Reeds Sailmaker Sewing Machine

[Stingo]

I've found a 2nd hand one that looks in good nick and has a brand new motor. It also has a winding handle for when you're not plugged into shorepower. How much should I offer for it?

 

[sarabande]

One went for about £135 on ebay a couple of months ago. Missed it; b*gger.

I'll buy it if you can drop it in to the UK when you're passing by /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[oldvarnish]

More recently a decent one went for £350. I recently paid £450 (not on ebay) but the machine was in superb conx with spares and manual)

 

[Stingo]

PM sent

 

[Poignard]

What is the difference between a sailmaking sewing machine and one for making tents, for example? [or clothes to fit me].

What I'm driving at, is that the price of anything with a marine connection seems to get hiked up and maybe any long arm machine would do for sailmaking and might be cheaper.

 

[Oliveoyl]

You'd need an industrial - type domestic machine to get through multiple layers of canvas. My normal domestic can do denim (with the right needle), but the motor acts very strained at more than 2 layers

 

[Spicemariner]

Depends, my normal sewing machine has electronically controlled motor. It can sew thought 6/7 layers of canvas, 6 easy, 7 it thinks about it. Reeds machine is pretty bullet proof though and you don't need electricity but they are ever so heavy and unless you are going into business, I reckon a domestic one will do for most repairs.

 

[KellysEye]

To pierce multiple layers of boat canvas or sailcloth takes serious power and you need a steel bodied machine that doesn't flex. That takes out most modern domestic machines. Visit any sail loft and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Poignard]

Yes but I wasn't comparing a sailmaker's machine with a domestic one. I was just wondering what machine tilt and tentmakers, who also stitch heavy canvas, use and is it different from a sailmaker's machine.

Just idle curiosity, that's all!

 

[fudge]

I am afraid that Reads Sailmakers are very expensive affairs, even now normally sell for about $150. Indeed, one even went for £350 on e-bay recently.
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Back in the sixties in Southampton, Kevin Read realised that the Japanese Riccar 603 offered heavy duty, even sailmaking capabilities and that there was a market opportunity retailing these machines to sailors. He brought onto the market the Reads Sailmaker, a clone of the Riccar 603. Later on, the American Sailrite company produced the Yachtsman, based on the Riccar 601. All these machines are available second hand and parts can be got for them from Sailrite or from their UK distributors SolentSew.

Unfortunately, all these machines command a high re-sale value and are much sought after. There is a little more good news. The frame upon which all these machines was based upon was used by many other manufacturers. They can all be adapted to work heavy duty materials with parts available from Sailrite. The machines can be identified by the marks on the underside of the frame. They are: JA 38 (transfer) JC-36 (engraved) and a lower case s superimposed over an upper case Z (cast).

Our machine is one of these, a Speed Queen, in attractive 1960s launderette colours. It has happily managed general canvas work, the making of a canopy and replacing UV strips.

It is well worth scouring second hand shops for hese machines, equally capable as the Reds and normally selling for betwen £20-50.

 

[KellysEye]

I assume you are talking about commercial size tents (e.g. circus), in which case they must be using steel framed machines. For the small tents, with thin nylon fabric, a domestic machine would do it. In fact it is very difficult to sew thin fabrics with a steel framed machine.

 

[Stingo]

In the end, I offered them the equivalent of £100 and they nearly snatched my arm off. I still think that I got myself a bargain.

If anyone (besides oldvarnish - coz he hasn't replied to my PM) has a manual for a Reeds Sailmaker, please would you scan it and email it to me?

Thanks.

 

[sailorgirl]

As a student in the lace-making city of Nottingham many years ago I acquired a 2nd hand Singer machine - standard domestic but with a heavy duty motor (and a number of attachments who's use remains a mystery to me 30 years later). Its nothing fancy but it does straight lines fast and more than copes with canvas work.

 

[fudge]

Stingo,

If you go to the Sailrite website, www.sailrite.com. You can purchase the Sailrite Yachtmaster manual for $29.95.

The Sailrite Yachtmaster is identical to the Reeds Sailmaker, but, their manual is a thousand times better than the Reeds version being virtually a workshop manual and giving real advice on setting up the machine and explains the arcane art of timing in some details.

They used to allow you to download this free of charge but now they make you pay for it. I'd give you a copy of mine but it's in Turkey and I am in Hampshire for the next few months.

 

[Stingo]

Thanks for that Fudge, but oldvarnish has now replied to the PM I sent him and he has offered to make a photocopy of his manual and then post it to me.