My buddy Greg is has a problem with his main sail. The grommet on the head of the sail where the halyard ties into is pulling out....falling apart...

How is this problem fixed?

Who to send it to?

Thanks!

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Bill 404 21SE
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any sailshop can rebuild the head of a sail. there is not much shape up there to mess up.
it can have new cloth sewn right over the head and a new grommet secured.

if you want to spend more money a sail shop can replace the entire top panel but that is more involved due to the batten pockets, luff, boltrope, etc.

It doesn't have a headboard like our boats? If not - check out the instructions on the Hobie 18 (assuming I'm thinking of the classic H18 boat, right?) - Take out the metal grommet, sew up the head with some scrap dacron and a zig zag stitch (I imagine that will take a machine with some HP behind it due to reinforcements), then add a new headboard. Headboards can be had from Sailrite fairly cheap brand new. If it's an old sail, the missing headboard may even allow him to just stitch the repair himself and add the headboard over the repair, distributing the load.

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Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
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The H18 mainsail has a headboard just like virtually all other cats. After the headboard is installed, there is a grommet installed through the halyard hole in the headboard to provide reinforcement. If the grommet is damaged, all you should need to do is remove it and install a new one. The grommet can usually be removed by simply cutting it out carefully with a dremel tool. A new grommet can be installed using a hammer and the dies that come with the grommet kit. It’s pretty straight forward.

sm