MacGregorSailors.com

kurz wrote:Hello
I need a new genoa, the stock one just falls apart.

I want to order the better one with UV strips.
Here the answer from bwy::
The black UV cover is a canvas material, and the white one is made of Dacron, the same material as the sail. I recommend the white one because it is lighter. Yes, both of them are just a strip of material to keep the sail protected from the sun when it's rolled up.
BUT: Will the white dacron material also just break away in yearslong sunlight? Or is the dacron strap designet to get a sock over it?
I love to just roll the genoa in without another sock, leaving the boat all the year in the water.

Thanks!

The sailmakers use a white dacron-backedthat they call "UV dacron". It's dacron cloth that has been coated with an extremely thin coating of rubbery UV resistant polymer. It'll last 5-15 years in the sun, depending on your latitiude. about as long as the thread that good lofts use to stitch the covers (Coats Dabond polyester) The stuff sailmakers use for UV edge covers weighs about 4-5 oz.

In northern temperate zones, UV dacron can last as long as 10-12 years, . In tropical climes, it might last only 4-7 years.

The black UV cover is probably acrylic, like sunbrella. Acrylic cloth is warranteed for either 5 or 10 years, depending on the manuafacturer. In practice, it lasts decades, even in the tropics.
Sunbrella weighs about 9 oz per sailmaker's yard. Other brands. such as Sauleda, weigh in at about 8 oz per sailmakers' yard. Acrylic breathes, so it doesn't promote mildew. However, you should clean and treat it every year with a water and stain repellant like Protectant 303, because it loses its water repellancy.

Another alternative is WeatherMax80, which weighs a little less than Sunbrella, at about 6 oz per sailmakers yard. it has the advantage of being lighter than Sunbrella, but doesn't last quite as long. It breathes so it doesn't promote mildew. It's got a very long lasting coating acrylic coating with other weird stuff added that makes it very water and UV resistant. It comes with a 5 year warranty, and in practice, it lasts a lot longer than UV dacron but not quite as long as acrlylic.

Sunbrella has a tendency to stretch and can get a bit puckered over the years. Weathermax is more dimensionally stable.

IMO, sunbrella is the hands-down winner if you live in the topics or subtropics where UV is the worst enemy of sails (along with flogging). If not, WeatherMax is a good alternative.

You pays your money and you takes your chances...... the sun is relentless

Fair winds,
Judy B

dlandersson wrote:I looked in to this. If you already HAVE a sail (brand-new, cents on the dollar) paying to add the UV stripe was not cost -effective. If you are looking to buy a sail, then getting a UV stripe can be a smart move.

Judy B wrote:They cost less than socks. Really.

It cost me $200 to add a UV stripe to my stock jib. I'm very cheap, so to get me to fork over $200 I must have been motivated.

The estimates to add a UV stripe to my 150+% Genoa were $400+

RussMT wrote:

dlandersson wrote:I looked in to this. If you already HAVE a sail (brand-new, cents on the dollar) paying to add the UV stripe was not cost -effective. If you are looking to buy a sail, then getting a UV stripe can be a smart move.

Judy B wrote:They cost less than socks. Really.

It cost me $200 to add a UV stripe to my stock jib. I'm very cheap, so to get me to fork over $200 I must have been motivated.

dlandersson wrote:The estimates to add a UV stripe to my 150+% Genoa were $400+

Mine was the 100% jib, so probably less.
From
http://www.redskysails.com/