Going Rate for a new Sprayhood

Yes - I have thought about making one myself. I know that Point North will sell be everything I need for less than £100. Unfortunately our sewing machine is not really up to the job - ours would manage a couple of layers of the acrylic, but not the webbing, or beading or the like, there would have to be a significant amount of hand-sewing at the very least and that would take a lot of time so I would rather pay someone if I can find a reasonable price (I would call £400 fitted a reasonable price)

I am going to try patching up our current one (putting in new clear windows) to see if I can last another season, and if that goes well I might try to redo the whole thing
 
richardsn9 said:
I have just had to order a new one because the stitching had gone and it was all coming apart, which was annoying as the canvas and acrylic has another few years to go. It is worth paying the extra for u/v resistant thread, although if this is the weakest area you would have thought this sort of thread should be standard......... :(
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UV resistant thread - how long is a "piece" of string? Polyester threads are stronger than poly-cotton, and thicker (V92) threads will be more UV resistant than thinner (V69) thread used for most cruiser sails. Poly-cotton mixed threads will be slightly more UV resistant and slightly better at being "anti-wick" but are less physically strong. Also, anti-wick threads will become pointless if sewn using a larger needle size than necessary making a bigger hole in the cloth than the thread can swell and cope with. My solution is to use Dabond V92 threads for all cover work, as its the strongest, and thickness will add to the lifespan of the thread. Any small drips can be stopped with seam sealer. Most drips from the front bar frame pocket can be avoided by designing the pockets to not be over the hatch anyway.

However, UV exposure is really the responsibility of the owner. If you put up a sprayhood and leave it on the boat all year, you will have thread death after 3-4 years, not to mention the widow material. Keeping the hood up under a tree will also seriously ruin a covermaker's work in record time. If you take your hood off over winter, and more importantly, fold it down and cover it with a square of tarp during the season when you are not using it, you will get 10-12 years of happy use out of it, before any serious attention is needed.
 
Nicholas123 said:
That's worth knowing.Do they or anyone else sell kits anybody know? (I'm happy to do the hand sowing & already have the frame & my old one that I can take apart & use directly as templates).
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Yes - Pointnorth do do kits but I am not sure what they include beyond the fabric.

I can strongly recommend them as a company - they sell all sorts of useful bits
 
richardsn9 said:
I have just had to order a new one because the stitching had gone and it was all coming apart, which was annoying as the canvas and acrylic has another few years to go. It is worth paying the extra for u/v resistant thread, although if this is the weakest area you would have thought this sort of thread should be standard......... :(
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I just got my sailmaker to restich my sprayhood where the threads had rotted. He told me that his sprayhoods would expect around 10 years life if well looked after with a restiching after about 5 years. So mine is on track :-) BTW it cost not a lot of money for him to restitch it for me
 
I had a new one made last summer, new frame and cover including fitting, the quote from David at custom covers Carrickfergus (N.I.) was £600 all in, however he took ill and and was fitted about 4 weeks late so he knocked off £50.
£550 all in equals a happy camper. :)
 
alahol2 said:
Kayospruce near Fareham are another excellent source for fabrics, thread, buttons, frame joints etc http://www.kayospruce.com/index.asp?selection=Custom&pg=About Us
They have a trade counter and are happy to show you what they've got and make recommendations.
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Thanks for that link alahol2 it is very near to me & convenient & also to bedouin for yours.The mystical art of boom covers & sprayhoods & sail repair is slowly being broken down.Anybody want to buy a hot air balloon? :D
 
Seagreen said:
;)
Thats totally correct. You can get a generic fit sprayhood for about £400 that you have to "fit" yourself. You need a professional weight machine to cope with the materials, as Acrylic and PVC will banjax the wife's little singer in 3 seconds. While it is no problem actually buying the materials either from Kayospruce or even PointNorth, it takes years of training to do it well (seeing as I'm currently training a youngster at the moment) so if you are happy with a sprayhood that looks like an re-cycled overcoat, carry on.
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I have to agree with you.

I went down the Kayospruce/Point North road thinking it would be relatively easy to replicate my old bimini. By the time I bought the acrylic, zips + bits and pieces it wasn't looking that cheap. On the 1st fitting it was obvious that we (my wife and I) had created something that would never be good enough to grace my beautiful (to me) yacht - no matter how economical it was to make.

We scrapped our effort and went to a time-served professional who did the job properly for a very reasonable price. It looks good and is 'a proper job'.

I abandoned any thoughts of making my own sprayhood and got him to do that as well - again the negotiated price was reasonable and worth the end result.

Summing up - there's a fair amount of skill and knowledge required to produce a professional looking job - it's not something that can be easily picked up from a book (IMO).

Back to the OP - the quote looks on the high side to me if it doesn't include the framework.
 
Tradewinds said:
I have to agree with you.

...Summing up - there's a fair amount of skill and knowledge required to produce a professional looking job - it's not something that can be easily picked up from a book (IMO)....
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Well its very nice to have someone praise the principle of craftsmanship for a change. ;D Being on both sides of the fence (so to speak) I find that I get a bit miffed at the price of gear and services that I think I could "easily" do or make for myself.

With an old wooden boat to look after, I can do most advanced DIY stuff - all the paint and varnish, basic engine maintenance, anything that needs splicing , etc., but I also have to recognise when I don't have the right expertise and that's when I have to bite the bullet and get a shipwright in, and maybe an electrician.

