How do you dry your sails

Amazing! Rats nest on my boat. Another reason to keep doing what I am doing and not the sails there. Thanks for the second round of posts with the alternate views. Sails beings as expensive as they are I also prefer to err on the safe side. More tedious but I hope its worth it in the end. Thanks for all your input.

I never have my sails rolled up wet for long and they are never - except for the old ones in summer - kept in the boat. If salty I rinse them out at home in the garden with the hose and dry them where I can

They dry out in the lounge, garden, garage, hallway - not popular with the landlubbers in the house though.

Originally posted by Iain C Main/jib-forget it, they'll never rot, mine just live in the boat. Kite-Fireball one gets hung up in the house somewhere for an hour...Cherub one does not!  But in fairness it's more about gently folding it and keeping it stored flat rather than being scrunched in a bag. Far more damage will occur from letting sails flog and UV degrade than them being wet...they are sails, they are designed to be wet!  Wash the salt off by all means but don't worry about drying them.  The days of opening a sail bag to find out your canvas has rotted, the stictching had gone and the cringles have rusted are long gone!

Wow! Sounds like I am worrying for nothing and perhaps causing more damage along the way. I was told mylar sails are prone to delamination if left in a hot place and situation may get worse if they are wet. I therefore diligently pack them and bring them home after every sailing day. Lots of work. I can roll them wet and leave them in a sail loft at my club which I suspect is a hot room but not as bad as my boats canvas under the sun. I take out the kite and stuff it into the bag. So this is bad and I should nicely fold it even when wet and keep like that. Is that allright? Are you sure the stitching will not rot?

Originally posted by Villan Vareo: Roll up main, put in bag. Uusally after re-hoisting and popping the battens a few time to shake off most of the water. Put upstairs in the nice warm sail loft. Spinaker - Leave in the boat. Quite often pull it forward out of the chute, so its not being pulled into such weird shapes, but its under the cover and wont go anywhere. Quite often the kite is left in the bag, sheets and halyard attached, week in / week out

So silicone based kites are ok with this? Where I live its almost constant 30 degrees celcius year round. Lots of rain but then lots of sun in between as well. My boat is partially shaded at the club and always covered with a canvas so the kite would stay under the canvas but I fear the combination of wet kite & heat could lead to moulding to occur. Under the kite sock already has a bit of this.

Thanks for all your thoughtful replies.

i hang my laser sail in the garage for as long as possible, after rinsing it at the club. on a good week (one where noone needs anything from the garage) my sail will still be there sat AM ready to be rolled up to go back to the club. whatever you do dont leave mylar sails (or any really) flogging. Especially the jib.

Edited by mike ellis

UK forum is probably the better place to ask this question with the long winters and obviously large number of sailors doing what they love throughout the year. Hats off with respect to you all. Hope the tail end of your summer is good with some more warm weather and sunny skies.

I sail in the tropics where it goes without a day when my sails don't come back ashore completely wet either due to the torrential downpours or simply due to a capsize on my part. I try to dry them asap to maintain their quality but often end up feeling guilty doing it under the sun letting the sails flog around a little.

What are the other methods used to fulfill this basic requirement to look after your mylar main/jib combo as well as your kite. Thank you very much for your responses.