Rappey
Well-known member
There used to be a company in Fareham that would laser cut all your sail parts for you to sew together.
Ive cut a fair few sails down with great sucess.
Ive cut a fair few sails down with great sucess.
DIY Sail making
- Thread starter Aeolus
- Start date
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
Sewing the body of the sail is straightforward. Tack together with double sided tape and sew. Or not, of course, the right tape is enough. It’s the corners that are hard, and the reinforcements, batten pockets, luff bolt rope or hanks etc. then there’s selecting the right cloth, orientating the weave in the panels, etc. sailmaking is no longer a dark art, it’s pretty rigorous science. Yes, I used to work for a fairly well known loft, back in the relative mists of time. CAD/CAM was just becoming more usual. DIY wise, it’ll be the corners that you’ll struggle with. It might be 6 or 8 layers, a head board, the machines in use at a loft can deal with that, not like a heavy duty home machine.
Wansworth
Well-known member
I have had some success with altering sails and having a sailmakeralter a sail.There are many sails on the secondhand market that it should beeasytofind something suitable…….if the cost is the problem.Ifon the other hand you want to make your own all is possible with the right tools and material.I have a domestic sewing machine that I insisted the salesman show me it sewing multi layers with a zig zag stitch which it did .Like all artisans work it’s a question of learning for obvious reasons the pro does it quicker
Sea Change
Well-known member
Much like boat building. Everybody should build three boats.
The third one is the one you keep for yourself, the second one you give to a friend, the first you give to an enemy.
Wansworth
Well-known member
Almost anything an amateur does unfortunately suffers from hard won errors that that a professional would not make.Having restored an old stone house in the countryside I have gained enough knowledge to do a much better job ……next time
dgadee
Well-known member
Didn’t Moitessier make his own? Then sailed the world.
pandos
Well-known member
There's a good book called the sail makers apprentice...worth the read. As others have said modifying a cheap pre-owned sail is possibly a way to go...
The Q
Well-known member
After reading a couple of books on sail making, I have sewn a new jib last winter..
It appears to be working well, all hand sewn, would there be differences on V2.0, yes of course there would, that's where a professionals experience would have helped.
I may do a new jib in the future, as I'm contemplating a bigger jib.
but make a main sail no, just too much cloth and my hands would be knackered.
It appears to be working well, all hand sewn, would there be differences on V2.0, yes of course there would, that's where a professionals experience would have helped.
I may do a new jib in the future, as I'm contemplating a bigger jib.
but make a main sail no, just too much cloth and my hands would be knackered.
dgadee
Well-known member
When I was moving to a flat I tried to sell a 3 step zig zag machine I had picked up. No one wanted it until just before the removal and I had to accept a song for it. Never used it myself but had thought it might come in useful. They are out there in used condition.
DownWest
Well-known member
That was my path.(the book)
Very good book and easy to apply I have a good domestic machine with zig zag.
Cost wise: I think the material, cloth tape and double sided sticky, cost me £120 for the two sails 0n my 15ft gunter rigged faering.
The quote from a well known UK loft was above £1k. (2006 prices)
In do have a large flat floored loft, so I could lay it all out. Set up two doors to cater for the running the panels through the machine.
It was an enjoyable experience and they set very well, drawing compliments. The finishing does take quite q lot of time, compared to sewing up the basic sail.
The book covers most types of sails and is easy to follow.
On the current build, I happened on set of lightly used sails at a price that was about material cost.
The book and my machine have done the rounds and made a few other sails.
Puffin10032
Active member
Why didn't you use a sewing machine? You can pick up old all-steel domestic zig-zags very cheaply. They'll happily sew a 5oz sail including the patches. That should do for a boat up to about 23-24 foot.
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
Perhaps his is bigger/heavier? Our sails are pretty serious things, loads being higher. No domestic machine would do it, and the very thought of hand sewing it
Puffin10032
Active member
Perhaps his is bigger/heavier? Our sails are pretty serious things, loads being higher. No domestic machine would do it, and the very thought of hand sewing it
Obviously I don't know what size boat he has but I know he sails on the Broads so it's probably a bit smaller than many here use for coastal cruising. A domestic machine should be able to handle most of the sewing of a sail in 6oz cloth, for a boat up to about 30 foot-ish, maybe needing a bit of help around the clew patch or maybe hand sew that bit. A more powerful motor may help. Generally domestic machines have a motor rated at about 70 watts. Upgrading to a 90 watt motor from YDK can help. YDK also do a 120 watt motor but these seem hard tocomeby in this country; I had to import mine from a seller in Germany.
