Sails are a sailing yacht's engine, and they age like one. The survey reads the sails' general condition, remaining life and safety-related defects; detailed cloth assessment is the sailmaker's job.
What is checked
- Cloth
- Sun-weakened, stiff areas, tears and patches; how worn the cloth feels.
- Stitching
- Thread rotting along sun-exposed edges; the commonest defect.
- Chafe
- Wear where spreaders, shrouds and the boom touch.
- Corners
- Reinforcement and rings at head, clew and tack.
- Batten pockets and leech line
- Pocket ends and leech line adjustment.
- UV protection
- The sun strip on a furling genoa.
- Reefing
- Reef points, rings and reefing gear.
On sea trial
- Sails are hoisted and furled; the furling system and halyards are tried.
- Sail shape and stretch are watched in a breeze.
- A reef is put in to test the arrangement.
Its limit
Ashore in wind, sails may not be fully unrolled; they are then inspected furled and as far as they can be opened, and the report says so. The cloth's structural strength is confirmed by a sailmaker's assessment.
How sailcloth ages
Sailcloth ages with sun, salt and constant load. Where exposed to sun, cloth stiffens or softens and stitching weakens. An aged sail loses its shape: it bags in wind, the boat points less well and handling gets harder. On survey, the feel of the cloth, its colour and any thinning seen against the light are noted.
Stitching and reinforcement
A sail's most heavily loaded places are its corners: clew, tack and head. Reinforcements, rings and stitching there are examined closely. Thread exposed to sun often wears before the cloth itself; a broken seam repaired while small is a cheap job.
Furling systems
On furling headsails and in-mast or in-boom mains, smooth furling, bearings and line are checked. The UV strip protecting the exposed edge when furled should be renewed when worn, or the sail itself suffers.
Reefing and control lines
Reefing lines, blocks and clutches are tried; this is the gear needed first in bad weather. Being able to reef easily and safely is part of the boat's safety.
On the sea trial
Sails are set and furled, and their shape watched at different wind angles. Bagging, leech flutter and opening seams are easiest to see then.
Care
Rinsing sails in fresh water at the end of the season, drying before storage and having small repairs done at once extend their life markedly.
In the valuation
A new suit of sails is a large cost; the age and condition of the sail wardrobe therefore weigh in a sailing yacht's value, and the report states them clearly.
Sails folded wet and left in a closed locker start to mildew and stain. Removing them for winter and storing them dry and aired protects the cloth and stops a furled sail being flogged by winter gales. If a detailed sailmaker's inspection is needed, the report says so.
At the start of each season, every sail is set once and looked over: corners, seams, UV strip and battens. That short check is the cheapest way to catch in harbour a tear that would otherwise appear in bad weather at sea, and it lets repairs be done while the sailmaker is not yet busy with the season's rush.
A small repair in time delays a large replacement, and a well-kept wardrobe keeps the boat sailing as it was designed to.
Label each bag clearly.