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Old 24-05-2016, 10:46   #1
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UV affects to sails.

How bad UV affects to sail?
I have Kevlar laminated genoa on furler.
I usually take it down but may have to leave on couple of weeks.
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Old 24-05-2016, 11:01   #2
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Re: UV affects to sails.

Laminated sails are the worst affected by UV.

Get a sunbrella sock or take it down


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Old 24-05-2016, 11:08   #3
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Re: UV affects to sails.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailmonkey View Post
Laminated sails are the worst affected by UV.

Get a sunbrella sock or take it down


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Thank you so much,
I thought so, too.
I could not take dow last time and gone so I start worrying about.
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Old 24-05-2016, 22:52   #4
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Re: UV affects to sails.

And a bit more advice: get the darkest sunbrella your first mate will allow. The darker it is, the more UV it blocks.

When we ordered new sails we went from beige to navy blue on the furling headsails' sun strips. We like that, too. (Our lazy bag is beige, but it has a liner inside that greatly increases the UV-blocking power.)
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Old 25-05-2016, 08:23   #5
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Re: UV affects to sails.

I'd give it one uncovered season to turn it
into confetti.
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Old 25-05-2016, 08:24   #6
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Re: UV affects to sails.

One season uncovered equals confetti.
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Old 25-05-2016, 10:23   #7
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Re: UV affects to sails.

UV resistance is why dacron/terylene is still so popular
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Old 25-05-2016, 10:41   #8
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Re: UV affects to sails.

While Dacron is quite UV resistant the thread or stiching not so much, that's where your failures will be when using Dacron sails. When I raced we never left a laminated sail furled, race over the sail was back in the bag.
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Old 25-05-2016, 11:48   #9
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Re: UV affects to sails.

I think the Real issue is about the adesive within the laminate.

Per se, Kevlar, carbon or other fibers are, I guess, not that prone to collapse.
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Old 25-05-2016, 12:38   #10
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Re: UV affects to sails.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheThunderbird View Post
I think the Real issue is about the adesive within the laminate.

Per se, Kevlar, carbon or other fibers are, I guess, not that prone to collapse.
Kevlar and all aramids are rapidly damaged by UV, the glues are actually pretty stable.

Dyneema/carbon sails are far more resistant to uv damage but at a major price penalty.
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Old 25-05-2016, 14:38   #11
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Re: UV affects to sails.

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Old 25-05-2016, 15:43   #12
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Re: UV affects to sails.

I should have pointed out that the reason Kevlar sails fail (3dl etc) generally is because the Kevlar threads start to suffer uv damage, which reduces their strength. They still look fine but more and more load is being carried by the laminates. Eventually the laminate films fail and delaminate. So while it's true that the films fail before the thread failure becomes obvious typically it is the slow erosion of the threads that causes the damage.

Dyneema/carbon because it isn't damaged by uv nearly as much as Kevlar holds its strength far longer (thou even entirely creep becomes a concern) so less load is shifted to the film (cuben) or the glue (3di). Eventually they will all fail, but the time line is much longer.
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Old 25-05-2016, 15:59   #13
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Re: UV affects to sails.

Kevlar hates UV and it hates being folded and flogged.

You can hoist a sock with a spin halyard. Make the sock tight (adjustable) and keep it tight otherwise it chafes the thread on the tapes.

b.
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Old 25-05-2016, 17:21   #14
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Re: UV affects to sails.

When I have used Kevlar it comes from the manufacturer wrapped in black polythene to keep the light out. It is a very light straw colour when unwrapped. If you leave it out in daylight it takes about three weeks to turn to a beige colour. This indicates that it has lost up to half its original tensile strength. After this it is reasonably stable.

As for laminates they have never really overcome the problem faced by a double column of soldiers marching round a corner. The inner column marks time while the outer has to take giant strides. When you apply this to fabric you stretch the outer fold or delaminate and cause a bubble on the inner. Plastic has a memory and thus every fold becomes a weak point.This is probably more of a problem than UV

Great for racers but its hard to go past dacron for long term cruising

My two bobs worth.
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Old 25-05-2016, 17:38   #15
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Re: UV affects to sails.

Most people in my marina (Dana Point) with laminate sails on furlers use the jib sleeve from ATN, it provides a little extra protection from unfurling in high winds also.
ATN Sailing Equipment | Genoa Sleeve
I'm REALLY happy with mine and I use for Dacron headsails also, I know it's a small thing but I've never liked the added weight of a Sunbrella sunband on a headsail.
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