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Dirty Headsail

3K views 13 replies 13 participants last post by  sanctuarysam 
#1 ·
Have some dirt and mildew on a roller headsail. (Don't furl in rain shower and wait weeks to go sailing again). Just looking for some suggestions for cleaning products? Standard Dacron cruising sail on Hunter 40.5.

Thanks in advanced to anyone that can help.

PS sails just fine... but she needs to look pretty while out on the dance floor.:D
 
#2 ·
I would just send it in to sail care and let them handle it.
Nothing you try yourself is going to do as good of a job as they can do.
 
#5 ·
sailcare does do a great job of making older sails look and preform like newer sails. But in dealing with them, I've found it is best to mind your wallet.
 
#6 ·
If it's mildew, it's progressive and you should treat it. If it's a stain (such as from rust) it has less effect on the cloth than would any efforts to remove it. I'm inclined to leave stains on, and just sail with an "experienced" sail. Sometimes the chemicals used to "fix" it are worse for the dacron (or kevlar, or whatever) than the original stain was.

As a kid, I regularly got beat by a boat with a "rhorschact blot" paint stain on the main which didn't seem to slow those guys down much.

If it's strictly aesthetics, I'd say leave it alone. If it's progressive moisture-based deterioration, then treat it.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Seems like a lot of money to me. I took mine off and scrubbed it myself. Took about an hour, looks great. I used dish soap because thats all I had handy. Probably could have gone with something a little stronger. Of course I didn't do all the fancy stuff they do.
 
#8 ·
don't think they're dacron, cleaned my hobie cat sails last spring with a scoop of OXI-clean in a clean garbage can. let 'em soak for a few days then layed them on a big tarp in the drive way and scrubbed with a soft brush, rinsed with a hose and back in the bucket with more OXI-clean. several days and another rinse later raised them on the boat to dry. made 'em look pretty again.
 
#9 ·
To be or not to be...

Sailcare will do more than just wash & rinse, they will inspect everything, of course at a price.

For what its worth, the sail loft I have worked with will not send sails to SailCare, he feels the detergents they use are to harsh. Of course I don't know who he sends them too instead :eek:
 
#11 ·
Sailcare is great if the sails are a bit older, and may have some stitiching that is need of some repair and such. If the sails are in good condition and only need to be cleaned, I wouldn't bother sending them to sailcare, as that would be like using a sledge hammer to kill a fly. :) That said, sailcare does do a lot more than just clean sails for the money... and that is why I think they're great for older sails in need of TLC.
 
#13 ·
Sailpilot,

Did the oxi-clean work? Did it hurt the sails?

thanks
Todd H
Thibodaux, Louisiana
 
#14 ·
i used sailcare and was more than satisfied

not only did they do an amazing job making my 18 y/o sails look and feel like new, but were pleasant to work with..i even got a follow-up letter from the president thanking me for my biz.
i have long been a believer of proactive maintenance, and although my sails were not in terrible shape, they needed a 'once-over' from someone trained to find potential trouble spots. i opted out of a few services, however all in all i think it was a bargain to get 2 near new sails (130 jib and main) for 900 bucks.
then again, i waited until they were less busy, back in nov/dec to send them in, and as a result got at least 10% knocked off.
so..would i send sails in again?..in a heartbeat.
 
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