sail storage

[pjust]

Typhoon Dolcetto is on her trailer and in the barn for the Winter, and I was about to stow away her sails. I have the bags her sails came in when I bought her, and at first I thought I'd just fold the sails and keep them in their bags until May. But it seemed to me that it might be better for the sails to drape them over the rafters in the barn where they would be dry, well-aired and unfolded. Is this good thinking?

[MikeD]

Hanging seems like a good idea. Mice and other critters love barns and folded sails in the winter time...

[David Morton]

I just returned from my sailmaker who examined a couple of sails I inherited from the PO of my CD31. We discovered a nice 4 inch hole with neatly nibbled edges in the middle of one genoa, along with a few telltale mouse turds! Jan says the mice love sail material as a source of nesting fiber. He also mentioned that detached garage storage seems to be the ideal setup for such an encounter. I don't know if laying the sails out over the rafters would make them more or less attractive to the little buggers, but maybe you should consider storing them someplace in the house proper. Mine go in my finished basement, in the bags, cleaned and folded at the sailmaker's loft.

David

[Jim Walsh]

Everyone has given you good advice. Don't store them anywhere a mouse can get at them. The same goes for the upholstery.

[Ken Cave]

Sorry you folks don't live in the northwest!!

Most of us just keep them on the boats all ready to go on a pleasant day

Just took my 154 genoa off to the sail maker, and after five years on the boat
he told me that it was in great shape!!

Now, we do get a little rain-but that doesn't stop us from enjoying the San Juans
and Gulf Islands.

Ken Cave
LaConner, WA

[JWSutcliffe]

Washed, dried, folded, stored on the boat. Highly unlikely a mouse will manage to get aboard. It's worked for me for years.

[pjust]

Sounds like my good idea wasn't such a good idea after all. Thanks, everyone!

[Paul D.]

I would clean, dry, fold and store in the boat with Bounce fabric dryer sheets layered around them and in the bag. Dryer sheets keep rodents and bats away. I think hanging the sails would offer more chances for something to poop on them or to get dusty and dirty.

[Ron M.]

I have seen what mice can do to sails in storage.
My preferred method after cleaning and folding is to bag them and store in a heavy plastic container with locking lid which gets tightly secured with tie downs.
After a mishap many years ago this has worked without incident.

[Skeep]

I could not sail a boat whose sails smelled like bounce. Just could not! A terrific idea but I'm just saying!

[Jim Walsh]

I agree with Skip, highly unlikely. Then again I've fallen asleep watching field mice scale the walls like miniature spidermen in northern Manitoba bear camps and northern Ontario moose camps. With a new suite of sails I'm just not willing to take an unnecessary risk. I've also heard those dryer sheets make excellent bedding material.

[David van den Burgh]

I live in a hundred-year-old home - with mice - and I also store a few sails. My most valuable sails are stored in plastic totes with a locking lid.

[Skeep]

David, with multiple classic boats, sails is probably the least of your worries!

[David van den Burgh]

David, with multiple classic boats, sails is probably the least of your worries!

One would think. Two seasons ago the original jib blew out. Here's the new one:


Then last summer the original staysail blew a seam, which I restitched, but there was no doubt it was past time for a new staysail, too, so I made a new one in late summer:

No images of that one flying…yet.

I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess. Too many interests, too little time.