UV JIB COVER REPAIR

[Jim Brener]

I sail on the Chesapeake Bay and remove the sails for winter storage.  Late in the season in 2000 we purchased a new jib from North Sail with  a UV cover.  On removing the sail the other week, I noticed that the stitching holding the UV cover to the sail cloth had deteriorated badly in the middle third of jib leach.  The UV cover did not show any UV problems nor did the sail. I thought that this should be covered under North's warranty.

I took the sail to their shop in Annapolis and the report was that UV degradation of the thread was normal ware and tare and quite common after 3 to4 years. they said that they would charge $205.00 for this repair as well as fixing a few other minor problems.  The representative kept saying that this was normal in Florida. and I kept saying that the boat was not in Florida.  I do not normally hear of this type of problem.

Has anyone else experienced this problem and if so, how old was the sail and where is the boat located.  Any other comments will be appreciated.

[John Gardner]

Hi Jim,
I can't comment very knowledgeably on the expected endurance of the thread, but I must say, 3-4 years surprises me!  It's a wonder any of us have any sails hanging on our masts at all!

However, for the repair, you might want to consider using Tenara thread.  This is a Teflon thread that is highly resistant to UV degradation.

Best of luck

John

[Ted Pounds]

Jim,

I'd take the the sail to another loft and get a second opinion.  Any sail maker can work on your sails.  Also, I had a UV cover added to my 135 a few years back and the total cost was only $325.  So you might find a better deal.  I agree with John; 3 - 4 years seems awfully short.    I've never heard of this problem here in the Chicago area.

[Ron Hill]

Jim : I'd say that there's something wrong with the thread that North used.  Did you tell them that you take the sails off of the boat in the winter?  Was the UV protective strip sunbrilla or dacron?
I've got a head sail from 1995 that has no problem.  It's removed every fall and put on in the spring (just so it doesn't get dirty).  It has a sunbrilla UV strip.  
I think that North used inferior thread.  

[Stephen Butler]

We had our 9 year old, 150% uv cover replaced and the sail completely gone over and repaired last Christmas time in Ft. Lauderdale, at an excellent loft, for $320 total.  The boat has spent its life in San Diego and Florida waters, so has no shortage of uv exposure.  Suggest you find either another loft or speak with the owner there.