by Guest » Sun Jun 27, 1999 12:00 am
My mainsail came stored on the boom -- the guy from whom I bought the boat had a sail cover on the boom, and he just draped the sail back and forth over the boom as it came down, slapped the cover over it, and stashed the boom in the boat. I thought this was a remarkably bad idea -- it doesn't allow the sail to dry, and I also religiously rinse my sails and dry them before storing. I have the luxury of having several large oak trees in my yard, so I throw my anchor line over a branch about 20' up, tie it off to the head of the main, and haul it up -- this makes for easy rinsing and drying.
I'm also a "roller". Creases, especially over long periods of time, can become weak points in your sail because they permanently warp the polyester fibers at the point of the crease, which (as I understand it) inhibits stretching and weakens the fabric. I'm interested in Bonnie's "stuffing" method -- folks I know who camp and backpack do this for expensive down sleeping bags to avoid crumpling the down in the same place every time.
Greg Farley (farley-at-bio.fsu.edu)