The Dog wrote:
Yakaholic,
One more question... When you transport your rig, are you cinching a tie down around the rig where the window is? That would definitely lead to creases and early failure.
Good thinking, but no. The sail is in the bag and cinched pretty high up on the sail and also below the collar.
The failures on the panel, nor any of the window for that matter, are nowhere near the cinch points.
70% of my sailing is from a boat ramp 2 blocks from me and the cinching is minimal and loose most of the time. Freeway travel it is cinched tighter of course but again not on the window.
Sail is never left lashed on the truck overnight but always taken off and stored. Even when on vacation the sail comes down and onto the porch or into the hotel room.
I have been very cognizant from day 1 that a brittle plastic panel might be an issue. Always rolled, never folded, never stored in sun, heat, cold, or rain.
Sail treated like a real baby - except when I sail - then I want it to kick azz.
I bet if I abused or really pushed the sail, I wouldn't have gotten 2 years out of it. Like some that post here of venturing out in 30mph wind and blasting waves are what I'm talking about - thats not how I use the boat.