Repairing a spinnaker?

MM5AHO

MM5AHO

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Managed to rip the spinnaker last week, horizontally right across the middle from side to side. It had caught on something while hoisting it, but material looks otherwise OK.

Is a self repair something to attempt? If so what type of thread and perhaps a patch material? Its a lightweight, almost translucent nylon looking cloth.
 
Yes the cloth will be nylon. If it has a stiff almost tacky kind of feel then it may have failed from too much sunlight and it is time for a new one. Mine lasted about 13 years of about 20 hours per year of actual spin up in strong sunlight.

However if you want to repair it you can simply make a pleat in the spin right across from side to side and sew it up with a domestic sewing machine. It helps to pin the cloth together across the rip so that the edges remain correctly aligned with one another. You may have to hand sew the luffs if there are too many layers to sew on machine.

If the edges(luffs) are not ripped then you may prefer to use the sticky backed sail repair tape that is available. Put a layer each side and sew the patch onto the spin as the glue is not reliable.

I use a sewing thread (polyester) designated for upholstery which is heavier than normal sewing thread. Certainly give it a go. olewill
 
Spinnaker repair is something I'm getting quite good at! Mine is 26 years old, well past its best and is beginning to be more repair tape than spinnaker. Last "blow" was West Highland week last year - all of starboard luff, all across the middle and another head to middle tear - Chris Owen stopped laughing long enough to decline his overnight repair service!

I use the sticky spinnaker repair tape - about £5 for 10m in a variety of colours - and UV resistant V69 thread, all sourced from the internet. Lay the sail out flat with your willing helpers applying a light tension, butt the tear together and apply the tape. Zig-zag sew along both edges of the tape - a rounded "denim" needle in the sewing machine works - watch out for glue build up on the needle, and then stand back and admire! The sewing experience is fun with that amount of cloth, especially when you catch an extra fold into the seam, so an unpicking tool is useful.
 
Depending on the weight cloth, you might not even need to sew your patch. Your sailmaker or swindlery should have stickyback spi cloth in strips, in colours to match. The stuff's about duct-tape width, and usually has a backing-paper on it.
Will's right about the feel of the cloth: if it rustles and crinkles like s shopping-bag, it's still good, and worth the effort to fix, but if not, use it for a set of matching shower-bags for the crew.
Sewing the patch in place makes good sense, but make sure the cloth's ABSOLUTELY salt-free- wash it with a sponge and some fresh water, then wipe the patch area with surgical spirit or meths or lighter-fluid to degrease it, and also make sure the edges of the patch have rounded corners.
It's also time to check your rig for meathooks and to make sure your splitpins are all covered! FWIW, if you've got a big fathead spi that needs 17 miles of seam-repair like I had mid-atlantic, you can staple the tear closed and patch from the one side, then remove the staples with an office staple-remover!
 
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Spinnaker repair is something I'm getting quite good at!

[/ QUOTE ] Is there no end to your talents? Spinnaker repairs, gearboxes, golf, epoxy fillering.....

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If anyone with more money than sense (i.e. any boat owner) wants to employ my talents, I am available - though, if I remember, epoxy fillering was more your thing - and on a vintage wooden classic too! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
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