Our tester got a serious workout running an old double braid sheet tied to a 50-pound log back and forth across the tapes (see Rhumb Lines “Thanks to the Crew,” Crude yes? A cardiologists nightmare? You betcha. But such are the lengths we’ll go to in order to get good data for Practical Sailor.
- Duct tape from 3M is a lousy chafe protector. It chafed through in 3 to 4 strokes.
- Reinforced mylar sail repair tape chafed through in 30 strokes.
- The Wear and Tear pad had deep dents after impact testing (less strenuous protocol that let gravity do most of the work), but none penetrated to the substrate below.
- After 150 strokes, the mylar window tape showed now visible signs of wear.