Damaged headsail

[Crinan12]

Hi, after some advice again please. I have some damage to my headsail as you can see in the photos. The sail material feels quite weak/brittle if you know what I mean. Do I just give the sail to a sailmaker to repair or is this something I should try and repair myself ? The rest of the sail seems okay but i am sure a trained eye may tell me otherwise. I don't know anything about sails or sail repairs.

The sails is old - 2007. A new one would cost roughly £1500 (from Hyde sails).

Thanks

 

[Refueler]

If not mistaken .. damage is on the luff where it slides in the furler .... I would be looking at the furler as well .. see if any rough edges / damage ..

Problem here if you try repair yourself - keeping repair still able to enter furler ..

 

[tillergirl]

Seems to me it is UV damage. Of course it can be repaired. Whether you can do it depends on your skills. You are going to have to buy the right material as well. I think the rest of the sail needs critical assessment. Personally I would be taking it to the sailmaker and I am sure they would give you a quote and an opinion. I would trust our locals for an honest opinion.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

The top of my new furling genoa was damaged in a similar way. It was caused by me leaving the spinnaker halyard on the pull pit when alongside to prevent frapping. Being above the Genoa halyard it slowly wore away the head area which then shredded.

Local sail maker, Owen’s, repaired. Was not that expensive.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

If you find decent local repairer should be under £250 to repair but my local chap (semiretired like me) charged about £100

Trouble is on an old sail is that if repairs become frequent costs add up to greater than sail actual value - however OPs looks otherwise sound

 

[wilkinsonsails]

It’s not an expensive repair ,but to do it properly I would remove the webbing and Replace a short section of tape with a diagonal join so it wouldn’t be to lumpy on the joints.
You could alternatively trim it back down beside the webbing .Stopping a few cm before the end of the strap. .The head of the sail is held against the foil with the swivel , so there should not be much load at that point.

 

[Refueler]

I am simply amazed at some replies ...... how such summation can be made and then proposed solution.

Personally ? Get the sail to a sailmaker and get their opinion and advice.

 

[thinwater]

Refueler is correct about the exact repair. But ...

The cause is far too common. The UV protection at the head of the sail does not include some of the tape and the webbing at the head. My current jib is very good that way, but with others, the smart solution was to paint the few small exposed areas with with two coats of a flexible vinyl paint, such as used on inflatables, but if that is not available, even house paint. Very easy, completely invisible, and prevents repairs like this 5 years down the line. Just a little permanent sunscreen for where the cover missed.

This can also apply to mainsails. Any bits the cover does not cover, often just a little webbing an a few inches of leach. It's a big help.

 

[MontyMariner]

A new luff tape isn't too expensive to get replaced.
Look for an upholst that does sail repairs and is not VAT registered,such as Lake Sails, Poole.

 

[William_H]

The problem is that when you show it to a sail maker he will probably condemn the whole sail as too old then quote for a new sail that is way out of proportion to the value of the boat. Or at least that is what I found with a jib failure. He would not want to be associated with a make do repair when he thinks more failure is imminent. You may be able to convince him otherwise. Good luck there.
Which all leaves you with the option of repair yourself. Even if it is a bodge. hand stiching and patches of old sail cloth might be in order. ol'will

 

[Refueler]

Check out 2nd Hand sails ?

 

[ylop]

The problem is that when you show it to a sail maker he will probably condemn the whole sail as too old then quote for a new sail that is way out of proportion to the value of the boat. Or at least that is what I found with a jib failure. He would not want to be associated with a make do repair when he thinks more failure is imminent. You may be able to convince him otherwise. Good luck there.

That’s not my experience of sailmakers in Scotland (perhaps their customers frugal reputation is a factor). But they will say “we will fix it but beware it might be a sign of future failure” then next time they say “we’ve fixed it but it’s likely to happen again, you need to weigh up repeated repair and time waiting for repairs v cost of a new one”.

 

[oldbloke]

Did anyone notice the professional opinion given above?

 

[Crinan12]

Did anyone notice the professional opinion given above?

