Jib Misadventure

[Marv Irwin]

Greetings from Northern Ontario,

I'm having a blast with my new (old) boat and gaining confidence with each trip out. This past Saturday, my young bride (well...she's younger than me) was doing an admirable job on the jib, but the wind was gusty and unpredictable so the jib was left flapping in the breeze on a couple of occasions. When we docked, it was obvious that we had done some serious damage to the jib....at least two feet of tear along a seam. I spent that evening at the dining room table doing a "3M" repair and ordered a new jib ($265 + shipping) from D+R (based on the uniformly positive comments in this forum). The boat had been stored for many years and the cloth is way past its prime. We were out today and the ugly repair was serviceable. I will carry on until this puppy calves or the new sale arrives.
Here are my questions:
1. Is $265 enough or should I spend more? No racing...no big excitement....just two or three hour trips when the wind is favorable.
2. I know a bit about the basics of sail hygiene....never store wet....don't let it flop around like a beached trout. Would some of the "grey beards" out there be willing to share their sail wisdom with a beginner?

Regards,
Marv

[Bob Damon]

The two main makers for Day Sailer sails are North Sails and Jotz Sails. Both make excellent racing sails but are more expensive than the stock jib you will get from D&R so for day sailing that should be fine. Another option is to check out the price from our current builder, Cape Cod Shipbuilding. From a maintenance standpoint, you should either roll the sail or flake fold it after each use. Do not leave it exposed to the sun or in high heat for prolonged periods of time. Apart from that it is just common sense. Good Luck.