How difficult is it to make sailcovers, dodgers etc.?

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Rosa

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I'm repairing the dodgers-easy enough with a domestic machine. Now I'm thinking about making a new sailcover , recovering upholstery, and wondering if it's worth getting an industrial machine. I should add that I'm not very good at sewing so these projects may be beyond me!
 
No deed to buy an industrial machine. A domestic machine with needles for denim works fine for up to four layers of acrylic, more if you're careful. Use decent thread and take your time. I've done dodgers and upholstery, sail cover wouldn't be a problem. It works out cheaper and you can have exactly what you want with as many pockets, cut outs etc at no extra cost. With the offcuts I made winch covers, halyard pockets and tiller cover.

Eastcoastbernie can tell you the technical stuff.
 
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Eastcoastbernie can tell you the technical stuff.

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I would not ask a person who does this for a living for advice on 'technical stuff' so that you can make your own and do her, or others, out of business.

She may be really nice and will help but I think it is rather a cheek.

Up to you.
 
Make sure you use polyester thread,preferably coloured to match and a zigzag stitch; I made my sailcover using the old one as a pattern and allowed enough for shrinkage. There are kits for making the eyelet holes c/w punch and die,with brass cringles and also stainless, that need a different tool. I got the material from KAYOSPRUCE who have stocks of both canvas and acrylics. I made mine from canvas .
I'm about to make a cranked tiller cover, fed up with the varnish lifting through UV.
As Slow-boat says the normal sewing machine with denim needles works fine,not sure about 4 layers though!
A word of caution; I tried sticking the seams with tape and then sewing over them,but the needle picks up the adhesive and then the thread won't pass through the eye.
 
Umm...my brilliant crew and mate started making a sun awning a couple of months before we left on our 2 year circumnavigation and we have now been back almost two years and it still isn't finished! The main reason being that she broke both her sewing machines in the process so I think she would definitely plump for a something bigger and stronger nbext time.
 
There is a cloth sold in Greece, almost a pure canvass, it only comes in white, the guy who sold it to us said it was waterproof and poured water on it to prove the fact. It is 6 euros for a piece 1 metre by 2 metres, we have made a small bimini, outboard covers. echo sounder and gps bags, all sorts of stuff using a normal machine and waxed sail cotton/twine, we have joined the reccesion so it is much cheapness plus it keeps the better half occupied.
 
It's not hard.
pointnorth.co.uk is a good place for material, thread etc.
Only limit is how neat is your sewing, mine's crude but functional.
I bought a made-in-poland Jones sewing machine from a shop, 50quid secondhand. I am not allowed to use swmbo's machine. It will just about do 4 layers of that material used for curtain side lorries! (where hem meets seam).
Have just made a dinghy cover for about £70. Saving £80.
 
Making pvc cushion covers and so on for last boat I wqrecked my electric and the hand Jones and Mother-in-laws Singer before I got the job done. Cost me a bomb in repairs although still cheaper than paying a professional. Looked alright too unless you turned 'em over! Annoyingly, I did previously have a Reeds Sailmaker until divorce when ex who has no clue as to how to use it took it along with everything else "for the comfort and security of the children" - that's another story. Current wife has no idea either, but at half my age who gives a sh$t! If you can get hold of a heavy duty machine I'd reccomend it over a domestic one unless sewing canvas (i.e. denim type material).
 
An industrial machine is best, particularly if you want to sew more than 3 or 4 thicknesses. I've just made a sprayhood and dodgers. Get a catalogue from Kayospruce - tells you all the technical bits and pieces and get all the materials. Use double sided tape to hold the material together whilst sewing. Get lots of needles! Industrial machines use round shank needles not the domestic ones which have a flat on the shank. Try and get a machine that will do straight and zig-zag stitches. Use the bonded polyester thread and the correct size needle and practice a lot! Most industrial machines sew very fast so get a much smaller pulley for th motor to slow it down considerable. See:- http://www.college-sewing.co.uk/ and http://www.sailcloth.co.uk/ A Singer 20U machine is what I use.
 
There have been a number of informative posts on this theme in the last year, a search may be worthwhile.
Few boaty DIY things will give you more satisfaction or save as much money as a decent sewing machine. You may not get the same finish as a pro but neither will you be paying his wages.
Unless you intend to go into production an industrial machine is hopeless overkill. Too big, too heavy, too expensive and will need a room of its own for storage.
You can use most heavy domestic machines with success, but beware of any inexpensive modern lightweight. If you are buying new anything uner £300 is likely to be under engineered. Go for heavy, and less features and you will be on the right track. Avoid anything with the words computer and electronic attached A Bernina 1008 (I think) is a good, solid machine costing about £400 new, but would also be an excellent domestic choice. There are others by Husqvarna and Phaff etc. Old hand machines are excellent and generally bombproof but are hard work. I have found zig zag stitch is never used for canvass work and only white thread tends to be used. Use V69 dacron (your sailmaker may sell you a part used spool) and change your needle at the first sign of problems.
 
Best thing I did was learn to sew. It's just another type of engineering. Made all the upholstery sail covers and hood for my last boat. Just finished the covers and sail cover for my latest boat. Used my wifes New Home machine. Main problem is getting your eye in. It seems to take a few seams to get the feel of things if you haven't done any for a bit. The other thing to learn is the assembly order. It's sometimes quite difficult to visualise what order to put things together in particularly where several seams cross. Very satisfying when it works out.
 
I really dislike says like " wrecked 2 sewing machines"
I can't see how sewing heavy cloth can damage a sewing machine. In my experience cloth too heavy lifts as the needle pulls out because the foot pressure can't be increased enough or the needle simply won't go through causing the drive to stall. Yes perhaps you could overheat a motor but I doubt it. I have always felt that any problem with a sewing machine can be fixed. It just takes patience. Yes it is fun to make canvass boat stuff yourself. I have beaut book "Practical Boat Canvass Work by Lisa Carr which gives lots of good ideas. (an English book) olewill
 
I've just started putting together sail covers (and a complete set of sails too!) after a lot of reading around the subject, I was advised to go for an older all metal type sewing machine.
I bought a Singer 416 off ebay for £12 (which was from a school) it worked ok but occasionally had a hiccup or two so I spent another £50 having it professionally serviced. Runs now like, well, a sewing machine!
I've spent quite a few hours practicing my zig zag stiching, and I think I'm not too bad at it now, the main thing about doing anything like this is the immense feeling of satisfaction.

I've used point north for their fabrics (not overly impressed with their service as it took them nearly 2 weeks to dispatch relatively small order) and kayospruce have a very wide range of products. You can learn a lot just by looking through their catalogue (which you can download).
 
FWIW I reckon I can turn my hand to most things and do a decent job. So I decided to make a flybridge cover and got all the stuff from Kayospruce, a couple of books for research from Amazon and off I went with my polythene to make the template etc....... It's blooming impossible!!!!!!! Obviously there is some form of witchcraft required to make complex shapes and join them all together with straight stitches and no puckering or creases etc....... Eventually gave up, got the chequebook out and decided to phone a witch! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Bad luck.
For what its worth I dont blame you for getting someone in to make what is a difficult 3D shape. After a bit of practice on the simple stuff, your next flybridge cover will be a piece of cake - using the existing one as a template....
 
To al the above can I add two comments. When sewing heavy material us a silicone sewing lubricant on the needles and foot - this makes life a lot easier when using a domestic machine.

Try Acorn Canvas for supplies - he has just started up after many years in the industry and he tries to ship orders the next working day. Also, he is happy to give you any advise on which material is best for your needs. I got some end of rolls at a great discount!
 
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