Sail Repair Near NYC?

[Joe500]

The entire luff line ripped out of my jib so it looks like a lot of sewing will be necessary. How much will this cost? I live in New York city. Where should I take my sail for repiars? Any recommendations? Or is there somewhere I can mail it where it might be cheaper/easier?

[Pblais]

You need to seek the advice of a sail maker. I'm sure you could pay high shipping charges to send it any place but if you found a loft close you might find out what else might be wrong. Ripping out the whole luff sounds bad. Cutting it up for tote bags might be the economical solution but you really need someone to actually look at and show you and decide in person. It really does not look bad from here but I can't actually see it either. Once it is beyond duct tape you need a real sail maker.

[David M]

Its going to be difficult for a sailmaker to get the right shape back in it. If it is old or has been raced frequently, it is probably blown out and needs to be replaced anyway. Be prepared to possibly have to replace it. I doubt any sailmaker worth his salt is going to recommend repairing a luff that is torn from the head to the tack.

[Joe500]

Just to be clear--It's just a white line that ripped out of the seam in the jib leech--probably about 1/4" thick nylon rope. It looks like its purpose was to keep the leech in the right shape (not luff as I said earlier). The rest of the leech seems fine. That's not fatal, is it? The sail is probably as old as the boat--20 years but was never used very much. How much does a jib that fits into a roller fuller cost for a 38 foot boat?

[Ex-Calif]

Joe,

If you are talking about the UV strip that runs the length of the leach and contains the leach line, we took ours to a canvas/awning shop and had it sewn back up for less than $100.

The sail was old and blown out. It lasted another year and then we bought a new genny for AUD$1,700.

Ours is much smaller than yours so YMMV.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Joe500

Just to be clear--It's just a white line that ripped out of the seam in the jib leech--probably about 1/4" thick nylon rope. It looks like its purpose was to keep the leech in the right shape (not luff as I said earlier). The rest of the leech seems fine. That's not fatal, is it? The sail is probably as old as the boat--20 years but was never used very much. How much does a jib that fits into a roller fuller cost for a 38 foot boat?

That's your leech line whose purpose is to keep the leech from fluttering as the leech stretches.

It will be no problem for a sailmaker to replace it.