Is your sail suddenly ripped? Are you looking for the best tape for sail repair? Then this article will guide you through your purchase. Remember to always stock onboard your sails repair kit and like this, you’ll set sail free of worries! Also, equip your sails repair kit with high-quality maintenance and repair tools, tapes, and materials. There are a lot of different types of tapes in the market that can be used to repair Dacron, Ripstop, canvas, vinyl, rubber, and more sail fabrics. Tapes are particularly helpful if you want to quickly repair your sails while you’re cruising, along with the help of Dacron or Ripstop sailcloth. Keep in mind that most of the tapes are designed for emergency and temporary repairs. In case you want to ensure permanent patching then consider having onboard a sail and canvas repair kit.

Sail Repair Tape Types

• Main Tales: Like tell-tales that fit genoa luffs these tapes should be fitted at intervals along the leech of the mainsail. In this way, you’ll be able to trim the mainsail when sailing upwind or on a reach.
• Dacron Insignia Cloth: For making repairs or adding insignia to high load sail areas and covers.
• Dacron Sail Repair Patch: These are available in different colors. They contain two sailcloth patches for application to either side of the sail for a larger repair.
• Dacron Wave Leech Tape: This is an adhesive Dacron cloth edging that is manufactured in order to reduce flutter and breakdown to the leech of the mainsail. Moreover, the tape becomes waterproof approximately within an hour at room temperature when the adhesive has set.
• Anti Chafe Roll or Patch: With these, you can prevent damage to the paint, gel coat, and reduce friction on areas of contact with sails, blocks, and ropes. An Anti-chafe patch can be used around cleats or fairleads or you can even apply it to a keelboat or dinghy spinnaker chute for friction-free hoists. It protects vulnerable areas and it doesn’t detract from the total visual effect of any surface. It has waterproof glue and strong adhesion, good temperature resistance, and excellent longevity.
• Rig Wrap: Coil the clear tape around rigging in places where the sails come in touch. Also, it provides a friction-free surface to facilitate the passage of sails when tacking and gybing.
• Spinnaker Repair Tape: This tape is perfect for emergency spinnaker and kite repairs. They can also prevent any further damage and they keep you safe on the water before making a permanent repair.
• Kevlar Sail Repair Tape/Patch: A high performance and emergency Kevlar/Mylar laminate tape for strong repairs to racing sails. The Kevlar patch contains 2 strong kevlar patches to apply on either side when repairing a laminate racing sail.
• Mylar Repair Tape: This is a transparent, high clarity UV and saltwater resistant tape for repairs to sail windows and mylar sails.
• Tell Tales: These are designed for upwind sailing. When the sail is trimmed correctly the leeward tell-tale should stretch evenly backward and the windward tell-tale should be slightly lifted.
• Heavy Duty Sail Repair Tape: This is an adhesive polyamide fabric sail repair tape. It is resistant to seawater and to various weather conditions.
• Kite Tape: A tear-resistant adhesive rip-stop nylon that comes in many different colors and within a roll of 150mm width. It is the best emergency solution if you notice a small tear in your sail or kite.

Best Sail Repair Tapes

Land N Sea Clear Ultra Strong – Best Sail Repair Tape

Highly resistant to tearing, weather conditions, and a super-strong adhesive that even works on damp sails. Its transparent color is suitable for any sail and the tape is lightweight, flexible, and very strong. I used this tape for a rip in my sail a couple of years ago and they are still going strong. To use this tape, clean the area well with alcohol then cut two identical patches, and put one on each side. It works great. I couldn’t recommend this product enough. Check the price on Amazon.

Transparent Duct Tape for Sail Repair

A 100% waterproof and weather-resistant tape that repairs almost everything on your sails. Also, it is strong and it comes in different widths to cater to your individual repair needs. The company also offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee and will issue you an immediate refund if their product doesn’t work for its intended purposes. The adhesiveness is excellent. All the areas I taped with this are nice and tight, with no tape coming off. This is a cheaper option but it is a very versatile tape that you should have onboard anyway. Check out the price.

Gorilla Crystal Clear Duct Tape

It’s made with a particularly strong adhesive layer that ensures the tape’s durability. It’s also waterproof and UV/temperature resistant. To achieve the best results, clean the sails thoroughly with soap, let it dry and then use tape on both sides of the sail. Link to Amazon.

Premium Grade Gaffer Tape

A tough and powerful tape with excellent flexibility and adhesion to ensure the best performance for small or big sail repairs as well as for surface protection. I personally don’t prefer this tape because if your sails are white the patch will look sloppy with this black tape. However, if you do not care about how it looks and only care about the repair then this tape won’t let you down. However, I still do recommend the first tape on this list.

Awning Repair Tape

Are you looking for a permanent repair tape for rips and punctures? Then this tape will do the job! It has a strong adhesive that resists tearing in any direction, a long life spanning, multiple-use tape, and 100% water-resistant. I haven’t personally tried this sail repair tape but it comes highly recommended by some friends of mine that I trust their opinion and that is why it is featured in this article.

T-Rex Clear Repair Tape

This tape has earned by far the best reviews. This is due to its versatility and variety of characteristics. Some of them: weather-resistant, all-purpose repairs, adhesive sticks, easy application, and much more. They even claim that it sticks to wet surfaces. However, I still wouldn’t recommend taping your sails together when wet; allow them to dry after cleaning them for best results. It is also pretty cheap so make sure to check it out.

3M All-Weather Duct Tape

As we understand by its name, it’s an all-weather tape suitable for long-lasting repairs on your sails for patching or reinforcing them. What I like the most about this tape is the brand. Call me a marketing victim if you must but I had very good experiences with 3M products and I swear by a lot of their products like their coatings. What I do not like about this tape is the color. It comes in this standard duct tape gray that will look sloppy on your sails. Link to Amazon.

Best Sail Repair Tape – Best Conclusion

Always prefer to choose a specialty sail tape that is designed for the exact type of your sailcloth. Furthermore, remember to buy a kit that includes adhesive-backed patches and top-quality repair tapes. You can use these in order to mend holes and tears in the canvas, plastic, nylon, rubber, and other materials. Above all, remember to have your Sails Repair Kit equipped with all necessary tools and materials to anticipate any possible damage that might appear while at sea. Finally, prefer weather-resistant tapes that ensure durability, are flexible and puncture-resistant in order to ensure long-term performance for your sails.