Fix-it Kit: Essentials for DIY Sail Repair
Nothing will ruin your cruise faster than a damaged or torn sail. With the BoatWorks sail-repair kit on board, you’ll be able to make emergency repairs and keep on sailing. Ours cost less than $100 to assemble but could save us hundreds in repair bills.
A. Curved and straight needles of different diameters.
B. Stainless-steel scissors for cutting thread and sailcloth.
C. Whip-end dip. The brush in the lid can also be used to dab the dip onto small holes and tears to prevent the threads from running.
D. Luff and leech tapes for repairing the edges of the sails, which are subject to chafe and high loads.
E. Pieces of sailcloth of the same type and weight as all working sails carried on board.
F. Sailmaker’s palm for pushing needles through several layers of cloth.
G. A small sailcloth bag, which you could make yourself to practice stitching skills—not essential, but useful for keeping scraps of sailcloth clean.
H. Sailmaker’s waxed twine. Useful for repairs on high-load areas, such as the luff and leech; can also be used for whipping ropes.
I. Plastic watertight screw-top container to store all the components of the repair kit.
J. Dacron thread for stitching patches onto sails and reinforcing sail-repair tape.
K. Nylon spinnaker cloth in every color that is used in your spinnaker.
L. Adhesive sail tape for small holes and tears (always tape both sides of a repair).
