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Hi All,
Does anyone here know the best way to repair a 2 foot (50cm) rip in an old dacron head sail?
The sail is a 170 and the first time we flew it this year it found the one little snag on the spreader tip I didn't cover up. As the boat tacked for the first time, I heard a zipping sound and looked up to see the spreader tip make a 2 foot horizontal slice in the sail. This is an old blown out sail well past it's prime but still worth fixing if possible. So any tips on how to do it myself would be most welcome.
John
Hi John,
I've had some success with the peel-and-stick sail patch material ( the type that is made of a finely woven cloth---likely Dacron--- with a pre-glued, peel-and -stick backing). It's available in tape form (~3" wide) and also as sheets. See your local sailmaker or chandlery.
Your sail likely didn't have spreader patches on it to begin with, so why not get a sheet of this stuff and cut two patches and apply them right over the tear thus fixing the rip and protecting the sail from another, future tear at the spreaders?
One word of caution-- make sure everything it flat and in line when to start to stick this stuff onto the sail and only remove the backing as you work it across the area to be patched. It sticks like the proverbial s*** to a blanket.
Clare Jordan, Aragorn
The "best way to repair a 2 foot (50cm) rip in an old dacron head sail" is to take it to a sailmaker.
Sticky-back dacron is okay for temporary repairs or for permanent repairs to unloaded areas (for instance, if the foot of a main gets rubbed through against a shroud). The spreader tip area, though, is part of the most heavily loaded area of the sail and sticky-back cannot be expected to hold this load. The result almost certainly will be further damage to the sail.
Failing a trip to a sailmaker, I suggest you buy a current book on sailmaking (there are quite a number around - visit a bookstore like Nautical Mind or call and ask for suggestions for books on sailmaking or sail repair). The sewing work shouldn't be too difficult, but choosing and orienting fabric makes the difference between something you'll be content with and a 'new' tarpaulin.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
Last edited by (2004-06-09 01:53:43)
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
Offline
Hi Dave,
I agree the best way is to take it to an expert in sail repairs, but before I go and do that I thought I might check in here to see if anyone knew of methods of repair I don't know about.
The sail is old (25+ years 170) and has several sail tape patches in small non stressed areas. Hardly worth a trip to the sail maker to fix it right because the rest of the sail is already shapeless. However it is an old favorite and has pulled more than one boat thousands of miles around Lake Erie. It's the one sail I half expect to blow out every time I raise it but it keeps pulling along. FWIW it was made by Thomas sails in Cleveland Ohio but I think they are out of business now.
I guess I'll try the sail tape on both sides and if that doesn't work I'll try sewing the sail or taking it to a sail maker.
Thanks to all,
John
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