How Do You Repair A Tear In A Canvas Boat Cover?
While temporary repairs can be made using sail repair tape, these repairs won’t last through a winter season in a harsh climate, particularly when the cover may be subjected to the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, which will cause the adhesive in the tape to break down, or long periods of cold, which will make the tape brittle. Making a permanent repair to a damaged or torn canvas boat cover requires only a needle and thread suitable for canvas and uses one of the basic skills of a seaman: sewing. Use the measuring tape to measure the size of the damaged area. Use the scissors to cut a square or rectangular patch slightly larger than the damaged area from canvas that is the same weight and material as your boat cover. With a sailmaker’s needle and polyester sailmaker’s thread, whip-stitch the edge of the patch with an oversewing stitch to keep it from fraying. Sew the patch over the damage on the outside of the cover by stitching around the edge of the patch with a backsewing stitch.