Its very true that anyone with a little practice can make things with a sewing machine, and with some practice, and suitable domestic tools, its possible to do very light dinghy sails, cushions and some upholstery. But on a boat of any size, the weight of the materials and the conditions to which most marine canvas has to be tested by, needs proper gear. Sail covers and perhaps even dodgers could be made in acrylic with a camping shop eyelet kit, but even the hardiest domestic machine will have trouble with 3 layers of acrylic on a tabled edge. Once you start adding PVC reinforcing, a single foot machine will choke. Add any webbing - end of story. Camping shop eyelets will be great till they start to rust. Sprayhoods (since we are on the subject) are essentially safety gear, and are needed most when the weather is worst. They have to be strongly constructed with solid 3/4" (as a minimum) stainless steel bars. Aluminium bars are a waste of time and money. The fittings and bars need to cope with being grabbed by a 16 stone man falling across a cockpit, and with the best will in the world, domestic machines can't do it. Even with an industrial machine, the craft of creating and building a hood has many facets, some obvious, most not. Its the understanding of the craft of sailmaking and covermaking that you pay for when you order the sprayhood.

I've just flicked through "The sailmaker's apprentice", and though all of it is good, there is perhaps one chapter on bags and covers, which is interesting in the "why" but doesn't tell the reader HOW.
Maybe I should write a book?...
;)
 
Seagreen said:
Well its very nice to have someone praise the principle of craftsmanship for a change. ;D Being on both sides of the fence (so to speak) I find that I get a bit miffed at the price of gear and services that I think I could "easily" do or make for myself.

With an old wooden boat to look after, I can do most advanced DIY stuff - all the paint and varnish, basic engine maintenance, anything that needs splicing , etc., but I also have to recognise when I don't have the right expertise and that's when I have to bite the bullet and get a shipwright in, and maybe an electrician.

Its very true that anyone with a little practice can make things with a sewing machine, and with some practice, and suitable domestic tools, its possible to do very light dinghy sails, cushions and some upholstery. But on a boat of any size, the weight of the materials and the conditions to which most marine canvas has to be tested by, needs proper gear. Sail covers and perhaps even dodgers could be made in acrylic with a camping shop eyelet kit, but even the hardiest domestic machine will have trouble with 3 layers of acrylic on a tabled edge. Once you start adding PVC reinforcing, a single foot machine will choke. Add any webbing - end of story. Camping shop eyelets will be great till they start to rust. Sprayhoods (since we are on the subject) are essentially safety gear, and are needed most when the weather is worst. They have to be strongly constructed with solid 3/4" (as a minimum) stainless steel bars. Aluminium bars are a waste of time and money. The fittings and bars need to cope with being grabbed by a 16 stone man falling across a cockpit, and with the best will in the world, domestic machines can't do it. Even with an industrial machine, the craft of creating and building a hood has many facets, some obvious, most not. Its the understanding of the craft of sailmaking and covermaking that you pay for when you order the sprayhood.

I've just flicked through "The sailmaker's apprentice", and though all of it is good, there is perhaps one chapter on bags and covers, which is interesting in the "why" but doesn't tell the reader HOW.
Maybe I should write a book?...
;)
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My sprayhood frame is aluminium & seems to have survived perfectly alright for thirty odd years & any 16 stone man falling across my cockpit is unlikely to to put his hands up & reach behind him but I should think put his hands out to where he is about to make contact with.I think you exaggerate :).
Clearly you are a pessimist if you are not prepared to take on & learn new skills.I certainly would'nt describe painting & varnishing as advanced DIY skills.Makes you wonder how anyone in this Country ever did anything!
 
Well actually it used to be more common to employ a painter/decorator than it is now. It explains why old films show an average house looking like it never got beyond a wipe of primer on the woodwork! Thinking about it, it wasn't uncommon for walls to be whitewashed.

A friend actually offered to make me a copy of my sprayhood - he had previously successfully made the covers for all the seat cushions, including piping. I had to turn down the offer as the original has become so mishapen, I'm sot sure which way round the frame is supposed to fit! Unfortunately he hasn't the time to go out to the mooring and make templates. I guess that'll be my job, then.

I suspect that the much maligned Singer is one of the machines that might manage - good old ones have all steel gears and can be hand wound to get through the tough bits. The aforesaid guy did restitch quite a bit of a sprayhood with one. Wouldn't fancy it with a modern computer controlled embroidery machine with plastic, injection moulded gears, though.

Rob.

P.S. The thing I like about the kit is that the frame stands off the deck, so as to accomodate all the strange shapes you may encounter and it folds down to the lowest frame member. My original just doesn't really fold!
 
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saltylegs said:
I had a new one made last summer, new frame and cover including fitting, the quote from David at custom covers Carrickfergus (N.I.) was £600 all in, however he took ill and and was fitted about 4 weeks late so he knocked off £50.
£550 all in equals a happy camper. :)
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Thats a great price and even better to get money knocked off. :)
 
Have just made a replacement for my own (32'), although a little smaller than the norm and having no window due to the presence of a fixed windscreen - cost of materials £43 + £7 for press studs etc.
 
I have just had to order a new one because the stitching had gone and it was all coming apart, which was annoying as the canvas and acrylic has another few years to go. It is worth paying the extra for u/v resistant thread, although if this is the weakest area you would have thought this sort of thread should be standard.........
Click to expand...

My sprayhood stays up all the time, and is now over 20 years old. The acrylic canvas is still sound, but during its life it's had 3 re-stitches, (another due soon, I fear!) and one new window. I paid £50 for each restitch, and £80 for restitch plus new window. Best to get this sort of job done in the winter while your friendly local sailmaker is less busy.
 
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