Making a sprayhood

[Poignard]

Thanks for that.

 

[wilkinsonsails]

V92 Thread smallest needle size is 120 or 19 for best stitch hole to thread diameter .

 

[Poignard]

V92 Thread smallest needle size is 120 or 19 for best stitch hole to thread diameter .

Thanks for that.
This is from the handbook for my Singer 401 which, if I understand you correctly, means I can't sew using V92 thread because the largest needle the machine will take is size 18. Have I got that right?

 

[wilkinsonsails]

For sewing with an 18 as the biggest needle to fit your machine,If you can get hold of either a chisel point 18 or narrow twist point needle ,they are available for different fabrics .Then you may find that it will cope .
These two needle points make a bigger hole for firmer thread types like bonded polyester .Alternatively. If sewing with a cotton covered polyester thread a standard round point should be ok if you can get the tension even .
Tension adjustment may be fiddly.
You could always carefully try a 19 .
Im using the next recommendation needle size up in my machine at the moment due to stiff fabric.
The important thing is to check when trying a larger needle that the pick-up hook does not get caught on the back of the eye when passing the loop.
If the clearance is ok you should manage to stitch with 92.

 

[Poignard]

For sewing with an 18 as the biggest needle to fit your machine,If you can get hold of either a chisel point 18 or narrow twist point needle ,they are available for different fabrics .Then you may find that it will cope .
These two needle points make a bigger hole for firmer thread types like bonded polyester .Alternatively. If sewing with a cotton covered polyester thread a standard round point should be ok if you can get the tension even .
Tension adjustment may be fiddly.
You could always carefully try a 19 .
Im using the next recommendation needle size up in my machine at the moment due to stiff fabric.
The important thing is to check when trying a larger needle that the pick-up hook does not get caught on the back of the eye when passing the loop.
If the clearance is ok you should manage to stitch with 92.

Thanks!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Any good sailmaker will make up a sprayhood.

Some won't - Jeckells won't, for one. I asked them! And I think that few sailmakers who would have to travel to your boat for measuring and fitting would do it. You really need a reasonably local sailmaker, who can travel for the necessarily complex measuring and fitting. Measuring for sails is much simpler, and of course, they have the measurements for most production yachts to hand anyway; the on-site measuring is more checking and looking for deviations from the builder's specifications. But spray hoods tend to be more individual and much harder to measure! Also, spray hoods usually require custom fitting once made; the exact position of things like lift-the-dot fasteners need to be placed in situ.

 

[lustyd]

if I understand you correctly, means I can't sew using V92 thread because the largest needle the machine will take is size 18.

You can, you'll just get bad results. We did it using a denim needle but the stitch was uneven because the machine can't pull the two threads together properly, leaving one side straight and the other looped over it. It works, the stitch is tight, but it's not right or pretty. The other issue is that it can wreak havoc with your machine since it's not designed for that much force. Cheap machines with plastic gears can and do terminally jam up and disfigure the gears. Other machines might just push some bits around and need resetting.

Other UV resistant thread works well, but just needs replacing more regularly. The stuff Hawke House carry lasted 10 years on my old boat with no degradation and was out 24x7 all year, so it's not going to be a terrible burden to restitch now and then. My last project with V92 is only a year in so can't comment on whether it lasts longer, but it's certainly harder to use in a domestic machine and cost me my old machine!

 

[Poignard]

You can, you'll just get bad results. We did it using a denim needle but the stitch was uneven because the machine can't pull the two threads together properly, leaving one side straight and the other looped over it. It works, the stitch is tight, but it's not right or pretty. The other issue is that it can wreak havoc with your machine since it's not designed for that much force. Cheap machines with plastic gears can and do terminally jam up and disfigure the gears. Other machines might just push some bits around and need resetting.

Other UV resistant thread works well, but just needs replacing more regularly. The stuff Hawke House carry lasted 10 years on my old boat with no degradation and was out 24x7 all year, so it's not going to be a terrible burden to restitch now and then. My last project with V92 is only a year in so can't comment on whether it lasts longer, but it's certainly harder to use in a domestic machine and cost me my old machine!

So better to use V69 and expect to have to re-stitch sooner? That's what I have been doing.

Otherwise buy a heavier machine....

 

[Beneteau381]

So better to use V69 and expect to have to re-stitch sooner? That's what I have been doing.

Otherwise buy a heavier machine....

Havent you got a 201k? Ours has done the biz bootifully, albiet with a bit of fiddling to get things working at first.

 

[Poignard]

Havent you got a 201k? Ours has done the biz bootifully, albiet with a bit of fiddling to get things working at first.

I have a hand- cranked Singer 199K and an electric 401G.

The 401 does zigzag stitch. It has a problem with the foot control though. 2 speeds: flat out or stopped! ?

I like to see those Sailrite machines operating. They are so controllable that they can do a single stitch.

 

[lustyd]

So better to use V69 and expect to have to re-stitch sooner? That's what I have been doing.

Otherwise buy a heavier machine....

That's what I'd do until a bigger machine is an option. As I said though, my stitches were tight, just ugly. Lots of people do it and probably never even notice the bad stitching