Furling Genoa UV Protection Decision

[Johnacuda]

I'm going to be ordering a replacement 150% RF Genoa for my this week. Checking out my UV protection options, I see that I have a 4oz. UV Dacron option and a 8oz. Acrylic Sunbrella type option. This is going to be protecting 6oz Challenge fabric.

The site says that the 4oz. Dacron lasts about as long as the stitching that holds it on, and makes the Genoa a bit easier to fly in light winds. My old Genoa was the original Doyle 150 RF with the foot and leech covered with a Sunbrella fabric, and I did notice the weght in exremely light winds. I'm in fresh water on the Hudson River in Upstate, NY. I keep the in a slip from May through early November.

Has anyone who opted for the 4.0z Dacron protection, had exceptionally good or bad experiences that they would like to share? Anyone noticed a difference with either catching on the lifelines, shrouds, or mast cleats while tacking?

[Russ]

If it were me, I'd go for the sunbrella. That stuff is great.

[Spector]

I opted to go with the BWY genoa cover instead and hoist it up at the end of the day.

[Matt19020]

I had the Genoa sock...
Bad Points:
It is a pain in the A$$ after a long hot day when you just want to close the hatch and head home
You cant motor with sock on it flaps like a flag which can wear on your forestay
There is a good amount of time the Genoa will be furled while on the boat and every second that cover is not on your sail will be exposed
I am just speaking from experience...I got 5 seasons out of my jib and last season it just fell apart...
I purchased a new jib from Judy B and had the cover sewn in. Looking forward to not spending the extra couple minutes putting a sock on it....Just my opinion

[Johnacuda]

That makes sense Matt, I do end up sometimes when I have one of those "take your boat to work" days, (37 miles, losing the sock would be a pain. Has anyone had experience with the lighter uv Dacron covers?

[dlandersson]

Ditto.

I opted to go with the BWY genoa cover instead and hoist it up at the end of the day.

[cptron]

Ditto.

I opted to go with the BWY genoa cover instead and hoist it up at the end of the day.

Same here. Mine has lasted for 3 seasons and is till going. They messed up and sent two so when the first blows out I have a replacement.
I stop the flapping by wrapping the halyard that raises the sock aroung the furled genoa and cleat it off.

[Russ]

Bought our boat from BWY and it had the sock. Hated every minute I stood on the deck trying to hoist that monster up. I finally paid $200 to have a sunbrella cover sewn in. Just in time as the zipper on the sock ripped.

At the end of the day the last thing I want to do is hoist a sock up the sail. Also the wind blows it like mad shaking everything if you don't tie it off.

Dacron is basically sailcloth and will deteriorate very fast in the sun. Sunbrella is an amazing fabric and will last for years in the sun without fading at all. I don't own disposable sails and expect them to last a long time. So my vote is sunbrella cover sewn in.

--Russ

[rszobel]

i tend to disagree in my instance. I sail in lighter wind a lot and have a sunbrella sock on my genny. It takes all of 2 minutes to attach and hoist the sock when i get back to port and i don't have the added weight on the sail which can be an issue in lighter wind. I also like the fact that i can simply store the genny sheets right alongside the sail inside of the sock and keep protected while away from the boat. my 2 cents for what its worth.

---- rob

[Catigale]

John - from a fellow upstater - get the sock which you can use on subsequent sails. Our sails are so cheap that you are better off putting the money into something re-usable

In our latitude and weather, Ive gotten >5 seasons on a stock genny with no UV protection whatsoever without holing or losing stitching. I replaced when I caught the genny on the spreader and tore it open (weakened at that point, obviously)

[EZ]

I have had the dacron on my jib for about 6 yrs now and it has held up well. My boat is always stored outside with the mast up, but hasn't seen much time sailing in the last couple of years. I have only been able to take stray monkey out about twice a year since my wife and I had a couple of kids (a 3yr old and a 3 month old).

So really the Dacron has had only about 3 yrs of regular use sailing, and about 6 yrs year round outside storage (in Northern CA). The sail seems to perform as well in light air as it did without the Dacron.

[Azzarac]

My Genoa probably has 1 or 2 more seasons left in it so I have already been talking to Judy B. I like the sock I'm using now but I am going to add the Dacron to the new sail. Then if I am out for the weekend sailing, I can furl and not worry about UV damage. For the longer times in between sails I will sock it. Best of both worlds!

Fair Winds,
Cpt. Azzarac
Chameleon
Follow Chameleon's travels at: http://svchameleon.weebly.com/

[yukonbob]

Finally got rid of the stupid sock this year and will only ever use it again for trailering to keep road dirt off the sewn in sunbrella cover. I finally got rid of it cause it did wear a hole in the jib just from being in the marina with wind. It flaps and wrapping the halyards around it helps but even if you tie them off as high as you can reach it'll flap up higher. Love the sewn in and looks way better. IMO send judy a PM, she'll tell you the truth and won't sell you something you won't be happy with.

[Terry]

I have heard several naysayers of the sock express their dismay with it, one fellow was quite hillarious with expressing how much he hated it. I have one, it works well enough I guess, nothing to write home about though. I can remove it on my own but it takes both me and my wife to put it back on efficiently. It may only take us an extra 5 minutes to do but it is still an extra task. I had to replace the zipper cars because the salt air corroded them, now one of the second cars is corroding and falling apart and will need replacing, lucky I got a few extras. They are sized in American Standard sizes so forget about a Canadian metric replacement, it does not fit, you must order a replacement from USA. The sock does flap in the wind alot and it does present an extra task to do but I have it rigged to be easily done. Would I buy a second sock? No! A sumbrella fabric strip is likely a better solution even though I do use the sock on both headsails at half the cost. I will say the sock looks nice up there along with the blue mainsail cover and blue dodger and blue hull.

[dlandersson]

I must be doing something wrong. I have the UV sock (upgrade) from BWY, and I put it up and take it down by myself with no problems. The laces snug down nicely to prevent flapping. OTOH, this is my first season with it, so perhaps the "fun factor" will wear off.

I can remove it on my own but it takes both me and my wife to put it back on efficiently.