Motorboat owners check and service their engines every year. They know all too well that their engines are the most expensive and most important part of the boat. Sailing boat owners also take care of their auxiliary engines, even though, their use is less frequent - but do they take the same care over their sails? Because, for a sailing boat, these are the main engine.

Basically there are two different types of sailcloth: woven and laminate. Old sail cloths were made of woven flax. In the 1800s, the switch was made to American cotton and later, to Egyptian cotton. In recent years, however, most woven sailcloth is made of Dacron, although other fibers such as Kevlar, Spectra and Pentex, are used occasionally for specialist functions. The chances are that your sails are Dacron.

Dacron has warp fibers (running from the upper left to the lower right) woven over and under the straight fill yarns. A top quality Dacron fabric will perform well for many years providing it is carefully looked after.

With most sails, care begins with putting them away properly after they’ve been used. This is pretty much all that’s required in terms of regular maintenance. Salt is the enemy. Salt crystals are both abrasive and corrosive, and they absorb water and this can foster the growth of mildew so before putting them away you’ll need to hose them down with fresh water and allow them to dry thoroughly.

Always roll a sail rather than folding it with heavy creases. Folding can damage the fibers that make up the cloth. Stowing sails properly also means bagging them or at least throwing them into the cabin to keep them out of  sunlight In addition you should examine your sails periodically to make sure that things like the hanks, battens, stitching, reinforcement patches, and attachment hardware aren’t worn or suffering from corrosion. A fault spotted early is always easier and cheaper to sort out. If you sail every weekend a detailed examination three or four times a year should be about right (with a really careful inspection at the end of every season). At that time, if you spot some repair that needs to be made, get the sails to the sail maker immediately. He’ll be able to schedule the work through the winter so that your sails are ready for the next season. If you leave it until spring you might find you’re in a long queue.