Really Simple Sails can provide as many sailbags as you wish. But generally we quote one for the sail with the longest head or foot and make allowance for the spar lengths. The sailbag does have enough volume for other sails.
This document goes through why we provide a quote for just one bag and why it can be better even for multiple sails.
Mainsail
We quote a price for a mainsail bag only. It is a long bag with a drawstring at one end and two webbing handles. This may be the only sailbag necessary.
It is the length required to roll the mainsail (usually around one of the spars) along with the attached spars and fit them all inside.
It is a long Nylon bag. It is not waterproofed so that the sail can dry rather than stew in its juices. Impermeable bags often keep a reservoir of water in the end and have to be turned inside out to dry properly.
Naturally, sails should all be dried properly out flat before storage. If you must hang them never hang with the leach (back edge) tight. If you want to stretch the sail out tension the luff only and don’t stretch really tight.
With lug or gaff sails the sails can be rolled around the yard after taking a fold so the yard or gaff is parallel to the boom. With gaff sails there may be a bit of an angle adjustment relative to the luff so the gaff jaws stay just outside the rolled sail and don’t distort the roll.
Headsails and Sailbags
When the mainsail is lug or gaff or have full battens the mainsail will be rolled. Often the roll of the main can be started then the jib rolled inside the main and around the spar and sail bundle.
It stops the sail from getting crushed. Racing sailors often use PVC tube to roll the headsail around or roll the jib inside the main as well.
If a jib is in a sailbag itself there is nothing to keep it flat and smooth unless you use a pvc tube. But starting to roll the main and then putting the jib inside works fairly well.
If you furl the jib on the forestay it normally gets laid out straight or loosely coiled down in the boat when travelling so a bag is irrelevant.
We can do a separate jib bag typically around 2/3 the price of the mainsail bag, but varies according to the boat.
Mizzens and sailbags
Four sided mizzens will be dropped and can be removed from the mast. They will roll as above and fit in the mainsail bag.
Triangular sail sailbags are problematic. If the sail is triangular and laced it results in a long mizzen mast length package which could be up to around 4 metres long on some boats.
That is a pretty long skinny bag for the mizzen and mast. We can do that, but as a custom bag it would be more expensive than the price of the stock mainsail bag sizes.
But there is a better method (for most) for travelling and storage. Detach the mizzen sheet from the sail. Roll the mizzen up to the mast by rolling up from the leach (back of sail). towards the mast.
When rolled put one or two sail ties around the sail and mizzen mast. Make sure they are within reach when the mast is upright so they can be removed after the mast is stepped next time you go sailing.
If and simply put the sail end into the main sail bag. The excess mizzen mast will stick out. But the sail will be protected.
Another advantage is that there is just one package to remove all sails from the boat – can be carried on one shoulder.
Furling triangular mizzens on the water.
This method allows the sheet to remain attached to the clew.
For a sprit boom setup – Detach the front end of the sprit boom parallel to the mast and pull it downwards so the leach is tight and parallel to the mast. This puts a vertical fold in the sail and then the fold can be grabbed, tensioned downward and rolled. then one or two sail ties can be put around the neat bundle.
For a goosenecked mizzen boom – the boom may be able to be unhooked and swivelled up so the boom is parallel to the mast. Then rolled up from the back corner of the fold created in the sail keeping tension down on the leach.
But this is a difficult method when it is windy or just stopping for a short time. It often means the sheet has to be detached.