Thanks to both of you. It's a soft nylon-dacron kind of stuff. I think
my local guy can handle it.
Bob T wrote:
> Bruce's scenario is more likely for newer sails. If the material
> which came loose is a "soft" fabric, then it would be the protective
> material the manufacturer used to protect the stitching from abrasion
> by the mast. If this "soft" material is removed, the mast will start
> to wear on the load carrying stitching and over time the stitching
> will fail as the mast wears against and thru it. I have seen this on
> occasion but it is usually a secondary problem. When someone brings me
> a sail with a worn or broken mast strap, I sometimes see the
> protective "soft" fabric coming loose which could lead to a jamming in
> the mast sleeve.
>
> If the material which jammed the mast sleeve is "crinkley" noisy then
> it is more likely an older sail and is experiencing a delam problem or
> an "unstitching" problem. If laminated material has been used,the glue
> between the fabric and film can break down over time and the material
> can come apart under stress, catching on the mast tip (as it is
> inserted), jamming the top of the mast sleeve. The film part of the
> laminate gives off a "crinkley" sound. That's one possibility. The
> other possibility is the mast has abraded the threads on the materials
> which transfer the stresses to the sail body and the materials have
> started to come loose, caught on the mast tip and jammed. Some
> manufacturers used layers of light weight monofilm to transfer the
> stresses and this monofilm can give off a "crinkley" sound. For the
> "crinkley" problem, cutting away the material will be a very short
> term solution. The problem will get worse.
>
> In either case, getting your sail to a professional for the
> appropriate repairs will correct the problem, extending the life of
> the sail.
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