Perhaps no other question could reveal me as the true newbie that I am. It involves the proper folding of my sails. When taking down the mainsail for storage in a zippered sailbag, what is the best and easiest way to go about it? Do I leave the boom attached and roll the sail around the boom? Do I do this with the boom attached to the mast and standing on the tramp. Or, do I fold the sail accordian style (like it was shipped) with or without the boom attached.

Also, with my roller furling jib, can I leave the jib in the snorkel when I step the mast and then simply fold the works (snorkel and sail) in half and put in in the bag with the mailsail?

Any suggestions are appreciated. I found that trying to pack that mainsail was pretty tricky. I hope to find a better way.


Thanks

Dave

Not sure about others, but I prefer taking the boom off. I'd take it off before dropping the sail in light winds, but consider leaving it on in strong winds..helps to pull the sail in neatly
With the boat pointing nicely upwind, it drops the sail onto the tramp. It's nice to have the crew sort of loop it in a s shape while coming down, releasing the batten tension at the same time. Then roll, stating from the top keeping the battens parrallel and taking out any wrinkles in the sail at the sides. I take the top of the sail lap it onto the second batten, then roll from there, so the top is tucked in..not sure if this is good practise. But a neatly rolled dry sail is good for storage I think With the boom seperate...

I fold it over to about the 3rd batten down then roll from there. Makes a nice tight package. I used to keep the 21SC jib furled and rolled on the tramp. That should be ok.

Matt,

Do you leave the boom on the sail and on the mast when you do this? Also, with my furled jib, is folding the furled package in half to put it in the sailbag a bad idea?


Dave

My boom stays attached to the sail... I do not see any benefit from taking it off. Removing the sail from the boom would make more sense with a sail that is not fully battened or if you would take the battens out. On my mono hull I could fold the sails very compact.
I prefer folding over rolling. My folding technique requires two people. With the sail lying down, starting at the boom, one person positioned at the luff one at the leach, both people simultaneously reach for about 40 cm of sail, fold it over, repeat...
Patrick

If it is really wet, I would take the boom off. Sometimes rivets will rust. Blocks and metal against the sails can chafe the sail cloth too. I would avoid folding at all costs.

I can roll the whole thing easily by myself.

Thanks Matt,Patrick and Clint,

That is the info I am looking for. However, I am going to assume that you remove the boom from the mast luff-track prior to taking down and rolling up the main.

Also, I see little alternative to folding my furled jib in half prior to transport. If I coil it on the tramp, I will end up creasing the jib in more spots (especially when securing it to the tramp) than if I simply fold the jib and snorkel in half and store it with the main. I don`t want to fold the jib at all, but when it is furled (rolled) it is too long to do anything else with...unless I am missing something...?


Dave

This is what I do:

I live on a freshwater lake, and keep my H-16 on a standing H-shaped dock. I use quick disconnecting clips to attach the sheet blocks to the boom. I unclip the boom from the blocks and leave the sheet and blocks sit on the tramp all season. I loosen the downhaul and remove the boom from the mast. I lower the main sail, leaving the boom attached to the main. I do NOT release the tension on the battons. (I've never heard a credible story of leaving tension on battons ever hurting sails.) Starting fron the top of the main, I roll up the sail, keeping the battons straight with the rolling. When you run out of sail to roll, it is now tight against the boom, and is easy to carry. I easily carry the sail and boom to my dry basement, where it lies on an old chair with arms that function as a rack for my two sets of sails. --It's a piece of cake.

I would love to be able to just roll up the sails with the boom and store it in such a manner, but I sail offshore most of the time. The salt water that gets on everything surely has a role to play in how you store your sails. If the sails are still damp, then it makes sense to take off the boom to avoid corrosion. Porbably also aids in the drying in some way. With regards to the batten tension, I've heard it stretches the pocket over time..which allthough I have not seen I must admit, but it does make logical sense. I suppose it depends on the age of your sail and how you want to look after them. But, more to the point, when sailing in different conditions, would you not want to adjust your batten tension to the apprpreaite shape. I'm pretty new to sailing, but it's fun trying to tune the boat on each day. So Dave, if you're interested in a bit of tuning, I would think that adjustments of the sail are part of it..Maybe others will have a stronger oppinion on this. But if you are going to be adjusting the tension all the time, you may as well release the tension after sailing..only takes 10 seconds..I do have a query for other offshore salty sailors...how often do you go through the washing of your sails to get any salt of them? It is not possible to wash our sails off at my beach club..so its a big job back home which takes time..any thoughts on this?

Hi all...

I spend two weeks at the beach in N. Carolina, and I store my sails each night in a sail bag with the boom attached. I just let the main drop down unto the bag, both main & jib are stored sort of 'accordion style'. I do leave 'em up until they are dry. If they get unusually wet from heavy ocean spray or large waves, I drag a hose down to the beach to rinse them off, then let dry & store. I leave the battens under tension until I go home.
When I get home, I set up the boat again, and give the sails and everything else a thorough rinsing with a hose, cleaning items as needed. I stand on my deck to get the top of the main sail.
I sometimes go lake sailing, but sails getting wet has rarely been a problem on lakes--instead it is getting the oily residue (from all the motorboats) off the hulls and rudders.
Between sailing events, I store the main (off the boom) & jib accordion style in their bag, along with the boom, tiller, tramp, etc. in a canvas sling that hangs from the joists in my basement.
My Hobie is almost 30 years old with the original sails, and except for a few rust spots and occasional small tears (1/4" or less--repaired with clear sail tape), the sails are in good condition.

Mark
1976 H16 sail #19857

More good info ... many thanks to all.


Dave

Being a recreational sailor on a freshwater lake does have its advantages. I don't have to have the "ideal" shape to my sail to enjoy a good wind. But if you are tinkering with your tention, I assume you would want to have more than one set of battons, or at least using battons with taper.--Too much monkey business for me! Just hand me another beer, please.

And with fresh water, when it comes time to clean the boat, you use the lake water to wash and rinse the boat. Dirty sail??? Just dump the boat over, then right it to dry.

Life is easy here.(But the winters are...well...life always evens out in the end.)