Tattered UV Strip on Furling Jib

[Muscongus]

We had a bit of a storm here and my jib ended up unfurling and the UV strip on it is now tattered and needs to be replaced.

I hauled the boat out today and had the opportunity to go take a good look at the jib.

My awesome wife has a collection of sewing machines with a couple that can sew some serious materials. She says she is certain she can sew a new strip on the sail, but, we've no idea what type of thread to use or if that UV Strip is standard sail cloth or something else.

If anyone has experience with this, please let me know.

Thanks,

Dan

[engele]

I am not a sailmaker, but I believe it is standard to make the sail over with V92 or V69 UV polyester thread. Tenera thread is better. Standard sun tells is usually used, but occasionally UV treated Dacron is used. In the case of the Dacron you can use the stuff that is self adhesive and stitch the edges. Sail rite sells kits and also has info on how to do this.

[mikepmtl]

Good idea. My sailmaker quoted around $700 for a new sun strip. I told him a brand jib was about $1600. I think I'll wait a bit and get a new jib. Good luck with the sewing.

[sailorchic34]

V92 UV thread minimum for the sacrificial cloth. Tenera is the best but $$$. It will last longer then the cloth though.

Sail makers supply on line as well as sailrite have supplies

Me I used just the UV insignia cloth with the adhesive backing, no stitching. Its good for about 2 years of protection. Three years on now and the insignia cloth is still sticking well

Now the Insignia cloth will loose the UV protection after two years or so. Sunbrella is good for 5-10 years. but its heavy and tends to inhibit the sail in lighter winds.

What I did after 2 years was paint the insignia strip with a exterior latex enamel. I did that this spring and so far the paint is holding up well.

Oh I did the paint as I do many things as an experiment. For $12 a quart of what ever color your want and a 6" roller or two, well for the moment its holding up well. Least wise that's what this $500 a month cruiser does...

BTW paint is what the experimental aircraft folks who build planes with dacron covered wings use to protect the fabric.

[Muscongus]

Thanks everyone! I'll check on the kits and on the thread/ UV cloth and make a decision.

The paint's been holding up good? Sounds scary on the surface, but, if the guys with planes are using it, must be pretty good. Seems there would be issues with the fabric moving on a sail. I would think it would be more than on a plane, but could be wrong - sailor not an aviator dontchaknow.

[sailorchic34]

True, the sail has a lot more movement then an airplane wing. Its more an experiment to see if paint works. I know it protects from UV. But durability is unknown.

Its held up pretty well so far with ~500 miles on it. Part of it is the sails may flog or luft now and then, but the angles of the fabric moving are not sharp bends. Plus furling and unfurling so far is not an issue. Give me another year an I'll see how it does long term. But so far, so good. And that's in winds up to 30 knots or so..

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Muscongus

We had a bit of a storm here and my jib ended up unfurling and the UV strip on it is now tattered and needs to be replaced.

I hauled the boat out today and had the opportunity to go take a good look at the jib.

My awesome wife has a collection of sewing machines with a couple that can sew some serious materials. She says she is certain she can sew a new strip on the sail, but, we've no idea what type of thread to use or if that UV Strip is standard sail cloth or something else.

If anyone has experience with this, please let me know.

Thanks,

Dan

Just curious; was the original strip Sunbrella or something more like sailcloth? There seems to have been a fad of sailmakers and their buyers going to light covers so that the sail will theoreticaly sail better in light airs and look more "racy." The only problem is the strip blows off because the material can't handle UV, whereas a Sunbrella strip will generally last the life of the sail.

It may not matter to you, not now, since any replacement cover material will likely last as long as the sail. But it matters on new sails for cruisers. I have had both and there is a HUGE difference (about $700 at year 7-10). Off course, the $700 generally includes some other minor repairs (some new webbing and stitching) which are generally needed and have value.

[bstreep]

You can get the supplies and a video from Sailrite.com:

Installing A Sacrificial Sail Cover Made With Sunbrella Online Streaming Video

[zeehag]

whereas in usa this repair is 750 dollars, us, here in mexico, when my 3 clew hardware tabs were unstitching selves and i came into la cruz with a sail having granny bloomers as sacrificial, and my hippie fringe had turned into homeless fringe, i had the local north sails rep in la cruz de hauanacaxtle, nayarit, mexico, repair mine- cost me 350 usd, and is all good.
sunbrella, itself, can last 20 years, used to be waranteed for same, as i recall.....but stitching only lasts 5-10 yrs at most, unless gore tex thread is used.

only thing i was nervous about was potentially losing the clew hardware while underway--it was close, but it was alll gooood....we purrty , now...

[Muscongus]

I am not sure if the uv strip is Sunbrella or not - I have owned this boat for about a month and it came with it.

It is a different material than the sail, & seems to be about the same weight cloth. Didn't hold up to all that flapping, though. In it's defense, that storm also removed the no-skid (roofing material?) stuff off a ramp to a nearby dock. Pretty windy.

The edges of the sail do seem a bit heavy, but, not alarmingly so. She sails great.

My other boat doesn't have furling gear and there's no UV strip. This is my first experience with one & I'd like to keep the strip on this sail. I am planning to sail this new boat for a few more years before sizing up again.

I'm going to check out the links you guys have given and try to make an educated decision. I think that the best course is to get a good material for it and some good thread and take my wife out for a nice dinner.