As time goes by, the crispness of a new spinnaker dies off.  Furthermore, it becomes less waterproof.  Water down the chute, dropping in the water or just sailing in the rain mean that the thing just soaks up more water.  It all makes hoisting and lowering more difficult and gybes sometimes end up with a beautiful wineglass (but without the wine).
 
I have done a little research into how to at least get some level of waterproofing back.  There seem to be 3 options:
 
Holmenkol (but not sure which product)
McLube Sailkote (£23.00 for 470ml)
Fabsil (£22.00 for 5 litres)
 
I think Fabsil looks the best value for money and appears to work (based on some other sailing forums).  It provides a new silicone based waterproofing to the sail, although the crispness of a new kite is lost forever.
 
Does anyone have any experience of these products and if they work, or indeed anything else to try?
 
David

 Holmenkol SealNGlide (I got mine from Purple marine @ £27)  makes the sail really slippy.  Do any patches first as nothing sticks to it afterwards!
 
Application lasts at least all year and there's enough for two seasons in the pots.  
 
 
 

You just cover them in blue sticky-tape David, the rest of us will do the sensible thing and use Holmenkol as Steve says

I used the SealandGlide and it transformed my old kite (previously if it even touched the water it instantly stuck and was sometimes impossible to hoist).
 
The only issue I have had is that it is now so slippery that the kite has been sucked out of the chute and I have then sailed over it - this has happened several times and is not good ! The coating gives it a different sort of slipperiness than you get with a crispy new kite.
 
Pretty good stuff though.
 
Chris 

I went for the cheaper Fabsil option and tried my old spinnaker for the first time last weekend.  Worked a treat.  I will be using it for the Sprints this weekend.  My kite will be going up at lightening speed!  

Much cheaper option than Sailkote Seal & Glide or other specialist finishes. I can redo it 5 times for the same price:-)  It's probably even the same stuff.

 David,
 
How did you apply the Fabsil - with a paintbrush as described in the application guide ?
 
Stefan

I have a large garage and having cleaned the floor thoroughly applied the Fabsil to the spinnaker on the floor. I simply painted the Fabsil onto the spinnaker with a clean paint brush, liberally applied. The material goes almost see through when the Fabsil is still wet.  When finished I used some ladders and old stalls to drape the wet kite over to dry. It takes about 6 hours to dry and when dry it looks like a normal spinnaker.  The Fabsil does smell when drying, so make sure you have a well ventilated space.

I used a Fabsil'd kite last weekend at Rutland for the sprints.  It worked for me!

It worked a little too well!!!  Well done!
I also used fabsil but I have a spray gun, that did the job used about 3/4 of a small tin full I think it was the 500ml, I gave the sail a good wash down first to get all the salt out of it. 

I used SealandGlide on an old spinnaker 18 months ago and it could now do with redoing, but it has done all my club sailing in that time. putting some on the chute material made launching and recovery a lot easier.
Mark 

 Greg,
Did you spray the Fabsil on both sides of the kite or just one and it soaks through the cloth?
I will try a pump sprayer to apply it.
Stefan
 

Hi stefan.
Yes, sprayed both sides, gave it a good soaking.

I have the seal 'n glide, but haven't done my kite yet.  I was wondering what the best application tool would be; spray bottle or mop.  I wondered if the spray nozzle would gunk up before I'd managed to do both sides... any advice please?

We had a huge (2 foot plus diam) bucket in the shed that is usually used to store kids toys.
 
I cleaned it out, put the diluted SnG in and did three kites with it then spread them over the lawn to dry. Easy
 
Previously, I'd tried sponging the stuff on - seems less effective and more wasteful
 
Clive 

Hi Andy
I applied seal and g first time on a swept garage floor before laying the kite out on it, it might of looked clean, but the kite picked up some dust and it then looked off white.
I now hang the kite up and sponge it onto both sides and only mix up half of the amount and have found that plenty. 
Chris C s&g ed his kite on a lovely new slate patio, which left no marks on the kite but one on the patio, apparently the boss (Debs) was not amused not only at the mark on it but also made the patio like an ice rink. Just a cautionary tale.
 I like Clive's way with the bucket, though it must be difficult just using one hand! 

Thanks fellas, I'd heard a few horror stories about slippery floors so I was planning to ruin my grass, the bits my kids rabbits haven't already 'done' anyway! Now I'm planning on doing one side, letting it dry enough no grass sticks then turning it over, mixing up a bit more and doing tother side, with a sponge, but reckon I will use both hands!

Cheers 

Never realised life was so complicated. My spinnaker makes a good sponge at the moment. May have a go - when I get a moment to myself, or 'single-handed' as Clive would say.
 
Mostyn 

Hi,
 
Succeeded in doing the S&G a few weekends back, aided by the last of the sunshine.  Makes a big difference on hoists and drops, so pleased with the results.
 
Well worth doing in my book, if you have the space to lay the kite out flat and a surface that won't mind the odd bit of S&G being spilt on it!
 
Cheers, Andy

S&G = seal 'n glide, a Holmenkol product I bought the small pack from sailboats.co.uk