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Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my jib
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Author:  BrianCT [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:09 am ]
Post subject:  Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my jib
Man, I'm so bummed. We were blessed with some excellent sailing yesterday in what turned out to be unusually high winds (especially for August) when the jib blew out. We were headed downwind steering up and down to ride the swells when the jib starts "rattling" due to a 3' tear that formed along one of the lower seams. Dammit!! Have any of you guys had your jibs repaired by a sailmaker? My jib has a lot of miles on it and I don't like the idea of throwing good money after bad. On the other hand, if a sailmaker could get me another 2-3 seasons out of it, I might be worth spending $50 or $100 to get it fixed (I have no idea how much these things cost). Like I said, the tear is along a seam and there's no window damage or anything. Thoughts?

If the jib turns out to be "dead" I'm proud to say she went out in a blaze of glory. No question some of the wildest conditions I have sailed in to date. :lol:
Author:  presto13031 [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
I blew the tack out of mine in 2000 or 2001 (1986 Yellow Prism.) Local guy fixed it for $25 or so. Still using it to this day.
Author:  BrianCT [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 8:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
presto13031 wrote:
I blew the tack out of mine in 2000 or 2001 (1986 Yellow Prism.) Local guy fixed it for $25 or so. Still using it to this day.


$25? Nice, that's what I like to hear! I'm going to call around and see if I can bring it in for a quote. My wife was funny - "But if you have to get a new one it won't match."
Author:  srm [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
It all depends on the condition of the existing sail fabric. You can put a patch on a tear or stitch just about any seam back together. The question is whether or not the the sail cloth that your fixing has enough strength left in it to support the repair. If the sail is old, it's very possible that the area right next to the spot you're reinforcing will fail next.

Take a look at the sail, determine what the cause of failure was, and use your judgement. A sailmaker can fix anything, the question is whether or not it's worth fixing. If your jib is sun-fried or more than about 15 years old, I would not suggest sinking a lot of money into it. I would say when seams start blowing apart, that's a pretty good indicator that the sail is at the end of it's life.

sm
Author:  Zubie [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
I agree. Take a look at the stitching. Polyester thread breaks down quickly in UV.
If it's fuzzy or breaks easily when you run your fingernail across it that's systemic and you might want to look at a new jib. The fabric itself will give you clues. If it severely faded and soft and supple like a bed sheet that is not good. If it is reasonably crisp, consider repair. It's the miles not the years.

If you or your wife are handy with a sewing machine you could repair it yourself as long as the rip isn't in a thick seam. Most sailmakers I know charge more than $25 for a basic repair...
Author:  presto13031 [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 11:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
the $25 repair was about 5 triangular layers of cloth, about 6" a side and new edge tape. You can definately tell the difference in the 1986 cloth and the 2001 cloth.
Author:  OlderBowman [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 11:43 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
Brian, you said the tear is ALONG the seam or IS the seam?

There's a big difference. The latter means the stitching is UV degraded and breaking, as another has said.
If the seam has opened up, it is a simple fix for a sailmaker. Have them go over the sail and check the stitching, making repairs as needed.
If the fabric panel has torn aong the seam, that is a more difficult and costly repair.

As for worn out fabric, if you don't feel any of the dacron resin filling the fabric thread and the cloth feels REALLY soft. Then more cloth tears will happen.
Author:  BrianCT [ Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
Thanks guys, on the recommendation of my Hobie dealer, I called a local sailmaker, Quantum Sails, and they asked me to bring it in. For the most part the seam gave away, but you will also note some (very) minor tearing of the yellow panel right along the leech. In addition, I now see my entire leech needs to be looked at as the stitching is giving out. The old sail took a real beating yesterday...

Image

Image
Author:  pknapp66 [ Thu Aug 09, 2012 5:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
I had the same type of failure last year in a whipped out jib. The problem is that the stitching tore out and there is not enough material to hold new stitches. I
bought a small roll of 1" wide adhesive backed dacron and applied it to the edge
where the stitches tore. Then I sewed the seem back together and have been sailing it in heavy winds since. Link to what I used. The draft tape.

https://www.sailmakerssupply.com/prod_detail_list/30
Author:  Bacho [ Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Wild day on the water 16-25MPH and then I blew out my ji
Interesting pic, obviously the sun degraded the leech from your furler and the fabric tore there. Where the cloth was not exposed, the stitching only pulled out.

My guy would fix it for about $15, and it would probably last a good while.
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