who to replace UV damaged dacron on a furling genoa

[theller]

My boat's head sail is in rough shape. 140% genoa on a westsail 42. Sun cover should have been replaced a long time ago. The last few feet of the sail (on the leech) are brittle and crinkly.

Has anyone ever trimmed a genoa down to remove old damaged Dacron under similar circumstances?

[Orion Jim]

Time for a new or used sail. Recutting a sail to a smaller sail and adding a clew and head patch would be cost prohibitive. The result would likely be the remainder of the sail disintegrating.

[SVHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

Time for a new or used sail. Recutting a sail to a smaller sail and adding a clew and head patch would be cost prohibitive. The result would likely be the remainder of the sail disintegrating.

^^^^^^^^ Like he said ^^^^^^^^

You can't just cut a few feet off the leech and still have the proper 3 dimensional sail shape.

In addition to the damage you see, the whole sail likely needs to be restitched, another expensive addition to a lost cause.

[Jim Cate]

The analogy of changing the oil with a connecting rod sticking out the side of an engine comes to mind.

Really, it's hard to justify the expense of altering any sail with extensive UV damage, and the chances of a good shape resulting are slim. If budget is really tight, used sails in better condition are pretty cheap, so start researching the on line catalogs of the sail merchants. There are big inventories of sails languishing about, just waiting to be fit on your boat!

Jim

[zjames]

There are plenty of companies that do sail restoration. It is allot cheaper than a new sail and you will get a few more years out of an old sail. It is still an old sail nonetheless but looks new and feels new. I don't know of any on the west coast of the USA. There is one in PA that has a great reputation. Google time... Blessings

[jooa]

Well I'm going to respectfully disagree with the above comments as I did that exact repair on my genoa this winter. I removed the rotten UV strip, redrafted the leech and cut away about 4" along the entire length. There are a few things one must consider first; how far into the sail do you need to cut to remove rotten material because this amount needs to be removed from the entire length of the sail, what is the condition of the remaining sail material, do you have room to lay out the entire sail so you can redraw the leech curves, part of the head and clew reinforcement patches will be cut away as will be the attachment hardware, this will all have to be rebuilt.


I performed this leechectomy myself, but I am fortunate to have a large enough work area to layout the sail, and a Sailrite sewing machine to do the work. It took me about 20 hrs to complete the job. The work is not difficult but does require a modicum of sewing skill, some materials, and tools. Cost to me was under $200.00 for materials/tools. My boat is 27'.



I would call your local sailmaker to see what they charge. You will end up with a slightly smaller sail but that's not usually a problem and you will gain a few extra years out of your sail.


Sailrite has a video on how to replace the UV strip. I also relied heavily on "The Sailmakers's Apprentice" by Emiliano Marino to layout the new leech curve and replace the hardware. This book is a wealth of knowledge if you ever want to know more about sailmaking and repair.

[Cal Sailor Fred]

theller,
Seattle has lots of qualified sailmakers. I had a headsail cut down and new cover installed by Ballard Sails a couple of years ago. Get a couple of estimates. No reputable company will sell you new work of a worn out sail.

[freelandken]

Sail Care is the company mentioned in Pa. They replaced the UV on my Genoa. Second time I’ve used them over the years.
Ken

[Jim Cate]

Well I'm going to respectfully disagree with the above comments as I did that exact repair on my genoa this winter. I removed the rotten UV strip, redrafted the leech and cut away about 4" along the entire length.

Did you note that the OP mentioned several FEET of rotten cloth? This will be the minimum that must be trimmed from both leech and foot, and does not consider that the cloth beyond the several feet may well be compromised, to say nothing of the overall stitching. Further, when one cuts that much from the sail, new corner patches at all three corners will need to be constructed.

If his initial description is at all accurate, trying to refurbish this sail will be a waste of money and time, and at best will result in a much smaller sail with far less than optimum shape and poor life expectancy. And I was not left with the impression that he had a loft floor nor a useful sewing machine to do the work himself, so the cost will be significant.

Not a winner IMO, and not closely related to the repair that you did on your sail.

Jim

[theller]

Everyone's pretty quick to throw the baby out with the bath water here.

The sails got a 34' foot @ 140% for the boat. Its actually a little hard to manage and for light winds up here I think I'd rather have a bigger lighter sail to hank on a second head stay.

This sail probably furls to 6+" of diameter, so a few feet of degrade cloth is going to be essentially one layer of below the sun cover. Circ = Pi*D.

Thanks Jooa for the book recommendation. i did buy a Pfaff 130 for canvas work and potentially this. Stitching inside of the rotten area is in relatively good shape, but I may just go ahead and throw thread in it. Relatively easy to do, compared to the trim.

Why the foot would require a heavy trim?
I suspect it would be more cost effective to have a sail maker do the grommets rather than buying the grommet kit?

[theller]

Realizing why everyone loves sailrite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOQtbmhdKgg

[Pete7]

I wonder if there is another option. How about having it cut down to make a smaller jib and find another second hand genoa.

Normally now would be a terrible time of year to have anything done with sails as sailmakers should be rushed off their feet. However, with C19 and no one able to access their boats, sailmakers might be grateful of the work.

If its on a furler you will need a tape adding so that the swivel remains at the top or you risk a halyard rap. Our second jib is set up like this with a tape at the top of the mast about 1.5m in length. Its 90% and we don't fly it very often but its small and light enough that if the 140% genoa is damaged I have a second sail on board. If you are only going to use it occasionally it doesn't need a sun strip which cuts down the cost. You just need to decide if its going in place of the genoa on the furler or as well as, in which case conversion to hank on may be easier.

Anyway, just a thought and dependent on you finding another suitable genoa.

Pete

[Jim Cate]

Why the foot would require a heavy trim?

The foot is protected by the sacrificial strip just as the leech is. Thus, if the leech area is damaged a few feet inwards, the foot will likely be as well.

You seem determined to do the cutdown, so good luck with it. Do let us know how it comes out.

Jim

[SVHarmonie]

Originally Posted by theller

Realizing why everyone loves sailrite

Maybe you don't see the difference between trimming a few INCHES to correct a bad leech shape, and cutting FEET of rotten cloth off...

Just like a lot of posters can't see the difference between renewing the sun cover and drastically cutting down a sail.

But you have decided, apparently before you even asked the question, so have fun with it.

Just for fun, do ask a local sailmaker if he'd fix your sail...