Sail Repair

[George H260]

Can any on you experienced sailors give me pointers on sail repair. I noticed yesterday, after an afternoon of sailing, that there is a 12 to 14" tear (separation) in my Genoa near the clew. The problem area is where two colors are sewn together. How do I repair that. I can't even get the genoa down since it was put up imporperly. Thanks!

 

[Mike C.]

Genoa

George, it is difficult to understand exactly what you are referring to on your genoa. If the tear is along the line where the sacrificial cover meets the sail, then is makes sense. IMHO, you have three options: buy a new sail, take or send it to a sailmaker, search for Sailrite.com and repair it your self. Naturally, you must remove it somehow either way. Sailrite offers the materials to purchase to make the repair. An adhesive backed 6oz Dacron tape is my favorite. WM has the stuff in 3 in. by 15ft rolls. Apply it over the tear on both sides of the sail. Then, using a zig zag stitch, sew it in place along the edges of the patch.It must be a zig zag stitch. A zig zag flexes with the stress put on a genoa. Some DIY's make the mistake of using a straight stitch when replacing a sacrificial cover, or making a repair. This might hold for a while, but eventually it will tear just like perforated paper--it tears along the line of the perforations. The tighter the stitch the sooner it rips.It would be best to see the problem before making recommendations on repairs. I believe Sailrite offers tips on doing this type of work. Look them up and see if you can find help there, or as I mentioned follow options one or two. If the sail has started ripping due to the stress of sailing, it might be best to replace the sail. Best of luck to you.

 

[George H260]

sail rip pic

Thanks Mike. I'll re-do this tomorrow with a pic.

 

[patrick]

More information is needed

What kind and size of boat and what specifically is torn? Do you have a picture which you can post? Take a close up of the problem if you can.Is it torn at a seam - ie: is the stitching worn and tearing? If this is the case (and it usually is), you might want to look carefully at all of the stitching for signs of wear. If the fabric is in good shape and most or all of the stitching is wearing out, it can be an indication of someone using the wrong thread. In this case, it can be restitched but that is a much bigger job than you will want to attempt by hand. It will require a heavy duty machine to do the job. It is not an insurmountable job but will require some serious education and skill.Is the tear the result of some physical wear where the sail rubs on the pulpit or somewhere else?Is the material in good shape or is the fabric itself tearing? Is the fabric a heavy stiff dacron or is it a lighter nylon like a spinnaker is made from?If it is what Mike and I think, the UV cover separating from the sail itself, you can fix that, if only temporarily, by hand stitching. No matter what you do to repair the sail, it is a critical matter to remove it or at least be able to do so. What could be wrong with the way the sail was put up?You can get some good advice from a sailmaker or you can call Sailrite or email them. What is the brand of sail? You can look for a label to find that out. Try contacting them. I had a furler problem on my boat that I could not figure out and when I asked someone at the boat show from Hood sails, he offered to come and look at it. He figured it out in a few minutes and I bought him breakfast. There may be someone at your dock you can ask too.