Sail repair

[hightower]

A rather large gust of wind jibed my mainsail and ripped it along the stitched panel. The rip follows the seam two panels above foot and from the roach 2/3 the way forward to the luff.

Before l visit the sailmaker, is it repairable ?
.

 

[rardiH36]

Almost certainly yes. I ripped my sail about four years ago 1/3 of the way from the leach to the luff. Self stick repair tape was first affixed to each side of the tear. Then sewed with zig-zag stitches to make permanent. The repair has held fine through many days of +20 kts wind on San Francisco Bay.

Did you catch your sail on something during the jibe? Otherwise, unless the sail/ fabric/stitching are old/worn, I can't visualize why the sail ripped.

 

[splax]

If your sail is old it may not sustain a repair.

 

[hightower]

Almost certainly yes. I ripped my sail about four years ago 1/3 of the way from the leach to the luff. Self stick repair tape was first affixed to each side of the tear. Then sewed with zig-zag stitches to make permanent. The repair has held fine through many days of +20 kts wind on San Francisco Bay.

Did you catch your sail on something during the jibe? Otherwise, unless the sail/ fabric/stitching are old/worn, I can't visualize why the sail ripped.

To Rardih36
I was sailing dead downwind and as l was preparing to turn upwind, the wind shifted, the boom lifted and the unplanned jibe. The main sheet locked and the pressure exceeded sails stitching strength & gave way.
I was just given the sail loft estimate. Not cheap but repairable.