Genoa Repair - DIY or Leave it to the Pros?

[OrangeCrush]

I have a genoa that is in good condition overall but took some damage along the leech and foot when it partially opened up on the roller furl last year during a windstorm. The layer of UV protection is intact and that is really what is holding the leech together. The sail itself chafed through along various parts of the leech and the stitching is open where the seams between the panels lead away from the edge leech.

It will probably need a long patch along the entire 29' leech and a some reinforcement around the clew and along the foot. The leech line is perfectly fine, and if I could just sew a big patch along the length of the leech I think it would work well. Will the added weight of doubling up the dacron along the UV strip affect performance?

Or perhaps this is the kind of thing that is best left to the professionals. It would be nice having the security of a job well done, and I'm hoping that since it's not that complicated an undertaking it wouldn't be too expensive? Or is that just wishful thinking?

Any advice would be much appreciated... I don't have much experience with this sort of thing. Thanks!

[Ex-Calif]

The first question is how old is the sail? If it is old you may want to start saving your boat bucks for a new one.

We repaired our Genny last year. We took it to an awning/canvas shop and had it repaired similar to what you describe for about $50 and got another 6 months out of it.

The concern is what you describe as damage to the clew. This is a pretty stressed area, obviously, and might be beyond the capabilities of the local awning shop.

We were absolutely thrilled with the performance of our new genny as the shape is awesome compared to our 7-year old blown out one.

[thinwater]

How much are you willing to learn, and how much are you interested in becoming an all-around sailor?

If it is only about the money, the repair you describe is too much.

If you want to learn a little sail making, get a book on sailmaking, read it, and give it a go. You will learn and will probably get the sail to last a few more years at least. I hope it is the later.

I have been forced to do middle-of-nowhere sail repairs before; I was glad I had learned on other projects.