Does anybody tell me how to correctly fold the pentex sail for shipping. I've recently bought a new main sail but the reputable sailmaker missed some details and did not finish my main sail so now I am forced to ship my main back to him to do these fixes. I am kind of worried to damage the sail's material during this shipping mess.
Thanks for all the replies
Ruslan

I'd flake it just like you'd do a spinnaker, or even better would be to roll it and put it into a tube.

Definately roll a pentex sail. It's more expensive to ship that way, but do it!
If you ever recieve a folded pentex main or jib from a sailmaker, send it back and demand a new one. The same for stiff 'racing' dacron. The only cloth I would fold/flake is soft cruising cloth and spis.

I agree with Rolf. I wouldn't be at all happy with a folded Pentex sail. I ALWAYS roll these sails. Look after it and it'll last a long time, abuse it by folding it and it'll let you down VERY quickly (and with no warning).

I hate a folded mylar sail! I did receive a new one this one at one time and it was just folded plain and simple....gave me cold chills.

One thing I would suggest its roll it a different way each time you use it. That way it will last longer and not break down as easy. That is what i do.

Doug

Guys,
I totally agree with you about rolling a Pentex sail. But with whom do you ship a 1'dia by 8'-9'lg package??? I do not think that UPS, FED Ex or DHL accept packages of those diamensions. Every time I have had Pentex shipped to me from reputable sailmakers they have flaked and folded them. (the sail makers will remain nameless but are very very well known to us cat sailors). Do you use a "general freight" trucking firm????

If you rolled it loose and only folded it once you would probably be OK. That is what I do with my 190 sq ft reacher when putting it in the car to go sailing, which should be larger that most mains. Would be around 4-5 foot that way and should go OK. Hope this helps?

Doug

After further consideration of my post, I have come to the best solution:
Just fold that sooon beeech up into as many little pieces as you can, being sure to crease the edge very sharply with a paint roller, and then wedge it into a little box and then ship it that way.
Or....
Just take the sail apart at all the seams and send it back...
Or...
Just cut it up into small squares and then send it back. They can do the changes to the little pieces and then you just duct tape it back together when it gets back to you-sure to be competitive!

Aww come'on guys...now it's getting harsh. You CAN fold up a mylar sail - most of us don't like it and I don't think it's healthy for it but the big boat guys do it frequently with genoas and the like. I can't imagine one folding method being better than another.

I ship sails everyday. Just find the biggest box you can. Flake fold the sails to fit the box and roll it loose from luff to leech. Be sure to be kind to the window.

DO NOT roll it first and fold it in half. It will do much more damage.

How does North ship 3DL's, how does UK ship Tape Drives, they flake fold.

What about the abuse of large headsails on racing boats, up and down, rolled in a ball every downwind leg.

Folding a mylar cat mainsail for shipping isn't going to shorten it's life.

The only fabric I won't fold is Dimension HTP+ (used in the Hobie 20 Jibs) Those need to be rolled, that fabric will tear if folded wrong.

Sorry to hear about your unfinished sail.

Chip Buck
www.whirlwindsails.com

I quess you can ship with UPS,FED EX, or DHL. I wonder which one will take the largest box??? Cost???

Chip

In my experience, creases in mylar and racing dacron dont come out again. It's bad both for shape and the sails usable life.

After having had clear mylar windsurfer sails rip where creased, I am _very_ careful with creases.

In my area, knowlegdeable monohullers roll their racing sails (tape-drives, carbon/mylar stringsails, paneled carbon etc). Or flake them very loosely into a full length bag.
When setting spis, genoas are just pulled down and lashed/bungeed to the lifelines for easy hoisting at the bottom mark, not rolled into a ball (the horror!). The same for sailshifts, old sail is lashed and put into the bag, or just lashed to the rails.

Not to be argumentative, but if I recieved a racing sail flaked and rolled like you described, I would return it as it would have lots of unwanted creases. Beachcat sails are so small that sending them rolled in a tube is a good option. If you are supplying battens at the same time you need the length anyway.

Also of note; UPS and FedEx will accept packages up to 108 inches in length - you can ship it rolled up. Using the UPS website, I just priced sending an 80" X 12" X 12" 30lb package about 400 miles and it's $32.77...that beats folding it! Besides, if it was the sailmaker's mistake, they should pay for shipping. Thanks, BTW, for not trashing the sailmaker publicly.

As far as packaging, you could go to an appliance store and get a used refridgerator box, then roll the sail in cardboard and tape it up!

Anyone shipping me a folded Pentex beach cat mainsail can totally forget about me and my friends as future customers. And I'll be looking to send the sail back and get a return on my money.

Once the creases are in they never come out and the flying shape is probably shot. Not something I expect when laying down 1500 bucks. I don't care what they do to large mono hull sails before shipping.

Wouter

Thanks to you all for your responses. I've flaked and folded my sail as loosely as possible today and shipped it in express mail today. Spend the rest of yesterday's night looking for biggest possible box. Somebody on this thread correctly noticed that not all the carriers take such an oversized packages... I've used USPS express mail simply because it is the nearest possible location to my home (UPS office is about 9-10 miles of driving ...in the morning commute !!) on top of that express service is not available for the oversized shipment... Foot of my sail is about 10' and as I found out today the maximum acceptable length is 130''... I just think about the price tag for the new sail and destroying it even before the actual use ... very cold chills indeed
Ruslan

For the future... I got a sail a few years ago from Hobie and it was missing the grommets in the batten pockets. Instead of shipping it back I brought it to a local sailmaker and sent hobie the bill. Probably a lot easier for the future.
-Todd

When I wanted to ship my main back to Calvert, I got some "sono tubes"(?) for pouring cement footings and made a tube to the max size allowed by UPS. It worked really well. Still have it in the garage just in case...Perhaps one of you would like to purchase my deluxe sail shipping box?!

That's exactly what I've done many times and then I shipped it on Greyhound. They're dependable and the most inexpensive carrier when you're looking for odd shaped packages to ship a long distance. The only hassle is picking it up on the other end of it's trip. The Dog station may be a hike from where your sailing venue is located.