Boat covers go through rough time during winter months. Weather affect them all the time and animals damage the surface trying to scratch through the cover to enter the boat. Even branches and leaves fall on boat covers, piercing them. Perhaps you have carried out some temporary repairs on some of the largest damage using some duct tape strips, although making permanent boat cover repairs before the initial launch at the beginning of the boating season ensures that the cover lasts longer.
Steps
1. Remove the cover of the boat and let it air dry well. It is a very important step, whether you are planning to make use of sail repair tape or adhesive repair patch to complete the work or simply sew the rip.
2. Make a decision on whether you will go for sewn repair or adhesive patching. Avoid the use of adhesive patching in case you have stuck on sewn repair. In case you think adhesive patching is the best, the sail repair tape or adhesive patches should be applied on the cover's outside to assure maximum protection. Do not forget adhesive patches shrink to some degree over a period of time. This might pull the hole or tear edges together as well as making the patch to pucker while at the same time being a weakened spot in the boat cover.
3. Make the most of needles and palm of a sailmaker including heavier kinds of synthetic thread in case you are repairing through sewing as compared to the use of adhesive patches. The rips within the cover should be sewn as well. These kinds of repairs are awesomely done using double last stitches and baseball stitch as much as any kind of stitch can work. The simple stitch is the double last, mostly carried out on the inside of the boat cover. You can start it by edge trimming of the tear and sewing using heavy synthetic thread and sailmaker's needles. Incase the material is tough for the needle to be pushed through, a sailmaker's palm comes in handy. You can have the needle ran across the material mostly atop the edge's turn and after turning, have the needle back via the surface of the turned edge.
4. Commence with stitching and only stop after the "last" has its length stitched from one end to the other. A waterproof compound can be used for the finished repair to be coated.
Word of Caution
Remember repairs have always been fragile as compared to the original surface of the boat cover. In other words, as you put the cover on the boat, you must be gentle. This is because while the boat cover should not be stretched tight, it should be snug.
Also, It is not easy at all and practice is required. Working with any type of needles requires some caution.