The Q
Well-known member
I must admit it was an exercise in could I design and make a sail with minimum cost.
The cloth itself was off cuts bought on eBay, the whole sail cost a huge £70 including grommets, thread and a sewn in dyneema forestay .
I'm sailing with it this season, if it performs ok, then another make is likely.
Yes it's a small self tacking jib in this style used on the broads. Though this photo is of course of a professionally made Jeckells sail.
Swmbo already has sewing machines, a 100+ year old singer and a modern electric.
Whether the electric will zig zag I don't know, it's probably off limits..
Ive just had an eBay shufti, looking at zig zag machines, it's probable I'd buy one if I continue sail making.
Should I go on to make another jib, it will have a 50% longer foot as I've now fitted a bowsprit to my boat.
What is coming up is a new boat cover for my boat for which I'll be taking measurements this weekend.
The cloth itself was off cuts bought on eBay, the whole sail cost a huge £70 including grommets, thread and a sewn in dyneema forestay .
I'm sailing with it this season, if it performs ok, then another make is likely.
Yes it's a small self tacking jib in this style used on the broads. Though this photo is of course of a professionally made Jeckells sail.
Swmbo already has sewing machines, a 100+ year old singer and a modern electric.
Whether the electric will zig zag I don't know, it's probably off limits..
Ive just had an eBay shufti, looking at zig zag machines, it's probable I'd buy one if I continue sail making.
Should I go on to make another jib, it will have a 50% longer foot as I've now fitted a bowsprit to my boat.
What is coming up is a new boat cover for my boat for which I'll be taking measurements this weekend.
Sandydog2
Well-known member
Reposting this here where it may be found more easily than the sale section https://forums.ybw.com/threads/make-your-own-sails-r-m-bowker-and-s-a-budd-1979.611954/
DownWest
Well-known member
I have an old book called 'Racing dinghy sails' Tried it once, not so good,, The Sailmakers Apprentice is the goods. The author was a well known US guy, no longer with us.
Local friend built a little dinghy for his grand son, Tried a Sailright kit for the lugsail. Very nice and easy (my machine) Since then, used the SMA.
If looking at bigger sails, with tougher sailcloth, like the OP, then there are Chinoise copies of the Sailright machine (itself made in China) that do a very good job.
Local friend built a little dinghy for his grand son, Tried a Sailright kit for the lugsail. Very nice and easy (my machine) Since then, used the SMA.
If looking at bigger sails, with tougher sailcloth, like the OP, then there are Chinoise copies of the Sailright machine (itself made in China) that do a very good job.
Puffin10032
Active member
Those Chinese copies are very hit and miss from what I've read. Some people have got a good one, others ended up with a rubbish one. I think they're made by the factory that Sailrite themselves had lots of QC problems with. Sailrite no longer use that factory and their machines have evolved quite a bit since the move.
Roberto
Well-known member
Very nice boat, The Q
dgadee
Well-known member
I made a cockpit cover with a small machine. Very difficult! Better to look for 2nd hand with more space to manoeuvre.
William_H
Well-known member
The Que very nice photo of beautiful traditional boat. Fred drift!!! But so obvious is the huge number of ties for reefing. (are they alled gaskets?) Surely far better aesthetically and in terms of air flow across the sail to just have grommets. (holes) for a lashing to go through and around the boom.
I reef my little 21ft TS a lot and find it easy to grab a piece of cord to pass through the eyelet and around the boom. In practice if reefing while sailing I do not need to tie up the bunt of spare sail just relying as you should on the clew tension. Then if convenient we tie up the bunt front first then work back just for tidiness.
So if that was my boat I would remove all those bits of rope hanging from the sail at reefing points. ol'will
I reef my little 21ft TS a lot and find it easy to grab a piece of cord to pass through the eyelet and around the boom. In practice if reefing while sailing I do not need to tie up the bunt of spare sail just relying as you should on the clew tension. Then if convenient we tie up the bunt front first then work back just for tidiness.
So if that was my boat I would remove all those bits of rope hanging from the sail at reefing points. ol'will