Finally got some real battlescars over the weekend :)

I've now got some little tears in the sail, question is - where do I get some mylar tape in Melb? (I read thats the cheapest best tape?)

Hey Pedro, I've improved a bit now - actually had to constantly drag the board bag to my starting point (I dont mind coz its means I'm actually moving)
Another windsurfer there came up and told - now thats what I call perserverence. You're right though, towards the end something just clicked!

Ready for another lesson?!!!!

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wazzanewbie said...
I've now got some little tears in the sail, question is - where do I get some mylar tape in Melb? (I read thats the cheapest best tape?)

In my experience, plain old sail tape will often fall off after some time. How big is the hole? Where is it located? What type of sail material is the hole in (ie: x-ply, monofilm,)?

If the hole is large enough or in an awkward spot, you probably want to get some proper sticky-back sail cloth.

they're currently just small cracks atm. Thought I better tape them before it grew.
as for the material - it looks like plastic?

Whitworths.
www.whitworths.com.au/psp-mylar-repair-tape-150mm-x-3m

I've used the normal sail repair tape and keep a roll in my kit. Works well also. Can also be used as a salt water Band Aid , tornique, mouth gag and hundreds of other uses.

www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=152&item=85538&intAbsolutePage=1

Mylar tape is a generic term.. many of the tapes you see that look good are not UV stable, so either the film or the adhesive breaks down with exposure to UV, and they become worse than useless.

I've found a clear tape that's used on the polythene greenhouses - the film and adhesive are both UV stable, and it sticks very well to the mylar/monofilm, and stays on when it's wet. Pretty cheap too.

Look for Danco "All weather" tape.

Try a packaging place, or an industrial plastics supplier.

Cloth sail tape will work, but you end up with obvious patches on your sail. The all weather tape is fairly thick, so with a piece on each side, the splits are held flat (rather than being able to fold like with sail tape).

Cloth tape is still very useful if a split or tear ends up needing to be stuck to a fabric seam - the 'all weather' tape doesn't stick so well to the fabric.

hey thanks guys. does bunnings stock it? i try to stay out of the cbd these days :)

genereic - probably explains why I ended up at officeworks looking at plastic folders.

No idea.. we don't have a Bunnings here (yet).

Give em a call - it's easier (and cheaper) for them to look it up on their computer than it is for you to wander the aisles finding stuff you didn't know you needed until you stumbled across it!

Hi,
Bunnings does stock an all weather, clear water proof tape...I think it is a "Bear" brand or something. This does the job quite nicely!
cheers,
mg

Good to hear you are making progress Warren! It doesn't look to be too windy this coming weekend so I probably won't be at Sandy Point so give me a holler nearer the weekend and we can work out a plan based on wind strength and direction.

SHQ shop of course, it about 15 dollars.
The last rip i got was so big i had to fix it with car windowtint film

As per last post SHQ have the mylar tape u need, got it in front of me, brand is PSP marine tapes ... still has price on it $11.95.
And just to be impartial, im sure RPS will have it too ??

Have used it twice now, its tough and sticky as, dosnt even look like it will come off where ive used it

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drift said...

Hi,
Bunnings does stock an all weather, clear water proof tape...I think it is a "Bear" brand or something. This does the job quite nicely!
cheers,
mg

well after trying 2 marine shops in the east (both said no idea) tried bunnings
found one with a bear on it - brand Norton, so I figure thats the one....

cleaned the sail, just waiting for it to dry and found about 8 small cracks scattered around the sail (mainly in the centre) - will give it a go tonight

thanks everyone

If that doesn't work go to SHQ. they have Monofilm tape which is clear and great for monofilm cracks and Mylar tape which is coloured sticky back sail repair tape. Either one will work. Definitely best to repair the monofilm cracks before they spread.