Crispy New Sail?

[swordds]

I just purchased a new Dacron mainsail. It has been about 6 years since I previously purchased a new sail and I don’t recall my previous new sail being nearly this stiff. Have I perhaps just forgotten? Do these things loosen up with age and use? It is like a cotton dress shirt with way too much starch (remember those?). As a 70 year old singlehanded handed sailor on a 50 year old cruising boat performance is not my only concern. This sail is just tough to handle! And as far as recommendations about taking it off and rolling it or flaking it at the end of a sail, forget that. It gets stuffed into its own belly and lashed to the boom with reefing nettles at the end of the day.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by swordds

I just purchased a new Dacron mainsail. It has been about 6 years since I previously purchased a new sail and I don’t recall my previous new sail being nearly this stiff. Have I perhaps just forgotten? Do these things loosen up with age and use? It is like a cotton dress shirt with way too much starch (remember those?). As a 70 year old singlehanded handed sailor on a 50 year old cruising boat performance is not my only concern. This sail is just tough to handle! And as far as recommendations about taking it off and rolling it or flaking it at the end of a sail, forget that. It gets stuffed into its own belly and lashed to the boom with reefing nettles at the end of the day.

Yup, completely normal mate. Even Sunbrella is surprisingly stiff too when new. From my point of view that is a big plus as it makes it easier to work with.

[psk125]

The stabilizers in the cloth will wear down. To speed it up you can let your sails luff while you motor into the wind.