I used to always wash the formula gear at the yacht club but never bother to wash the slalom stuff and it appears to last just as long. Is salt a preservative?
Hi, T11,
Allegedly, as the salt water evaporates, the left-behind salt crystals can abrade the batten stitching, leading to failure of the batten seams. I always fresh-water wash and dry my sails after use, but very few others that I sail with take this trouble to look after their gear.
There's plenty of opinions on the rec.windsurfing and Boards (UK) forums, for and against washing.
Regards,
WindmanV
I wash mine because it has to go inside my car ( & I don't want it to turn into a rustbucket like my 1st van did).
Reading the manufacturers recommendations they say to wash the salt off occasionally.I find that because I wash mine everytime & then have to hang it to dry that I get more damage to the clear "window' from creases hanging it up.I'd prefer not to hang it but the car would cost more to replace than a sail!
i wash in it in the ocean when i go sailing. shouldn't wash gear every time you go sailing, the chemicals in fresh water kills stiching and material faster then anything..
I used to work for a company that made lycra rash shirts and stuff, the expected life span of any product being used in a fresh water pool was 3 months.
The levels of chemicals in tape water are obviously alot lower but none the less are still present.. plus they throw in a few more..
Maybe you could wash them in natural spring water..
Yes, salt is a preservative. Didn't they have salted beef in days gone by to preserve it? I think it preserves things by making it a difficult environment for other things to grow in.
As for sails, the salt prevents the sails getting mildew. The way to prevent salt crystals forming is to sail regularly!
I don't ever wash my sails unless they are covered in sand, and I haven't noticed any clouding or wear caused by this. Even when they are covered in sand I prefer to rinse them in the ocean just because I am too lazy to do it when I get home.
I have compared my sail abuse to others that do rinse theirs and I can't say I have noticed any differences.
I wash my sails with bottled water after ever sail. Get the mt. franklin at the supermarket on special.
srsly.
when sailing on the sunshine coast i always make sure i wash my gear. they have taps and plenty of water which they won't share, so i take advantage of it. [}:)] it's their environment and not mine.
when sailing everywhere else in SEQ i don't wash my gear cause we have no water and the council took away all of the taps. 
No. Unless, gear is covered in sand or leaves or other crap - IF I can't brush this off by hand
At one spot I sail, the amount of water that is used washing clean gear is mind boggling... I can wait several mintues simply to get a drink from the tap! So much water goes on the ground here that there is a constant puddle and the grass doesn't grow!
I look after things.
I hose my gear at the beach, then I hang it out to dry when I get home.
Everything gets washed and dried after every sail.
Most of my gear is 15 years old but still looks like new.
The 2 most damaging things to sails are UV light, and the sail film being creased/crushed. The more you roll sails up and unroll them the more you expose them to the 2 most damaging things. Ideally if there is a hose at the de-rigging area, you would hose your sails down before you derig them? Have never washed my sails, and they last as long or longer than anyone elses.
what a waste of time
just roll them up and drop in the a bag
nature will do the rest
I've never washed a sail in my life and they last just fine.
I think this sail washing thing is a leftover from the old canvas sails of a million years ago. If you didn't wash and dry them then the next season they would be a nice shade of black from all the mildew on them and be half rotten.
That doesn't happen with the new materials so instead of wasting time with the washing, stay out another 15 minutes, and when you come in, roll them up still dripping wet and chuck them in the back on an old towel or two maybe to catch the drips. 
This will make you feel much happier unless you have a washing O.C.D. 
{edit} I should have added however, this does not apply to kites and ALL kites need at least a 1 hour wash and gentle rub down afterwards to maintain them in a flyable condition. Make sure that this routine is rigorously maintained. Also a 90 minute rubdown and line inspection prior to each use is also recommended. {/edit}
"Does anyone wash their gear?"
yep, try to 2-3 times a week, otherwise it gets a bit cheezy
cleaning? does dropping a sail into its bag classify as cleaning? if yes, then yes I do clean by gear.
the funniest thing is watching guys with watering cans cleaning their sails, whilst they are cleaning, im half way home heading for a fresh cup of Dilmah.
best recipe for long lasting sails is never take them out of the bag to begin with.
actually nebs that was my portable shower! 1.5 litres was enough for a shower with my hybrid water bottle/shower!
I wash my race sails because I figure they will go faster with out a layer of salt crust and sea weed on them.
I like to wash my masts so they don't get jammed together and I wash my wetties so they don't smell like piss.
If you keep sails in a vehicle where they move about, I would wash them. I didn't bother washing sails for a while and the film became scratched up pretty quick compared to washed sails due to the dried salt and a bit of sand.
