MacGregorSailors.com

HI guys,

I have the 26m, furlng jib, and I was wondering if anyone felt it important to get a cover for that jib, a strip up the leech and foot that covers it when furled.

HOw long will jib last if it's furled but in the sun?

how long before it really matters?

Better to just wait and buy anotehr jib when the time comes? Or get a cover sewn on...

When I got my boat I thought there was a bit of bad stitching on the luff of my jib but realized when I had a play with everything that the luff was pretty much falling apart. I had a UV strip sewn on and its been all good.

My boat was about 2 years old when I got it and had been left on a mooring for a bit over a year of that. Oddly enough it does have a sail cover for the jib, so not sure why the Jib luff was so damaged.

If its left in the sun, I would be taking the jib off after each sail until you get both,,, a UV strip and a Jib sock...

UV rays are really damaging to Dacron sailcloth and stitching.

I can't answer how long it will take for damage to occur, but I would cover it somehow. Either have one sewn in or use a sock style cover.
I had a sock and didn't like hoisting it up each weekend, so I had a cover sewn in for about $200.

--Russ

I have the sock now...however I am planning a new jib for next season and I plan just to use the sewn in Sunbrella fabric... I have never seen anyone using both...based on 5+ seasons of the sock it is a pain in the A$$ ....I have also seen it flog back and forth in heavy wind and fatigue the swaging at the cable ends .... My experience would just use protection that was sewn in...that's what the majority of the boats do...look at your marina and see how many socks are flying ....Read some post about forestays failing...they do not need any premature wear ...Trust me you do not want the mast to come down for any reason ...I speak from expierience

Stock roller furling jib. 24 months on, always exposed to UV in San Diego, no cover, no issues as yet.

Well I dont know if anyone else has both a UV strip and the sock, but my jibs luff still fell apart in my hands after being covered with the black sunbrella sock And as I sit here looking out the window at it sitting in 102 degrees and extreme UV, I'm worrying if the UV strip and sock are enough

I have a sunbrella strip on my jib made locally in Paynesville and no sock. It has been up for 18 months now and exposed 24/7. Not quite as bright or hot as Queensland but UV is quite high. Hhave not seen any deterioration in the sail at all.

BB

Mac26Mpaul wrote:When I got my boat I thought there was a bit of bad stitching on the luff of my jib but realized when I had a play with everything that the luff was pretty much falling apart. I had a UV strip sewn on and its been all good....................

Hi Paul,
Did you mean the luff was fallig apart or the leech? Is the jib mentioned above the same one you are referring to below?

Mac26Mpaul wrote:Well I dont know if anyone else has both a UV strip and the sock, but my jibs luff still fell apart in my hands after being covered with the black sunbrella sock And as I sit here looking out the window at it sitting in 102 degrees and extreme UV, I'm worrying if the UV strip and sock are enough

Was your UV strip Dacron or Sunbrella?

My standard jib has no UV cover and is looking a bit sick. The 150 genoa has a Sunbrella UV strip on the leech and the foot but it is so far virtually unused, so I am not sure how good the UV strip will be. I have been told that Sunbrella is preferred to Dacron in tropical climates, although the Sunbrella material is of course a bit heavy.

When I bought my boat close to 10 years ago, the furled genoa had been left out in the Florida sun for a couple years and I almost wondered if it was salvagable. But I put a sunbrella UV strip on it and it has lasted close to another 10 years now. But, it also adds a lot of weight and now the head strap is almost shot and needs replacing. Also, the stiching on the UV cover needs to be redone. I also have a crispy stock jib that I have only used a few times but it has no cover. So, I'm contemplating buying a sock for that instead of sewing on a cover. Problem is that I currently only have one halyard and I also use the mast raising system so I'm thinking I'll have to add a jib halyard back (I took the jib halyard off when I put on a spinnaker halyard instead). I think either solution seems to work pretty well from what I've read but I'm getting ready to try both. And if I lilke the sock, then the next genoa I buy won't have the sewn in cover and that will make it lighter and sail better in lighter winds too I expect.

Our boat came with the sacrificial sunbrella on the furling Genoa installed by the PO. After 11 years we replaced it and the Genoa is still in very good shape. A sock adds a little more work for almost the same amount of money. We bought a sailrite sewing machine and made the new headsail cover, bimini and sail pack. So the old anemic gray has been replaced with bright Persian Green.
Maybe with a jib you can have the sacrificial sumbrella and the sock, but keep in mind that the jib with sumbrella has a much larger circumference so not sure if it would fit in a regular headsail sock.
I have heard that one season in the sun is enougth to destroy a sail.

I asked Mike about that when I went to the factory to pick up the boat and he said it was pointless to try and protect the furling genoa because it's all streached out and no good after 4 or 5 years anyways.

He told me to save my money for a new sail and motor maintenence in 5 years. My Genny is still in the bag - I still need to thread the needle, so to speak. Anyone have good advice on what pitfalls lie before me? Go ahead and pipe up otherwise we might all get a good story about my foibles trying to thread the furling genoa for the first time.

Still no name for "boat" yet.

mastreb wrote:Stock roller furling jib. 24 months on, always exposed to UV in San Diego, no cover, no issues as yet.

Are you sure there is no UV cover? Some are white and look like sailcloth.

BOAT wrote:I asked Mike about that when I went to the factory to pick up the boat and he said it was pointless to try and protect the furling genoa because it's all streached out and no good after 4 or 5 years anyways.

He told me to save my money for a new sail and motor maintenence in 5 years.

No offense to Mike, but that is the stupidest advice I've ever heard. What if you don't sail your boat like he does in 40mph winds and want to protect your investment.
I bought a genoa from Judy B sails and it's a quality sail, but I still want to protect my standard Doyle jib. If Mike feels the Doyle jenny will stretch out, then buy the boat without a headsail and buy an aftermarket quality one from the beginning and protect it with a cover.


--Russ

I have a UV cover sewn onto the furled jib. I also use a sock, but only during the off season. After 2 years the jib is still in great condition.

RussMT wrote:

mastreb wrote:Stock roller furling jib. 24 months on, always exposed to UV in San Diego, no cover, no issues as yet.

Are you sure there is no UV cover? Some are white and look like sailcloth.

Quite certain.