I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,

Try http://www.sailrite.com/

Thomas Wentworth wrote:
I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,




The machines he's talking about cost approx $1500.00
Fot the amount of sail repair you will encounter, I'd think getting
friendy with a good sailmaker may be more practical.

Don White wrote:



The machines he's talking about cost approx $1500.00
Fot the amount of sail repair you will encounter, I'd think getting
friendy with a good sailmaker may be more practical.


ooops... I must have been dreaming in Canadian dollars..........

Thomas Wentworth wrote:
I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,



Sailrite sells a very nice zig-zag, walking foot (the cloth is pulled
from both the top and bottom) machine for $600 to $950, depending on
options. This is sufficient for most basic canvas work, I've made a
storm sail, a riding sail, and various bits of canvas, plus assorted
repairs. This is not a true heavy duty machine that a canvas shop
would have, but its a good alternative thats a lot better than most
home machines for canvas work. Its sort of portable, and can be hand
cranked.

Several EBAY vendors sell the same machine for less - you might be
able to get one for $350, but then you don't get the various fixes by
Sailrite, and you miss out on great support. I went the EBAY route,
then got accessories (such as the big flywheel) from Sailrite.

However, if you've never used a sewing machine, you're probably better
off saving your money to pay the sail loft. Or at least you should
get a friend to help you with a small project to see if you have the
knack.

On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 14:39:58 -0500, Jeff wrote:

However, if you've never used a sewing machine, you're probably better
off saving your money to pay the sail loft. Or at least you should
get a friend to help you with a small project to see if you have the
knack.

The advantage for a low budget cruiser is that you can not only learn
how to make and repair your own canvas work, but there may be
opportunities to pick up extra cash here and there by doing the same
for others. Supposedly canvas work is one of the skills in high
demand in cruising ports, the other two being refrigeration and diesel
repair.

Around here in south Florida it can take months to get work scheduled.
It takes time and experience to get really good at it, and there is
more than just sewing skill involved. I've been told by those in the
business that pattern making and fitting are the most difficult skills
to learn (and hire).

Thomas Wentworth wrote:
I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,

i haven't tried to sew sails yet but i do have some experience sewing
other things. i learned a lot about sewing just by reading the
instruction manual for a cheap sewing machine i bought. then i learned
even more by taking some sewing lessons with the recreational
department of the city i live near. women at the fabric store know a
hell of a lot about this too and can help out. you do need special
machines to sew heavier things, and also special needles sometimes ...
for instance, if you want to sew leather you need a heavy duty machine,
and i suspect the same is true for canvas since it's pretty thick and
can be multiple layers near the edges of the sails. if it were me i'd
think twice before buying something that was sold specifically as a
sewing machine for sail making. there are plenty of heavy duty
"normal" sewing machines out there that you could use to sew canvas and
they would have a lot of extra features above and beyond a simple
zigzag sewing machine, i think it would be a better value than a "sail
makers" sewing machine.

Most repairs can be affected with a special grade (tubes) of "fast
Cure" 3M 5200 adhesive caulk. All you need is the dacron sail tape
in either 3" or 4" widths, a yard or two of Sunbrella in the typical
common colors, etc. etc. and some masking tape. I dont bother to carry
a sewing machine anymore, just a few tubes of Fast Cure 3M 5200 and
some 'remnants' of sail, etc. cloth, heavy waxed sail twine, sailmakers
hand needles and a 'sewing palm'.

If you have no experience in using such a machine, its best to 'start
out small' with a 'home zig zag machine' and make smalll repairs on
light weight cloth, etc. before investing in a 'good' sailmakers type
of machine .... no matter what the cost from ebay, etc.
g


In article _4gUf.1563$kB1.278@trndny07, Thomas Wentworth
wrote:

I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,

Don White wrote:
Thomas Wentworth wrote:
I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of
sailing yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that
sails, covers, dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat
owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are
good? