by Capt. Flak » Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:53 am
I think you will find that most everyone has some kind of sail box to protect sails for transport, but most (should) be taking them out of the box and hanging them up in a safe place that is cool and dry.
My sail box holds my sails well when the box is standing up, so I simply open the box up to let air in and I store it in the corner of the room opened. This lets the sails hang nicely and lets air circulate around them.
If you sailed in the rain or high winds that would have gotten the sails wet, especially with pond water, you should wipe them down with a clean damp cloth before putting them away. Pond scum will dry hard on the material and make the sails stiff, not to mention the funky smell.
I know folks who make a hanging area in a room or garage with a bunch of hooks to hang the rigs from the mast crane.
Make sure you loosen all your pressure points on the sails when storing them. Ease off the vang and loosen the downhaul so you don't set any unwanted shape into the sails.
Joe Walter #24