Lee cloths

[richardh10]

What material is best for making some new lee cloths. The old ones are rather manky, and need replacing.

 

[Bobc]

You can buy them pretty cheaply from C&J, ready made with the batten and fixings.

 

[Roberto]

I don t know if it s "the best", but I quite like PVC, it must be heavy as sometimes it bears one s own weight. Easy to wipe clean in case of stomach accidents, with no residual smell.

 

[ghostlymoron]

I made some out of an old B and Q woven tarpaulin. They've had some use but not in extreme conditions.

 

[lw395]

I think we used an old dinghy jib.

 

[Jaguar 25]

Sorry, what are lee cloths?

 

[LadyInBed]

Sorry, what are lee cloths?

To stop you falling out of bed if you are on the windward side.

 

[Daverw]

Or for crew to hide behind, that’s what ours seem to be used for

 

[prv]

Or holding half the crew’s seabags in place on a pilot berth, in boats with lots of bunks and no storage

Or, pulled out from underneath and laid over the top, but not lashed up, keeping the cushions somewhat dry when wet people sit on them.

I’ve heard of full-length ones being used as a toddlers’ playpen.

Mostly though, ours just get in the way of opening the under-bunk beer locker

Pete

 

[Gwylan]

Or holding half the crew’s seabags in place on a pilot berth, in boats with lots of bunks and no storage

Or, pulled out from underneath and laid over the top, but not lashed up, keeping the cushions somewhat dry when wet people sit on them.

I’ve heard of full-length ones being used as a toddlers’ playpen.

Mostly though, ours just get in the way of opening the under-bunk beer locker

Pete

Yes, quite.

If the weather is that bad maybe a reef is in order.

Bit like go-faster stripes and a noisy exhaust. Boy racer kit....

 

[Poignard]

If you have enough offcuts left over to make it, a pocket on the inside is handy.

 

[prv]

If the weather is that bad maybe a reef is in order.

Bit like go-faster stripes and a noisy exhaust. Boy racer kit....

The weather doesn’t have to be bad for a yacht going to windward to be heeled over. And even a little heel that’s not enough to throw you out of bed, can still feel uncomfortably like it might, enough to keep you from relaxing and sleeping. If your style of sailing includes overnight passages with several people off-watch, then lee-cloths are going to be necessary.

Mine mostly aren’t because I don’t often sail overnight (sometimes after dark, but not usually long enough to need watches) and when I do the crew is small enough that only one or two bunks are in use and they’re snug ones that don’t need leecloths. But that doesn’t mean the device itself is useless, just that I don’t need it.

Pete

 

[Poignard]

I've occasionally had to spend unpleasant nights at anchor or on a mooring where the yacht has rolled so badly that lee-cloths have been necessary!

 

[FlyingGoose]

Use canvas and dyed then nice royal blue , fitted on all beds but used to keep daughter in top Bunk, as she is a wriggler
Wife slept below her one night and used lee cloth said it made her feel safe a cozzy and had a great sleep , but shes a wriggler to

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Yes, quite.

If the weather is that bad maybe a reef is in order.

Bit like go-faster stripes and a noisy exhaust. Boy racer kit....

Nearly had me there :encouragement:

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Also give a little privacy.
You can't make them too strong really, ( whatever fabric you choose go one size thicker!)
( If you see a yacht without leecloths, or at least strong fittings for their lines, you know it's never been actually sailed anywhere.. including large multihulls..)

 

[Kukri]

Mine are hand sewn Admiralty flax because I was bored and I had some. I don’t like plastic ones because they get manky under the berth cushion.

They are a 1940s-1950s offshore racing invention.

I once asked my father “what did you do, without leecloths, in the Thirties?”

“Oh, we always slept on the lee berth. You needed all hands to tack, anyway!”

 

[William_H]

Yes lee cloths can enhance the comfort of a berth when sailing. Just gives that side something to lean against. I would make them from sail cloth as said. ol'will

 

[PerformanceSailor]

Ours are made of a heavy mesh material known in the trade as Phifertex. Cloth edging was stitched on with pressed-in brass grommets for the corners.

Marine canvas shops also sell lots of this product to powerboaters for sun shades over large ports. You can see thru the mesh pretty well, but it stops a lot of UV.
You might do some checking with your local canvas shop. Very "breathable" so it stores without problems under our settee cushions.

 

[john_morris_uk]

The weather doesn’t have to be bad for a yacht going to windward to be heeled over. And even a little heel that’s not enough to throw you out of bed, can still feel uncomfortably like it might, enough to keep you from relaxing and sleeping. If your style of sailing includes overnight passages with several people off-watch, then lee-cloths are going to be necessary.

Mine mostly aren’t because I don’t often sail overnight (sometimes after dark, but not usually long enough to need watches) and when I do the crew is small enough that only one or two bunks are in use and they’re snug ones that don’t need leecloths. But that doesn’t mean the device itself is useless, just that I don’t need it.

Pete

+1 (except we do sail overnight and I enjoy longer passages). Lee cloths or boards are essential.

Also give a little privacy.
You can't make them too strong really, ( whatever fabric you choose go one size thicker!)
( If you see a yacht without leecloths, or at least strong fittings for their lines, you know it's never been actually sailed anywhere.. including large multihulls..)

True

Ours are made of a heavy mesh material known in the trade as Phifertex. Cloth edging was stitched on with pressed-in brass grommets for the corners.

Marine canvas shops also sell lots of this product to powerboaters for sun shades over large ports. You can see thru the mesh pretty well, but it stops a lot of UV.
You might do some checking with your local canvas shop. Very "breathable" so it stores without problems under our settee cushions.

Thank you. I wondered what it was called. Most of our ‘sea berths’ have boards to slot in and not lee cloths but the two that do may get replaced now I know what the stuff is called.

One tip from me is to make the strong points for the lines to tie the lee cloth up to slightly outboard of the vertical. In other words, make the lee cloth sit off the vertical over the bunk. It makes the sleeping crew member feel even more secure and more importantly stops you bulging off the edge of the mattress when the lean on gets more aggressive.