Submitted on April 3, 2006 by Stephen Dyke

Question: What sail thread (type, weight) would you recommend for repair on "Oceanus" sail cloth, and do you sell it?

Answer: Hi Stephen, The weight of the thread will depend on the area of the sail that you are repairing and the weight of the sailcloth. For most Oceanus applications, if the repair is in a single layer area, you should use V-92 thread. Corner patching will require V-138. Webbing installation will require V-138 or V-207. For any of these weights you will need an industrial sewing machine. If your sail is very old you could drop down one weight (V-69 for patching the single layer areas) to minimize the size of the needle holes.

Regards,
Dan Neri

Additionally from Tom Davis at North Cloth:

Presumably the repair to Oceanus cloth is being done by hand. Hand sewing requires a much heavier thread (waxed, typically) than those used in sewing machines. Sailrite is a great resource for retail purchase of sail repair materials and tools (www.sailrite.com) or thread may also be purchased through your local North Sails Service Loft. Sailrite's website entry for hand sewn repairs to seams indicates:

"Polyester twine is used for hand sewing. The ply used depends to a large extent upon personal preference. We recommend 3-ply twine doubled through the eye of a #18 hand sewing needle for hand sewing a seam and 5-ply doubled for 7/8-inch rings (use with a #17 or #18 hand needle) and 7-ply doubled for larger rings (with a #14 or #16 needle). A heavy ply twine can be unlaid to use for other purposes."

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Cheers,
Tom Davis
North Cloth

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