Where to get a plain burgee?

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prv

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We took Kindred Spirit out for a first sail on Sunday, and while everything generally went well (barring slight fumblings over tacking with two headsails) we did miss the lack of any form of wind indication. A modern style windex would be a nonsense at the top of KS's timber mast; what we need is a burgee, and we have both the space and the halyard to hoist one.

What we don't have is a burgee itself. Well, strictly speaking I have an Old Gaffers one in the shed that came with the boat, but not being a member (yet?) I'm unwilling to use it. I'm not a member of any other burgee-wearing organisation either, so what I want is just a plain blue (for example) flag onna stick to show me where the wind is. Can I find one for sale? Can I buggery.

Clearly it's not the hardest thing in the world to make, but I'm not much of a one for sewing (repairing deep-sea trousers after gashing my leg on a split-pin is about it). I also don't have any suitable fabric or bamboo to hand.

Any ideas?

Pete
 
Sewing a burgee

Go on give it a go. If you can repair trousers a burgee will be easy. You will need a bit of rag. Old shirt or anything like that of suitable size. (rectangular) hem around 3 sides When you come to hem the last shorter side lay some cord about .5 metre into the hem. Sew it up then sew across the hem so you sew through the cord. The ends of the cord tie to the pole.A bit of dowelling or attach to a flag halyard.

However I have had a lot of success making windex type pointer. The last one was made of fibreglass (carbon fibre is best) A long section about 1 inch wide with a fine about 4 inches by 4 inches rising from one end. Perhaps 2 layers of glass cloth are laid over the fin and many layers are layed over the fuselage.
Lay the glass up on a piece of glass or plastic with wax on it. After a few layers of glass on the fuselage I layed in a piece of stainless steel tubing about 6mm outside diameter 2mm hole about 3/4 inch long, laeid at rightangles to the fuselage and about 2/3 of the way from the front 1/3 from the fin. Equal thickness of glass over and under the tubing bearing. The whole thing needs to be stiff enough but as light as possible.
The pointer is balanced with a little lead if necessary on the nose.
The mast was made of about 2.5 mm Stainless steel welding rod about 9 inches long. (do you like the mix of measuring units) I use little brass tubes with 2 screws set in sideways out of a chocolate block connector. One above and one below the pointer. the bottom of the mast is attached to the side of the boat's mast. good luck olewill
 
Visit your local sailmaker and ask for some offcuts froma spinnaker, in any colour he has, or you fancy. Cut to shape. Seal the edges with a small flame, glue to staff or around a bit of cord, and attach to a staff.

Without any club allegence, I'd go for a long (~1/10 boat length) streamer type burgee.
 
Get a dinghy burgee?

http://www.force4.co.uk/3148/Holt-Allen-Dinghy-Burgee---Yellow.html

890123.jpg
 
wind ind

carve one from a piece of scrap mahogany and then find a broken discarded windex type base then you have a nice bit of wood at the top
 
If you can't make one in an evening - including learning how the sewing machine works, or even sewing by hand I would be amazed.

If she is a traditional boat, why not go for a long, swallow-tailed ribbon style? The sort that is so often shown on galleons.
 
Searush said:
If you can't make one in an evening - including learning how the sewing machine works, or even sewing by hand I would be amazed.
Click to expand...

I don't have a sewing machine, so it'll be hand sewing.

I still don't have any suitable fabric. I have old T-shirts I use for rags, but that sort of material is too soft and stretchy.

I'm kind of tempted now to go for a St Piran's flag as a burgee, since she's a very Cornish boat and I was born there (though I wouldn't call myself Cornish per se since my parents only lived there a few years). Unless there's some reason that's ill-advised? I can buy square St Piran's crosses, but I really want a triangular one. I guess in extremis I could always cut down and re-hem a square one - at least then the black thread in my repair kit will match.

Pete
 
Searush said:
If she is a traditional boat, why not go for a long, swallow-tailed ribbon style? The sort that is so often shown on galleons.
Click to expand...

I agree those look great, however if the OP's objective is to show the wind direction unfortunately it probably wouldn't work well in light airs.

Bearing that requirement in mind I would also suggest the burgee be mounted on a wire on the pig-stick as described here: http://www.eventides.org.uk/burgee.htm
It has worked really well for me over the last couple of years, I wish I had done it years ago!
 
Suitable material? Go to a charity shop & ask to look in their "rags" bag. Old umbrella cover if you want black, or the lining off an old jacket, or cut up an old lightweight cagoule (Peter Storm type). Have a look in SWMBO's wardrobe for old blouses, or an old cotton shirt at a push.

Tell-tales? I tie a green bit of wool to the starboard shroud & a red bit to the port one. I also have black wool tacked into the luff of the main & the leech of the genoa.
 
Cheers! £20 seems a bit steep, but since I can't be arsed to make one myself I can hardly complain.

I would certainly be putting it on a bit of coathanger revolving round a bamboo stick, copying the Old Gaffers one I have.

Pete
 
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