Sail Servicing and Winterising

We recommend sails and covers are serviced annually, and winter is the time to do it. The boat is out of use, the loft has capacity, and anything we find can be put right before the season starts.
Servicing is not a glance over. Each item is spread flat on the loft floor and inspected on hands and knees, checking every panel, every seam and every stitch.
What we check
  • Every row of stitching, including edging tapes and seams
  • Chafe on the luff rope under all luff slides on mainsails and mizzens, and under hanks on headsails
  • Batten pockets for chafe and wear, and whether the fixing method is secure enough that battens cannot escape
  • All areas likely to contact rigging, stanchions and guardrails
  • Webbing attachment loops and straps, and their stitching
  • Delamination in laminated sails
  • On covers: all zips, fastenings and fittings, and windows for splits or tears

We can provide a written report on what we have found, what we recommend, and what can be left alone for another season.

UV strips

A roller reefing headsail left uncovered will deteriorate quickly, even in the UK, and can eventually rot away. Furling headsails need either a genoa sock, removal when not in use, or UV strips on the leech and foot.

We typically fit Odyssey, a lightweight UV stable polyester. It gives most boats four to six years of protection in UK conditions, less in high UV, and has minimal effect on sail shape. It is the industry standard.

For Mediterranean or Caribbean use, we recommend either Sunbrella acrylic, which lasts longer in high UV but has more effect on shape, or WeatherMax, which is light and soft with excellent UV resistance and minimal effect on shape.

Tenara thread

Standard sewing thread eventually degrades under salt crystals and UV. Tenara is unaffected by UV, salt water, acid rain, industrial pollutants and cleaning agents, and carries a fifteen year guarantee.

If you want a cover to last, particularly in high UV, upgrade the stitching to Tenara. We can also upgrade stitching on existing covers during a service.

Storage

Sails and covers should be stored clean, dry and neatly folded or rolled, somewhere warm and dry, ready for next season. Most garages are not that.

Storage is free after any service, winterising or wash work, provided the invoice is settled within fourteen days. There is no time limit on it. Items are held at the owner’s risk under our terms of business, so keep your contact details with us up to date.

Booking in

Drop to the loft or use our collection service. Winter slots fill from October, and the last of them go quickly. 

Put your kit to bed properly this winter