Sail pack material question

[icarusbop]

Hello:

My mainsail has a sailpack fitted to the boom.
The sail pack consists of some nice red canvas sides stitched on to a white material strip in the middle. This white strip is the bit that wraps around the bolt rope and slides inside the boom (with the sail) when fitted.

The white strip is all tattered and torn and needs replacing, it seems to be some kind of nylon material, but I cannot identify it, please can anyone advise what material and weight is recommended for this?

regards:

Icarusbop

 

[alahol2]

On my stackpack it's just a strip of Dacron sailcloth, not even particularly heavy. Take a small sample to your local sailmaker and he's liable to have an offcut in his bin.

 

[Ruffles]

Hello:
The white strip is all tattered and torn and needs replacing, it seems to be some kind of nylon material, but I cannot identify it, please can anyone advise what material and weight is recommended for this?

I think a lot of people use sailcloth because it's slippery and UV resistant. I just used the canvas on mine cos I'm lazy.
Your problem is going to be getting hold of a long strip without ending up with a huge offcut.
Might be cheaper to pop round a local sailmaker. You'll need UV resistant thread as well...

 

[[3889]]

A strip of old Laser sail in mine

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

When I made such a pack for my previous boat I used Sunbrella and made the cover in one piece. The material went easily round the boltrope and was a comfortable fit in the groove of the boom. This system made for less machine time and solved the problem of sourcing a long unbroken strip.

 

[vyv_cox]

You'll need UV resistant thread as well...

Because we sail in the Med we thought UV resistant thread would be a good idea. For our stackpack it cost an additional £75. So now we expect the material to disintegrate, leaving all the stitching behind.

 

[pcatterall]

I think a lot of people use sailcloth because it's slippery and UV resistant. I just used the canvas on mine cos I'm lazy.
Your problem is going to be getting hold of a long strip without ending up with a huge offcut.
Might be cheaper to pop round a local sailmaker. You'll need UV resistant thread as well...

Not a lot of sun getting to the 'bolt rope strip' ?? . using canvas should be fine PROVIDED there is room in the groove.

 

[TQA]

Because we sail in the Med we thought UV resistant thread would be a good idea. For our stackpack it cost an additional £75. So now we expect the material to disintegrate, leaving all the stitching behind.

£75 That's about the price for a full 8 oz cone or 1,600 yards of the good stuff.

 

[GrahamM376]

Talk to Profabrics, this may well be what you're looking for - http://www.profabrics.co.uk/product...E/Webbing-&-Tape-Marine/Binding-&-Edging-Tape

 

[vyv_cox]

£75 That's about the price for a full 8 oz cone or 1,600 yards of the good stuff.

When I queried it Rob Kemp told me it is difficult to work with, hence the high figure.

 

[Ruffles]

Because we sail in the Med we thought UV resistant thread would be a good idea. For our stackpack it cost an additional £75. So now we expect the material to disintegrate, leaving all the stitching behind.

I just replaced the drawcord tube on some Lewmar hatch covers I made five or six years ago. I started unpicking the stitching but discovered I could just about rip the V69 thread. It would have lasted a few more years I guess. (Not so the drawcord edging which I foolishly made from sail bag cloth)

 

[GrahamM376]

£75 That's about the price for a full 8 oz cone or 1,600 yards of the good stuff.

It's not that expensive - http://www.solentsew.co.uk/products/Thread-V92-Black-UV-4oz.html

 

[vyv_cox]

It's not that expensive - http://www.solentsew.co.uk/products/Thread-V92-Black-UV-4oz.html

I understand that the best stuff, which I think we have, is PTFE, not polyester. One price I have found is $200 per reel, considerably more than polyester. See http://www.qualitythread.com/products-SolarFix.htm. However, I didn't buy a reel of it, I bought it as a manufactured component of a stack pack.

 

[TQA]

It's not that expensive - http://www.solentsew.co.uk/products/Thread-V92-Black-UV-4oz.html

I don't think that is the real good stuff called Tenara'

Tenara® Lifetime Guaranteed Thread features unique fluoropolymer fiber construction that extends the life of fabric seams and ultimately the products in which it is used. GORE™ Tenara has high strength and durability that for over ten years has proven to be unaffected by exposure to UV rays, cleaning agents, pollution, saltwater, air, rain, and snow.
Great for outdoor, awning, and marine applications, Tenara thread will not rot if left outside all year round. Remains colorfast even in extreme temperatures and frost. Although more expensive, Tenara is a greater value than other polyester threads when considering life span and re-stitching costs. Choose Tenara thread to improve the performance of outdoor fabrics where seam life and integrity are of the utmost importance.
Tenara M1000 is similar in weight to V-92. Use a smaller than normal needle (#16 or #14) to hold thread in proper loop and to create smaller holes that prevent fabric leakage. Tenara sews very well and does not require as much upper tension as normal polyester thread.

The Sailrite price for it is $129 US for 8 oz.

 

[Resolution]

On my mainsail stackpack it has always been a tough task to feed the bolt rope along the boom track without ripping the stackpack wraparound. Much sweating and swearing! So two years ago we fitted the mainsail loose footed and located the stackpack into the track with a smaller length of line. Easy as chips and the mainsail sets better as well!

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

IMHO using a thread that 'lasts forever' for stitching canvas or Sunbrella is like "Buying Cadillac parts for a Ford", if I may borrow an expression that is used on the other side.

 

[GrahamM376]

IMHO using a thread that 'lasts forever' for stitching canvas or Sunbrella is like "Buying Cadillac parts for a Ford", if I may borrow an expression that is used on the other side.

It's surprising just how quickly the thread rots in the sun, the fabric far outlasts it. Tenara sounds very interesting but haven't yet found a UK stockist.

 

[TQA]

IMHO using a thread that 'lasts forever' for stitching canvas or Sunbrella is like "Buying Cadillac parts for a Ford", if I may borrow an expression that is used on the other side.

Well I wish the person who did my canvas work including the sacrificial strip on the genoa had used something like Tenara. My dodger, bimini, stackpack and genoa have all required extensive restitching.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Well, all I can say is that I am in the Central Mediterranean and I have always used polyester for stitching Sunbrella. Never had any problems. Perhaps it's the thickness of the thread? It is definitely much easier to sew when using the thinner stuff...but it doesn't last as long.

 

[vyv_cox]

Well, all I can say is that I am in the Central Mediterranean and I have always used polyester for stitching Sunbrella. Never had any problems. Perhaps it's the thickness of the thread? It is definitely much easier to sew when using the thinner stuff...but it doesn't last as long.

In the Med for the last ten years, had the sails when we arrived, hood about six years, bimini about eight. None left up in winter and a couple of recent seasons have been quite short. Every one has been restitched to some extent, sails taken home and done professionally but the other two by us. Covers over hatches completely remade due to total failure of the stitching but the canvas is an ancient mainsail cover that we have had for years.