Top Reasons for Sail Damage

[unbusted67]

I am doing a little study on what the leading causes of sail damage are amongst cruisers. Anecdotal evidence only please not speculation.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Poor stowage practices. Both in terms of putting on covers to protect them from UV, or taking the time to store them belowdecks. And poor stowage in terms of protecting them from wind damage after they're put to bed. IE sloppy furls, loose sail covers, & leaving them topsides when moored/docked & stiff weather is enroute.

[Pete O Static]

1) Stack Packs. Because people are too lazy to zip them up and the sail bakes in the UV.

2) Flogging.

Admittedly, both are pet peeves of mine.

[StuM]

All of the above plus what Uncivilized says

"Damage" can range from a small patchable tear in a lightweight spinnaker to a shredded main. and is frequently the result of multiple factors.

[puffcard]

I was just thinking about this. Fastest way to damage sails.

A sudden fill or gybe. Blown a few chutes and a couple mains, doing this.
Putting a sail on deck and not having it tied on. Saw a BRAND new #2 go over the side of a Hinckley 59 during a race.
Using a sail above it's wind range. Pull the light #1 down before the squall comes.
Dragging a sail thru the water, then trying to pull it back onboard. We had a spin with hand marks all over it.
Not taking sails off the boats during hurricanes. It amazes me people leaving their jibs on during hurricaines.
Not securing the sails properly.
Flogging.
UVs damage. The only thing that makes a sail so weak you can put a finger thru it.
Chafe or getting caught on a sharp object.
Leach line chatter.
Over tensioning the sail luff. Be surprised how little tension a jib halyard needs.
Leaving the outhaul tight when main is lowered.
The ways the sails are stored. Fold or rolled better, than stuffed.
Putting sails up wet, dirty and salty.
Old age is just all these things added up.
If you had a 30 year old sail that never seen the light of day, it would be like new.

[Snowpetrel]

On a main any leech damage quickly weakens a sail, they often then shred from leech to luff.

Common causes of leech damage are flutter due to incorrect tension on the leechline. UV damage, folding damage, (the thicker leech sections dont fold as nicely), batten pocket damage from catching on lazyjacks. And chafe concentrated on the fold over the leech.

Best way to quickly asses the state of a sail is to look over the entire leech. If its in good nick chances are the sail will do Ok. To rebuild a sail cheaply check all the stiching, repair and add chafe patches over wear areas, then replace the leech, and add webbing to the cringles.

[donradcliffe]

UV damage.

[builder dan]

UV damage in New Zealand where our ozone is non existant can stuff a new sail in 2 years

[unbusted67]

The two times I've blown out sails it was due to

1 poor sail trip. I over trimmed the foot of the sail

2 flogging of a 115% genny in 30 knots of breeze as I tried to furl it in.

[Cheechako]

Chafe, definitely chafe. The threads give up eventually from abrasion.

[barnakiel]

I ticked off 'old age' but that's only as there is no separate UV damage box.

- Most of our sail damage has been UV.

-- We also had some limited damage where we got caught with too much sail up - mostly while easing under load / furling, etc.

--- One time a wave filled the main - no ties on the bunt. Tack reef point ripped out.

b.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Pete O Static

1) Stack Packs. Because people are too lazy to zip them up and the sail bakes in the UV.

2) Flogging.

Admittedly, both are pet peeves of mine.

I see those stack packs made to fit tightly and look great with no wrinkles. Of course they can only be zipped when the sail is perfectly folded inside the pack. Something that defeats their purpose. Build them with some room and they are easy to close -- and so will be. Won't look as pretty, but much more practical.

My poll answer is other: UV damage

[Jim Cate]

UV damage to the stitching makes it vulnerable to chafe damage. Lots of the sails I've seen with unzipped seams had really rotten thread, but cloth that still had integrity.

Jim

[zeehag]

sunshine
poor trim. flogging,
boom placement(topping lift)
ocd sail flaking.
chafing.
oh yeah stitching.
lotta times fail stitching or poorly effected stitching. that is how my goood genoa was destroyed by a selectively inept alleged sailmaker in banderas bay. thank gods ullman is coming into banderas so decent repairs may be effected!!!!!
there were 2 fails of my sails-- my mizzen boom was dropped by accident by novices, oops tearing my mizzen sail before we left sd,and the stitching placed by pvsails tore the sail material because it was done incorrectly. i have 2 mizzensails but only 1 genoa, which is the driving sail for my boat, in conjunction with the mizzen. my main is not significant, and a tad small.

other boats--flaking and sun

[Hudson Force]

I checked chafe and "other" for UV damage. I also tend to collect some dirt and grit if I'm at a marina near highway traffic or near an industrial area. These things can increase abrasion. I've also had a few occasions where "mud daubers" (wasp related mud nest builders) have built mud nests in the folds of my sails. Rinsing and cleaning helps, but it's a constant concern.