sails in the pool

[delevi]

My mainsail is filthy, filthy dirty. It's borderline embarassing, especially since it's such a pretty sail which cost me a bundle. Two sail lofts told me that cleaning a sail professionally will reduce its life-span. I can't remember where I heard this, but I recall that a good way to clean a sail is to soak it in a swimming pool for a few hours. It just so happens that my parrents have a pool in their summer home in the Napa Valley. Is this a good idea? Will the clorine damage the sail? Any shrinking concerns? My sails are laminates, though the exterior is Tafetta, which is very light Dacron.

Leon

[bscott]

I would not chance it--give these guys a shout, www.sailcare.com

bscott

[beene]

Wouldn't the chlorine from the pool eat away at the sail?

G

[bastonjock]

what about dry cleaning? would that work.

[K9Kampers]

Leon-

Here's a link to a sail washing company in NH: Sailmaking Support Systems. I have no associations or experience with them.

[Highlander]

Oh My

Beene looks like your going sailing in the pool , Do you still think you''ll have to use the A/P in case its Foggy
could not resist sorry Leon !

J
PS Some guy named Roger dropped a mac off @ my place yesterday , this morning another guy dropped buy don't know his name but he asked is the mac for sale I said yes but cash only . So now I got lottsa cash for my Mods and lots of room in my driveway for another mac anyone else want to park here

J

[waternwaves]

So john........



Which one sold......??

and what kind of mac was dropped off??

[delevi]

Art,
The sails are Milar with Pentex grids sandwiched between two layers of Tafetta. Basically, it's like your R5000 but with two exterior layers of Tafetta. I don't believe it's mold. Black streaks, like you describe. Originally saw them around the creases where the sail is flaked as well as along the Dutchman lines. Now I have black splotches all over the place. Funny thing is, both my RF headsails are nice and clean. The Quantum jib has UV and on the furler now. The R5000 genny is used in the winter months and on trips to lakes and other places not SF Bay. It doesn't have UV, so I use a sock. It's nice and clean. Just the mainsail is filthy. Go figure.

PS. Both Quantum and Pineapple sails told me not to clean. "The wind doesn't see the dirt, only sail shape" yadda, yadda, yadda. This is true, and I certainly don't want to shorten the life-span of an expensive sail, but vain as I am, I don't like flying dirty rags. There must be a solution out there.

Leon

[Divecoz]

From the dumbest guy on the board:
Could You Gently wash them even with say, car wash soap or Woolite. Car wash soap is none acidic. Pull up 2 or 3 feet and gently wash with a soft deck brush both sides and rinse and then just continue hoisting till your complete? No power wash, no harsh chemicals, clean water rinse, sun light and a slight breeze drying the sail almost as fast as you hoist them up .
The pool ........ we dont use chlorine in our pool because..... its hard on wood, plastic, metal and every kind of cloth.....

[Russ]

Chlorine and sails...not good. Chlorine is a very strong chemical. It's used in pools to "burn" away bad stuff to keep it clear. Don't use this on an expensive sail.

What I always used was a mild soap and water.

[AWKIII]

Leon,

Do NOT use any form of cleaning or chemical agent on the sail.

These are laminates. The seams of the sail are not sewn, they are glued. The last thing you want to do is use an agent that will weaken or dissolve it.

I will pull the Mylar specifications file when I get to the office this morning. I will also call a friend of mine who works with the stuff daily. He may have a couple of tricks.

I do know that most of the sail cleaning outfits will not touch these sails with a ten foot pole. They are expensive, difficult to handle and the liability issue is great if the results are less than perfect. There is also the issue of voiding any warranty that may be in place.

Art

[J.Teixeira]

I use a really simple method.

I don't know if I will be able to explain this in English.

But...

I take the sails out of the boat and drive to a near bi fresh water lake that as a very clean water.

In the lake there is a small marina.

I take a sail to a finger and wash the finger with a brush before start.

Put the sail to the water.

Then move the sail the with of the finger at the time over the finger.

Every part of it pass a brush (not to hard) and drop the sail to the water on the other side of the finger.

Repeat the process with the other side of the sail

On the end i fold the sail over the finger

I don't use any chemicals.

All the best

Jose

[delevi]

Thanks everyone for all the ideas and to stay away from chlorine.

Art,
I appreciate any help you can offer. As I mentioned, I tried dish soap and water with a nylon dish scrubbie, working on the boom with water hose at the dock, hoisting and washing. Didn't help much. This grime is stubborn. Now there's a lot more. There is plenty of stitching on the sail BTW, as is the case with the R5000 as well. The glue holds the laminates together I believe, while the panels and reinforced areas are stitched. Anyhow, please pass along any useful info. My sales rep at Quantum suggested I use a spray-on drycleaning solution.

[tangentair]

MAS epoxy was demo-ing a biodegradable, nontoxic, cleaning solvent. They were making all sort of claims about how wonderful it is. And it supposed to be available through We$$$T Marine. They do make a good epoxy, expensive, but good, you might drop them a note or give them a call - the contact info is on the website.

[delevi]

Thanks Ron. Looks like a good way to go. Never thought epoxy would come in handy in cleaning the sails Won't stertch for sure Seriously, just glancing at the site, looks like the best choice so far. I'll have to drop into WM on Friday and pick up a bottle.