Sailbag material--what to use

[esarratt]

Lin & Larry Pardey in the Self Sufficient Cruiser talk about using PVC coated Dacron (or plastic coated Dacron) as their on deck sailbags. This is for their two foresails.

I am unable to locate a material with this name.

What is it called nowadays?

[JPA Cate]

Ymmv, but for on deck stowage, I prefer Sunbrella, in dark colors. You can sometimes find coated UV resistant fabrics (they are not inexpensive), but generally speaking, the coating comes off and sheds after a while. The Sunbrella gives you the UV protection you need.

Make sure you cover the zippers with flaps. Even the YKK #10s eventually quit working after UV exposure, unless you keep them covered. Got about 15 years on the last ones, before we bought this boat.

You can also make the bottom part of the sailbag out of pvc mesh (like the shade material "Breezeway"), so the water drains out freely. A little thought goes a long way to getting what will work for you in your particular situation.

As to your specific question, talk to someone who makes sailbags, dodgers, sail covers, etc., if someone here can't find the name of it for you.

Ann

[beetle]

There are PVC-coated polyester fabrics used for outdoor things (patio covers, etc.). As stated above, I would go with a Sunbrella fabric for the cover (same fabric is normally used for the mainsail cover) with a draining mesh along the bottom of the bag - I use Phifertex mesh for the cockpit sheet bags, lets the lines dry.