even know what kind of damage that can cause.

Wouter

Everything I was going to say about leaving a spinnaker out has been said. The sailcloth degrades from UV rays, obv the coatings help but not that much. The constant moisture will also degrade the sail.
I'd agree with Ding that leaving a spinnaker (or any sail) outside would decrease it's life by about 50%

My prefered method of storage is in the snuffer bag so it is not stuffed into a small bag. I do however either take the retrieval line out or make sure there is no tension against the sail.
Flaking is better than stuffing it into a small bag but i'd prefer rolling or keeping it fairly loosely stuffed in a bag.