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Wash and Wax
By Scott | August 16, 2009
I‘ve used my Prodigy 8.5 Comp sail a bunch this season and it was time for a wash and wax job. You might be saying what the heck is he talking about. Well for a long time I have used the Zip Wax Car Wash by Turtle Wax on my windsurf sails. The process is quick and it leaves a little shine on the monofilm. The trick in doing it easily and quickly lies in the tools and having a nice tree limb in the back yard. I use a extra heavy dose of wax liquid in the mixing pail.
The secret tool is the painters extension rod with a soft car washing brush on it. I can dip the brush in my pail and easily reach the top of the sail. I have the sail hanging from a limb and then another line staked out to steady it on the bottom. That let’s me put a nice bit of pressure with the brush against the sail for a bit of scrubbing action.
O
nce the first layer of dirt is off then I scrub on the soapy wax and let that soak a few minutes.
A little rinse with the hose and she is looking good. With a bit of protective wax on the monofilm it will stay cleaner after a dip in muddy Maumee Bay. I’ve no idea if Zip Wax helps with UV protection but it can’t hurt.
A great product to use once your sail is clean is 303 AeroSpace Protectant. It can do wonders for old looking monofilm and it’s UV protection can extend your sail’s life by years. 303 is not inexpensive, the 32oz bottle will cost you around $19. However a 32oz bottle will do my 8.5 sail 4 times. 
How I like to apply 303 protectant is to lay the sail on a tarp, spray half a panel, then using a small soft cloth I’ll rub it in a bit with a circular motion, then with an old T-shirt I wipe it clean. I’ll have a couple other old shirts standing by to put the knees on. Given the cost of new sails these days I believe it’s well worth the effort to protect monofilm any way you can.
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