Yes

 

[wilkinsonsails]

I often find I’m being asked to repair sails that should have been retired to the bin .
Sadly sometimes needs must in order to keep your boat on the water .
When I have explained a sail will let you down at some point ,when you really need to get somewhere safe ,maybe there is the odd rethink .
A customer yesterday told me he was about to head off long distance with a mainsail ,I would not cross the Channel with .
There can be no guarantees as to a repair lasting if the fabric surrounding it is going to let go .
Basically if you can tear it easily or the stitching pulls apart it’s dead .
For the OP ,the head of the sail should have had the strip covering the strip of exposed luff tape, this can be done easily to conceal the repair .
The rest of the luff tape has probably been protected with the sac strip rolled over it .

 

[Crinan12]

I enquired with a sailmaker and they said the below. Their quote for a new sail was 3k. I also got another quote from from Hyde sails in Edinburgh for £1500 so a massive difference in price in the 2 sails.

I am tempted to buy a new sail rather than pay for repairs to my old one.

If anyone has an opinion about whether to repair or just buy a new one based on these prices it would be good to hear it.

Thanks

Regarding the damage it looks like we would need to fit a new luff tape, patching that area isn't easy and it can end up too thick to insert into the foil when you re-hoist the sail. Cost of this would probably be in the region of £200 + VAT. If you like we do offer a full winter service package where we inspect the sail and then provide a condition report along with quoting for any repairs and cleaning if required. the cost of this is just over £2 per KG of sail + VAT. I would say that a 16 year old sail is coming to the end of it's effective life. You may find that the sail starts to cause you reliability issues even with the repair work done.

 

[Crinan12]

P.s if looking for a used sail, what do I need to check other than condition. Does the luff/foot/leech have to be exactly right? Presumably the luff needs to be the correct length (or slightly shorter) do fit the foil length - but does it matter if foot and leech slightly different?
Thanks

 

[Refueler]

Of course a new sail is better than old ... but I do not agree that just because a sail is 16yrs old - its end of life.

My 25ft'r - the Genny being a sail that only had UV strip protection all its life from about 2000 was weak and when removing damaged UV - the sail material did tear in a few places ... Exchangesails supplied an excellent 2nd hand replacement.
But the mainsail that was usually removed for winter and when not - was under good 'canvas' cover is still in good usable condition - based on the boat being a cruiser ... of course the sail has stretched a bit - so its fullness is a bit more ... but its a cruising boat ...

My 38ft Cruiser racer has 2 sets of sails ... originals from 1986 and a newer set from early 2000's ... the later main is already failed on a short section of stitching ... but the original 1986 sail is in VG condition .... as is the self tacker which seller said he didn't have ! The 2000's larger non self tacker is in good condition as well ...
Of course when she does get back to racing - at present there's discussion going on as to whether we want the 'stress' in our late years ! ... but if she did go racing - for first trials - those sails will do ... but once happy with boat - new race suited sails would be purchased ....
TBH - because the existing sails are heavy - I would be inclined to replace with lighter and accept shorter life. If not racing - then 2nd hand would be seriously considered.

 

[Refueler]

P.s if looking for a used sail, what do I need to check other than condition. Does the luff/foot/leech have to be exactly right? Presumably the luff needs to be the correct length (or slightly shorter) do fit the foil length - but does it matter if foot and leech slightly different?
Thanks

I reduced the foot of my genny on the 25ft boat ... its now far more happy and helm is lighter.

Luff - of course you need to not exceed the maximum length ... simple to just get a long tape measure and haul it up the furler by the halyard to measure ... careful not to go too far !! Most furlers advise you to be xx cms short of the end ...
If you go for shorter luff - you will likely have to add a pendant to make up for the loss of luff length to avoid halyard wrap. My 38ft'r has a 30cm pendant for that reason.
Leech - if its not changed but foot is shorter - the sail will have a fuller figure and not flatten out well when needed .. also will be poor shape on furler. Shotening leech will cause sail to be flatter when sheeted in ...

We have no idea what your present sails are like in shape ... so its really up to you. Shortening foot is not an issue normally as you just alter car on track to suit ... personally I prefer a flatter sail as it then covers more general cruising and is easier to set.

 

[dunedin]

P.s if looking for a used sail, what do I need to check other than condition. Does the luff/foot/leech have to be exactly right? Presumably the luff needs to be the correct length (or slightly shorter) do fit the foil length - but does it matter if foot and leech slightly different?
Thanks

Also need to make sure that it is sized correctly for your foil - there are different thicknesses so needs to be the right one.

But looked like good sensible statements from the sailmaker you quoted in post #16. If can be repaired for £200 + VAT then that may be a better option than embarking on a second hand sail that may not fit correctly