Tape seems like simple thing to manage. How complicated can it get? But as we’ve found in multiple past tests at Practical Sailor, the type of tape you choose, and how you use it determines the quality and durability of your work.

We’ve carried out multiple tests of sail repair tapes, most recently in 2018 (see PS June 2018, “Simple Sail Repair”). In that report we found that Sailrite (www.sailrite.com) had the right stuff for just about any repair, but we also discovered the importance of prepping the surface before taping. Our report on masking tape explored the various types of tapes—long term vs. short term, normal edge vs. fine line, etc.—and their uses (see PS October 2013, “3M Masking Tape Matchup”).