A headsail wears out at its edges. This page covers the construction that slows that down — UV protection, chafe protection and edge finishing — and what goes on the surface for the crew to read.
UV protection as construction
The material choice is covered in Furling Features. What matters here is how it is built, because that decides whether it lasts.
Which side. Determined by the furler’s direction of roll, not chosen. The strip has to finish on the outside.
How far it extends. Along the leech and around onto the foot, far enough to cover everything that ends up exposed. What ends up exposed depends on the sail’s shape and how it is normally left furled, so the coverage is designed rather than applied to a standard length.
The thread. Thread degrades in ultraviolet faster than cloth does, and a UV strip is by definition the most exposed stitching on the boat. The thread and the stitch arrangement used along a UV strip are therefore not the same as elsewhere on the sail. This is the single most common failure on an otherwise sound furling headsail — the strip has not failed, its stitching has, and the strip is peeling.
The bulk. The strip is a doubled layer along the two edges that end up outermost in the roll, which means its thickness accumulates. Heavier UV material makes a fatter roll and a stiffer leech.
Replaceability. The strip is expected to be replaced during the sail’s life. How it is attached determines whether that is a straightforward job or a rebuild of the leech.
Chafe patches are supplied loose
The sail is delivered with a set of self-adhesive taffeta patches — the quantity and size the sail calls for — fitted by the owner rather than in the loft.
Where a headsail contacts the rig depends on the spreaders, the guardrails, what is on the foredeck and how the sail sets, and none of it can be derived from the sail’s dimensions. Hoist the sail, find where it touches, record the positions and stick the patches on. On a headsail the contact happens on every tack as well as when eased, so wear is faster than on a mainsail.
Patches go on in pairs, one per side.
The evidence for where they go is the sail being replaced: photograph the wear, and describe when it happens. “Only on port tack” or “at anchor when it rolls” identifies a cause that the mark alone does not.
Edge finishing and lines
A headsail’s edges take a disproportionate share of its wear and carry its adjustment.
The leech line controls the flutter that would otherwise destroy the leech tape and its stitching over a season. On a headsail the practical questions are whether the adjusting end can be reached — it is a long way forward if it is not near the clew — and whether the tail is secured so it cannot flog or wrap.
The foot line does the same along the foot.
Tapes along luff, leech and foot carry the lines, spread edge load and take abrasion. Their construction follows the cloth and the sail’s size.
On a furling sail all of this has to roll up, which constrains how much can be built into an edge.
Markings
Sail numbers and insignia, where carried, on both sides with the country code above the number and the two faces offset in height. On a headsail there is a constraint the mainsail has not got: anything placed on or near the UV strip will be permanently in the sun.
Draft stripes at the heights where shape matters. More useful on a headsail than a mainsail, because a headsail’s shape changes as it is rolled and a stripe makes it visible when the sail has gone deep.
Reef marks show where the sail has been rolled to — see Reefing and Reef Marks.
Telltales near the luff are standard. A telltale window lets the leeward telltales be read from the windward side, and is worth asking for on any sail that is actively trimmed.
Artwork is checked in proof against how it will look flying, and against where it ends up in the roll.
None of these carries load, which is why they are listed separately from hardware.
Configuring this at SurgeSails
UV Cover with its side, material and colour; Spreader Patches and Stanchion Patches; Sail Number with colour and size; Draft Stripes with colours; Telltale Window; Sail Label; and logo placement.
Spreader Patches and Stanchion Patches set how many pairs come with the sail, not where they go — they arrive self-adhesive and you fit them on the boat. UV coverage and how the strip is stitched are set from the sail and its exposure.