Hydranet main sail - rinsing of cloth

[ATLAS]

Hi forum,
I'm about to purchase a boat with a severely neglected main sail.
It has not been used much, but has been stored in a Lazybag in Carribean climate.
It is rather affected by mold and green (algies, I suspect).

Question;
1) Is this sail able to be rinsed so it will become white again?
2) If so: How would you suggest doing it?
3) The sail is from 2011 with little use - would you think it is structually affected or damaged from the moist environment?

Thanks in advance

[TheOffice]

DO NOT USE BLEACH!
Use a dish soap and a soft brush. Hydranet is great stuff, but I would take it to a sailmaker to evaluate after you clean it.

[JPA Cate]

You need plain soap and water such as you wash your dishes with in the sink , and a big grassy area (the detergent won't hurt the grass). I'd wash it using a sponge mop, first, and then, if necessary, using a soft brush like a fingernail cleaning brush on the bad spots. Rinse in fresh water, tie the tack and the clew together and hoist it by the tack and clew to dry (should not be very windy when you do this). If you still have algae on it, try 6 drops of clove oil to 1 liter of water, and spray that on. It is reported to kill spores, is not t oo expensive (clove oil is used to dull the pain of children teething). I do not think mild bleach solution would damage it, and nor would the clove oil.

I think the sail will be fine. Our hydranet mainsail has over 10 years of heavy use, and is still in good condition, considering its use.

Ann

[Tupaia]

Performance multihulls eat sails and should be treated as consumables. Regardless of what they look like make sure they are still in shape and useable. Waste of time and effort cleaning a dead sail.

As for cleaning the previous suggestions are good. Mild bleach is also ok provided you rinse it really well. Stubborn black marks can sometimes be removed with melamine sponge (magic sponge).

Have fun with your new boat.

FWIW Star clippers paint their sails to help keep them looking white.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, ATLAS,

An afterthought: if your boom bag is Sunbrella or another acrylic fabric, it can be washed in a washing machine or a bath tub, on warm, not hot, and usually cleans up very well. Pre-treat grease-borne stains with waterless hand cleaner.

Ann

ON EDIT:

As to whether or not to wash it. It does LOOK kind of trashed in the picture--ours is still crisp. If the sail is soft like an old handkerchief, it just needs to be replaced. But if I were a sailmaker you took it to to check, I'd want to take it in as clean as you can make it, and let the sailmaker see that you take good care of your stuff, and that you respect his or her establishment enough to not drag in a filthy sail.

Ann

[malbert73]

If that cradle cover has been left unzipped the sail is ruined from UV.

[JPA Cate]

^^^^Could be. Hydranet is not as vulnerable as dacron, though.

Ann

[ATLAS]

Thank you all.
The sail have been left fully shaded, so form UV, it should be fine.
I will anticipate that cleaning is possible, and get the sail looking as good as possible, given age and circumstances.

[GordMay]

What Ann [& others] said.

Sailrite has a good sail & canvas cleaning tutorial.
➥ https://www.sailrite.com/PDF/Cleanin...d%20Canvas.pdf

To remove heavy/set mildew, some sailcloth manufacturers recommend a highly diluted solution of bleach [3-5% Sodium Hypochlorite, soft, brush, COPIOUSLY rinsing], on Dacron sails; but NOT on Kevlar, Nylon, nor laminated sails.