Help repairing laser cover

Hi, my old laser covers pretty knackered and its managed to rip by the transom. I need to repair it but I'd prefer not to fork out for a new one as its a pretty old boat anyway. The repair would have to be done with an extra piece of 'heavy duty' material to sew on as the rip is actually fairly big! Is this easy to do and do you have any tips or ideas on what material to use? Many thanks

Any material will do, look for something in the 6 0z. or higher per sq yard/meter. If you are anywhere near a sailmaker, you can pick up a piece of scrap for free (or check their trash bin) In a pinch, even some denim from an old pair of dungarees is suitable.

It is fairly easy to repair it, as long as you aren't concerned about cosmetics.. Keep the area of the cover you are patching as flat as possible, apply the patch and sew it down. (machine or hand stitch). If you can't get the whole area flat (ie the transom corner), sew the patch on in sections, ie deck section first and then "bend" the cover and work the patch over the remaining section, sewing as you go.

And not to be a pessimist, but if the transom section ripped, there's a good chance that UV has damaged much of the rest of the cover. So be frugal ( none of us are cheap ) about the repair, as you may find that the entire cover is rotten.

I've found that most rips are actually sewing thread failures. The material in newer covers ( sunbrella, etc in the states ) is quite resilient. So I have a local auto/boat upholstery guy resew my covers when they begin to fail. The cost here is $35 max, and that's for a much larger cover than is on Lasers. ( Highlander ) ..

Good luck with the repair

203 said:

And not to be a pessimist, but if the transom section ripped, there's a good chance that UV has damaged much of the rest of the cover. So be frugal ( none of us are cheap ) about the repair, as you may find that the entire cover is rotten.

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I was trying so hard to be kind and gentle , but spot on about the material reaching the end of it's life. An easy test to confirm is to see how hard it is to continue the existing rip. If it takes little to no effort, the material is toast.. You can patch it, but expect to keep chasing new tears (it helps if you are able to cinch the cover down so it doesn't flap in any breeze)

I think i'll just buy a new one!

Best way forward might depend on the cover and the cause of the rip. Earlier this year I spent hours with my then cover, in the garden on the ground on all fours with hose pipe and scrubbing brush getting filthy cleaning it up. Then I noticed it was quite "transparent" in places, pushed a finger gently against it and immediate hole. No strength left. It was one of the old style Laser grey ones - but it had lasted more than 5 years so not complaining. But it was way past its "best before" date so I needed a new one.

Searching around and there were plenty of cheap covers but not great quality/material. The best I found (and got) was a P&B one which used excellent material (breathable WeatherMax) yet was still a reasonable price (unlike many using the same material). Fits perfectly, etc., excellent service, etc.