The mainsail is a North in mast furling sail and the final part of the clew/sail that is exposed when the sail has been furled is decidedly grubby. As is the self tacking North jib - especially along the foot of the sail. Both are made in North's FCL material. I had the jib laundered last year - but I don't think it made a massive difference.

My question is simple: has anyone found an effective sail cleaning product that can be used to "spot clean"? (I've attempted to upload photos but have failed to achieve this)

Many thanks

Richard

I just had both my main sail and selftacking jib in the bath tub 😊.

Happy with the result

Got a tip from North Sails supplier in Norway. He said 2-3% chlorine in water would do the trick. It's important to clean the sails really good with fresh water after 2-3 hours in the chlorine bath. 

You must have a very large bath tub!

Vinegar and spot cleaning is gonna be my way of cleaning next year. 

And hopefully I will get it done on a sunny 🌞 day before end of season. Outdoor and not in my tub. Which isn't big but just mange the size of my sails 😊.

Let's hope that 2021 will make a change to the corona situation to the better!

Ps; I have also heard of chlorine being a product that's needed to be used carefully. Therefore freshwater rinsing after is Moi importante.

Have a nice week 🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️🏄‍♂️

My experience is that you *CAN'T* easily clean a laminate sail.    While surface dirt can be cleaned, the mildew (or measles) that spot the sail are actually inside the layers.   Its one of the things that sailmakers have been lying about (opinion) for years.    While they speak of using biocide in the laminate as well as other techniques, spots still appear and make a 2 or 3 year old sail look 15 years old.

Maybe the Synthecol Quad works,  but its got to be an expensive treatment.    Even if its cleaned, they will come back.  

While my current Hanse has the Elvstrom EPEX sails,  a less expensive option used on my last boat was making the sails out of Hydranet.   ts the only woven cloth you can really make a high performing, radial cut, sail from. Those sails are now 12 years old and still going strong with the new owner.    Since its woven,  you just take a brush and soap to the sail and it comes clean quickly.  No mildew in the layers since there are no layers.  

FWIW

I spray with diluted "wet and forget" (Synthicol) from small hand pressure sprayer and have no issues with mold or algae inside the lamination at all, mostly always on outer surface.

Shape and performance benefits of laminated sails over the life of the sail win for me everytime.

We have successfully used Wet & Forget on the teak, alloy toe-rail, round the underneath of the hatches and the canvas on the sprayhood and cockpit tent, as well as on the drives and wooden fences at home.  

 

At best all I hope to do is hose off any salt accumulations. My FCL headsail has moldy batten pockets after only a few months. If it wasn't battened, I'd take the headsail off when I leave the boat

Moldy sails,  or "sails with measles" is a by product of laminated sails.    They *SAY* they put biocides in the layers/adhesive, but it still happens.    On my prior boat I went with hydranet sails.  This is a woven cloth that you can use for radial cut sails.    As its woven,  you do *NOT* get mold or measles.  Anything like that on the sail,  you just scrub it off.  Nothing is between the layers because there are none.  

On our 575, we went with Elvstrom molded EPEX/HPM sails.    While laminated, there is something about the technology that seems to have prevented the mold/mildew problem (now in our 4th season).   I was offered the FCL sails when we built the boat.    I had heard bad things about them and decided to upgrade.