Hey there - Our nearest sailmaker (who is 500nm away) has closed down - quite a while ago. We've muddled by, but now we have a pile of half a dozen sails from the fleet which need repair... So I'm gonna give it a go.

Normal damage - batten pockets, rip down 'folds' due to high wind sailing.... Any tips?

Get yourself a wicked good sewing machine. An older pfaff 130 is traditional for sail repairs, and you can likely find one reasonably priced on ebay. Other than that good zigzag machines start at about $700 US (Sailrite machine) and go up from there.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Sailrite also sells a non optimized model zig-zag (factory set-up) that is much cheaper and works well!