Sailrite Sewing Machine

If you want your cover to look good, I highly recommend doing a fair bit of practice - ideally with the same or similar material as you plan to make the cover with.

My boat was on a mooring, so not many people saw it up close. I took it off to sail... so I didn't have to look at it either. Not that it was that bad.., it wasn't. I was actually proud of it. But if it had been, say a dodger, I would have wanted the stitching to look better.

If you are on a dock.., and your good friends walk by it every day on the way to their own boats, then you will probably be happier if it looks great.
 
Laser_310 said:
My daughters (young at the time) thought it was funny that their father had his own sewing machine.., mom doesn't have one and as far as I know couldn't use one if her life depended on it.
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Haha - same here. I'm the only one in the house with a working sewing machine.

one thing I didn't know about was the sticky tape that you can use to hold long seams together while they are fed into the machine.
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Yes, that's wonderful. But it does gum up the needles somewhat. I've known other people use staples, but you risk rust patches if you're not sufficiently diligent in removing them

I bought mine for sailmaking, but I'd better not mention that in the motorboat forum! But also various covers, and even the odd bit of clothing.
 
Laser_310 said:
I was clueless, and one thing I didn't know about was the sticky tape that you can use to hold long seams together while they are fed into the machine.
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Yep - I can't be without the double sided tape (Venture Tape - the trade calls it).
I use it everywhere.
Apart from getting the needle a little sticky, it does help to waterproof the stitches.
You buy Venture tape from the trade suppliers but you can get similar tape from Ebay here:-
Sailmakers double sided clear Acrylic basting tape for fabrics,canvas,sails. | eBay
I've been using the Ebay stuff and it works well.
Taping before sewing is a really good idea, it is the best way that I've found to hold the seams prior to sewing.
Originally, I found Venture tape when I was making spinnakers for my sailing dinghies.
The tape is so strong on spinnaker fabric that you don't even need to sew it afterwards!!
 
Bouba said:
If this thread goes silent for a long while, check on EBay ??
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Naw I'll buy it off you. Mates rates. I'd really love to be able to do my own canopies. The canopy I have now is great but the one I binned after two and half years, broke my heart. Saggy bits. To me canvas should be taut like it's pressurised within and yet clip down without effort. That takes some mad skills on a sport boat though.
 
BruceK said:
Naw I'll buy it off you. Mates rates. I'd really love to be able to do my own canopies. The canopy I have now is great but the one I binned after two and half years, broke my heart. Saggy bits. To me canvas should be taut like it's pressurised within and yet clip down without effort. That takes some mad skills on a sport boat though.
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Quoting you does not constitute a contract. But giving a ‘like’ does, so I didn’t
 
I guess the mates rates put you off. I'm not surprised to be honest. But give it several disasterous attempts and maybe you'll just give it to me so your shame doesn't just sit there and remind the wife ...
:p
 
You know that non stretch plastic sheeting @Hurricane used to template his decking? The sail makers that did my canopy used that or similar. I only mention it as a sport's canopy is quite large and required quite a few adjustments using tape alongside the marking pens to stitch bits together. I'd think tape would tear paper with the constant readjustments made alongside anything large and the paper tears under it's own size and weight. I was quite impressed with the way they shaped it and brought it taut so you could see exactly what the finished product would look and fit like. And it took them less than 2 hours to create an entire canopy with all seams, zips, windows, panels etc either shown or in it. Remarkable stuff.
 
You can buy what they call a patterning fabric. Sailrite seem to use Dura-Skrim. Maybe Fibretex is easier to find in the UK but I've often made do with the cheap blue tarpaulin fabric that you can find in any DIY store. It's quite non-stretch, cuts easily with scissors (they just slide through it) and marker pens work well on it.

This time last year I made a sprayhood and a full cockpit tent...

Photos show the cheap blue tarp stretched flat over double sided tape, just like they do in Sailrite videos.

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Martin_J said:
You can buy what they call a patterning fabric. Sailrite seem to use Dura-Skrim. Maybe Fibretex is easier to find in the UK but I've often made do with the cheap blue tarpaulin fabric that you can find in any DIY store. It's quite non-stretch, cuts easily with scissors (they just slide through it) and marker pens work well on it.

This time last year I made a sprayhood and a full cockpit tent...

Photos show the cheap blue tarp stretched flat over double sided tape, just like they do in Sailrite videos.

View attachment 111138

View attachment 111139
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That! Now you can be half confident you wont end up with the old man's baggy bottom trouser look.
 
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