Sail Repair Tape or Patches

[Scott B.]

I have found a few small tears in my jib (1/4-in.). I want to repair it myself. What sail repair tape (or pre-cut patches, preferably) does anyone recommend? I do not want this repair to fail. The counter person at West Marine indicated their tape did not last forever (I found that to be a poor excuse for an inferior quality tape).

[wikakaru]

I have used Bainbridge Sail RIPair tape in the past with good results. However, pretty much any self-adhesive Dacron tape is likely to eventually peel up unless you stitch around the edges. Also, if you have multiple rips, it is likely the sail is rotten (UV damaged) and needs to be replaced. Try grabbing some of the sail cloth near one of the rips firmly with both hands and see if you can tear it apart by hand. If you can it is gone and there is no point in trying to patch it. The sail will just tear around the patches.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[Dick Villamil]

self sticking sail repair tape is only temporary. However you can prevent it from coming off by rounding the corners and when applying it, place sail on a flat surface and firmly press it onto a clean sail (no salt residue). Do not touch the sticky surface because the oils in your skin will weaken the bonding glue. Depending on the extent of use, you may get an entire season out of a small repair but definitely take the sail into the loft for a sewn repair patch and evaluation of the cloth for durability. You should place a patch on both sides of the sail for best longevity of the patch.

[Paul D.]

I've both taped and sewn up repairs on my sails for years. For most minor repairs I think the readily available dacron sticky tape works fine but if your sail is in relatively good shape I'd also sew around the edges. I would round the corners as mentioned.

If the sail is old, the repair not in a crucial spot and you only want another season or so out of it, sticky back ripstop nylon, often in camping stores, is awesome stuff. I've used that on my sail covers and while it doesn't last in the sun like dacron, it does stick like hell.

One thing I would investigate is why the sail is torn. Being old was mentioned, but if it is not showing as old and weak, it may be chafing against something. Adding a few layers of dacron tape in that area, with the outer layer larger than the inner, may really help reinforce it. Good luck.