Taking care of brand new main sail

[Don Frisby]

Just recvd my brand new mainsail from Peak Sails, Inc for my Com-Pac 19/3. Now. seriously, how do I take care of it?
I have yet to sail with it and when I first hosted it up and then dropped it, I was totally befuddled as how to properly tie it to the boom and cover it. The material is so hard and unmanageable. I don't seem to be able to gather it. And when finally all tied, it looks like a mess. It's all bunched up with lumps here and there. I'm afraid if I store it on the boom down in the cabin-like I did before with my old, very old mainsail that blew out- I will eventually crease or actually ruin it.

Please advise. Thanks.
Dan Bika and the Sweet Pea II

[brackish]

You "flake" it.  Starting at the end of the boom and the bottom of the sail, you grab the leech about fifteen inches up or so and pull it back and drape it over the boom then move up the leech another section and do it again.  As you move forward you tie it off to the boom with ties of your choice about every two feet or so.  Mine are straps with quick snaps.  That is assuming you don't have lazy jacks or a StackPack which kind of do the job for you.  I'm sure there has to be a youtube on flaking the main somewhere.

And the most important part is making sure you cover it when not in use.  UV will really shorten the life of a dacron sail.

[Don Frisby]

Thank you Brackish for the reply. Very clear, and thanks for pointing me to YouTube. Lots of good demos there.

[deisher6]

Hey Dan @ Sweet Pea:
Congradulations on the new sail. 

When I was leaving the boat in a slip for a while I would ease the out haul, take slugs on the luff out of the mast, then flake the sail over the boom.  As Brackish said, "...keep it covered."

I wish that I could get approval from the Comptroller to get a new mainsail!

regards charlie

[Don Frisby]

Hey, Charlie: that's good advice too. I never did either of those "little" things with my old mainsail. But, they make good sense and I will assuredly follow both yours and Brackish's suggestions. Thanks.

Dan Bika and the "Sweet Pea II"