 There's an opinion among yachtsmen, that synthetic sail do not rot and therefore does not need especially thorough care. However it is not true. Many reasons can considerably worsen synthetic sail quality and even lead them to uselessness.
Unlike ordinary canvas used before, synthetic fabric is a hard material and therefore is more subject to fraying out at mechanical influences. Sutures, in particular, are susceptibilities. The timely discovery of one or two stitches which frayed out will allow to prevent the rapid dismissal of the whole suture. Scotch tape can be a good temporary mean to fix the damaged area of the suture in such cases. Naturally, damage of the sail is possible foremost where it touches anything.
It's recommended to put every staysail one by one, to mark dangerous places on them and to strengthen these areas by sewing of bands. You need to examine carefully fastenings of staysails lower carbines.
In addition, it's necessary to put cross-pieces at the external ends and preventive revolved washers at upper layersnear posts, and at lanyard guy - polyethylene tubes. Check up absence of the torn salient strands at all of steel ropes - halyards, shrouds, layersand equipment elements. Replace imperfect ropes. Twist all of retaining pins round, sharp angles on a deck and mast bindings,which can hook and cut a sail. Don't forget pins at lanyards, which cover layers.
 Make round all of sharp edges on the all of details in the zone of cockpit and front triangle. Pay especial attention to bindings, slide-blocks and shoulder-straps for spinnaker-whoop.
Spinnaker's lower liek and corners, touching stay, wear most likely out. If the block of spinnaker-halyard has a swivel, the halyard corner of spinnaker will be fraying out.
Check the state of sails up at the beginning of every season.
This is the part of the article based on the materialfrom American annual "Sailboat Direktory". The author is a president of the Institute of sailing sport researches. Read more information How to Protect the Sail
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