Sail maintenance questions

[dougweibel]

I have a new to me Tartan 4100. The sails appear pretty lightly used but are still 12 years old. I've got three questions.

1. I plan to give both sails a gentle (bathtub) cleaning. What would be a good product (detergent) to use?
2. My genoa has an Insignia type sacraficial UV cover. How can I tell if it is worn out? There are no tears or holes.
3. My battens are pretty hard to handle, leaving little fiberglass splinters in my hand. Is a light sanding and a coat of water based polyurethane a good idea?

Thanks for your help!

[Scott Berg]

Nice boat; with 12 yr old sails I'd take them to a sail loft and let them perform all necessary maintenance... this is 'main propulsion' and sails deserve the best. A good loft will let you watch and learn but after 12 years you'll need some stitching redone and probably some UV covers replaced. Where are you? I may be able to recommend a good repair centered loft.

[dougweibel]

Hello Scott,

The sails and I are presently in Colorado, but the boat is in Annapolis. The sails and I will be back there next month

I understand the sentiment but with a new-to-me boat money is flowing through my fingers like water at the moment and I'd like to not spend money before necessary. I have inspected the sails and there is very little in need of repair. On the genoa, other than the question of the UV cover there is about one inch of the bottom of the fabric covering the bolt-rope that is worn. Otherwise there is not a single stitch loose. Deferring maintenance costs on the sails by even a year, if prudent, would be a good thing. I'm just looking for some info to help make that decision.

[Jim Cate]

The main issue for the sails is how much sun exposure they have received in those 12 years. On all too many yachts, the sails are seldom uncovered, and from your description, these may be such. If so, they should be good for some time to come. If you won't be going offshore soon, I'd just use them!

For the battens, I've used clear packing tape to cover up those nasty fibreglass splinters. Simply run a strip along the full length on each side, trim excess and you're good to go.

Jim