Hi All,
New to the forum, so I apologize if I diverge from any of the protocols.
So I was sailing (Severne Convert sail, 6 square meters) in no more than 20 knots and at some point I noticed a nasty rip near the clew of my sail (the site won't let newcomers attach pics).
I have this sail for about 1.5 years and I didn't rig it any different than I normally would for this level of wind - plenty of downhaul and a medium level of outhaul.
Is this common? Can it be due to the rigging I described? I'm led to believe that I rigged it properly.
Kind of disappointing for a supposedly high quality sail (that's only 1.5 years old!) from a reputable company.
I had a clew blow out on my 9.0 severne HGO just outside of the local reinforcement after around 100 sessions on that sail. I got it professionally repaired by a sail loft and they put in new fabric in that area. It sees a lot of tension there, and on that day I had a lot of downhaul and outhaul (and I constantly adjust the outhaul on the fly).
More disappointing is I had an awkward fall (my fault of course) on my 6.3 freek and blew out the lower panel near the mast. I've tried taping it up and it does not hold. Not sure if they'll be able to replace that panel or not.
They make high performance sails that are light, and durability does suffer. Not familiar with the convert but it looks like it's mostly monofilm with not as much reinforcement at the clew as I'm used to seeing?
Wow! Thanks for the detailed reply!
Yes, my rip at the clew is very similar to the one you showed (bummer about that other nasty rip!).
And yes, my sail has LOTS of monofilm. I guess it's all about trade-offs, just like the wing of an airplane (noticed your username, aeroegnr - I'm also an aero engineer originally, way back).
Oh well, I guess I'll try to repair it.
I think I'll go for a beefier sail on my next purchase.
Select to expand quotenuteman said..
Wow! Thanks for the detailed reply!
Yes, my rip at the clew is very similar to the one you showed (bummer about that other nasty rip!).
And yes, my sail has LOTS of monofilm. I guess it's all about trade-offs, just like the wing of an airplane (noticed your username, aeroegnr - I'm also an aero engineer originally, way back).
Oh well, I guess I'll try to repair it.
I think I'll go for a beefier sail on my next purchase.
You rig it on the correct mast?
The photo is visible on your profile. I'm not an expert but if this is the result of a manufacturing issue, I'm sure Severne would assist in resolving the matter.
Have you contacted the place of purchase yet? They can probably tell you if this is a sail issue or a sailor issue ;) Did you fall in the sail recently?
I'm a fan of X ply, it's not heavier and much more durable and never had any issues with my Severne sails (Blade and Gator). That said, I've also had a NCX with mono film which lasted very long and even sold it in good condition.
In case of doubt, Severne seems to tend towards "light" rather than "durable". That is certainly the case with the Freeks, which are made for freestyle, where weight really matters. I recently discarded some old sails, and many of those had reinforcements at the bottom edge that were extremely hard to cut through. A Freek I had was exactly the opposite - when a main panel expired from plenty of use, the top panels also started to go. With most other sails, replacing the main panel at this stage gives a lot more sessions on a sail, but the Freeks use thinner monofilm at the top to save weight. I think Severne calls this "gradient monofilm construction", and they are using it in the Converts, too. Other Severne freeride sails seem to have a more solid construction.
Might just be lighting but it looks very faded has it laid in the sun all day when not in use?
Also, mono will break very easily if it's creased
so squashing a rolled up sail can do it
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
Might just be lighting but it looks very faded has it laid in the sun all day when not in use?
Also, mono will break very easily if it's creased
so squashing a rolled up sail can do it
I was more careful with this sail (that I bought used from a racer) because I think the heat contributed to mast failures before. Still it might have some fading due to the FL sun, lots of sessions, and leaving it out for maybe 30min max while taking a break. I try to treat these rigs like the dainty sails they are but I'm not known to be easy on equipment 
.
^^^ not yours
I am talking about the OPs sail it looks faded (on his profile cos he can't post them yet)
Yeah good observation Mark, it looks extremely faded. If the colours in the photo are an accurate representation of the actual colour, I can only imagine how brittle that monofilm must have been.
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
^^^ not yours
I am talking about the OPs sail it looks faded (on his profile cos he can't post them yet)
Ohhh whoops I didn't see that. That definitely does look lighter.
Looks like others can share his photo:
Wow! What a great community! Thanks to all who replied. and thanks to whoever shared my pic (weird how you guys can see what the site wouldn't let me upload?).
I am using the recommended mast and extension, set at the correct height.
The pic was taken in very bright sunlight with a mediocre cellphone, so the color is a bit inaccurate (it's actually not as faded as the pic suggests).
But yes, I sail in very intense sun all the time. I put the sail away immediately after the session.
I only sail an average of twice a week for 8 or 9 months of the year. Each session about 1.5 to 2 hours. Which is about 100 sessions total - which is what aeroegnr reported regarding his rip-around-clew event. So I guess this is semi "normal"?
All said, I am still surprised at a longevity of only 1.5 years - these sails are not cheap, low-end stuff.
I think I'll be forced to go with a beefier (perhaps lower performance as a consequence) sail next time.
Fyi my ezzy cheetahs have a lot of use and although my 8.0 has some small tears it's been in use for finning since 2020.
If you switch to them, however, the severne masts are more stiff at the top than Ezzy. This affects some sails more than others but for instance my 7.5 gator has a weird looking leech on an Ezzy mast but my foil glides on Ezzy masts are just fine.
i don't know about the opposite rig, but an Ezzy with a Severne mast would probably have a pretty tight upper leech which would be a problem without a lot of extra downhaul at the upper end and even then it may not behave well. But that is speculation and not first hand experience.
Gator is beefier than the convert. Look at that next time.
Buying a Gator would be a lot cheaper than buying an Ezzy sail and an Ezzy mast. Ezzy sails don't feel good with a stiffer top mast.
Regular sailing rarely breaks a sail, it is when you fall into them or get washed in waves that they can break.
For beginners the Gator or Blades might be a better choice, from the Severne range.
I have Severne race sails that have lasted me more than 10 years of frequent use. The monofilm will wear very thin against the boom, but that can easily be strengthened with additional mylar film in the area that touches the boom.
I have also put my hand straight through a wave-sail once when I fell in waves, a local point pressure is what can break them...
Good news and good news.
Got the Gator sail and tried it today - beautiful!
Repaired the ripped sail myself and tried it - I expected it to fall apart - but it held! Even in 15 knot wind!
Trying to attach a pic of my home-grown kludge patch now - might be on my profile, so look there - thought y'all might get a laugh 
It's on both sides, but pic shows just one side.
Absolutely beautiful.
Just wondering if your thinking about using an outhaul rope ?
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
Absolutely beautiful.
Just wondering if your thinking about using an outhaul rope ?
Thanks!
You're funny - of course I used an outhaul rope - you can see it untied in the corner of the pic (I untied it so that I could get a better angle for the pic).
The angle of the camera is such that the black fabric is covering the eyelet for the rope, but it's there 
When there's tension, the fabric is much tauter than you see in the pic.
