Punctures in xply... not cool...

manuel · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1158

My board and elbow went through my Ezzy sails, nice long rips.
I used duct tape (because the packing tape I have doesn't want to grab the x-ply although it kinda works on monofilm).
And so far the duct tape slid off a little and the material lacks tension in the area of repair. Anyway... !!!!

Upon researching the subject for a few days, this is what I came up with:

Life Safe Ultra Strong Sail Repair Tape 6"x10' ~$29

No backing? May make install difficult / messy, harder to cut specific dimensions and reuse leftover. Need to cut in half or third?

Company has good website, good reviews on this product and RV tape too.

Tenacious Tape 3"x20" (6-pack) = 3" x 10' total ~$26

Backing, easier to cut and install but may leave many leftover small pieces.
Seems a bit strechable.

Tear-Aid type A, amazing stuff, super sticky, will repair anything but a roll cost the price of my used sail Very Happy

!

2"x15' White Dacron Tape - $5 !!!

Cheap, durable, UV resistant, won't tear, but can't see through.

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1548

11 years is a nice long life depending on how much you use the sail. Spending a lot of money on a major repair might not be the best idea. Tape it up and go sailing. When you get tired of looking at it get a brand new one. Keep the sport alive and support the people that make our toys...

nw30 · Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 2:15 pm Post subject:

Clear Gorilla tape, anything else can be like Thom describes.

Put some on both sides of the tear, may end being the strongest part of the sail.

manuel · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1158

Clear gorilla tape doesn't get good reviews on Amazon.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 5:28 pm Post subject:

The OP thread is from2013
Now resurrection, and duct tape is the answer, from most.

Use proper sail tape, or fin the panel. A solution available from Home Depot is Tyvek, but this costs more tha $1.99.

Really duct tape?

U2U2U2 · Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 6:51 pm Post subject:

http://iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22110

REally trick stuff .

nw30 · Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 7:23 pm Post subject:

U2U2U2 · Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 7:42 pm Post subject:

For a small repair, I can see using tape, since a elbow and board went ,through , must be through a panel , I see a proper repair. The weight gain alone would put me off .

YMMV

manuel · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1158

Thanks for the feedback guys, didn't mean to respond so harshly about the gorilla tape!

Now that I looked back into it the crystal clear tape, it seems that it tends to fall off when used in water situations. That's what put me off a bit.

It's important that it sticks to xply and doesn't let water in through. It's fine if water makes it easy inside the crack but shouldn't spread beyond that. Avoid yellowing and bubbling is a big plus

I kept sailing both times with the tear and didn't notice any issue with either sail. I just would like to give a clear tape a shot. That, and I'll most likely need more repairs soon!

U2U2U2 · Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 9:01 am Post subject:

http://sailrepair.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=69

UK based shop, made the sails for Witchcraft .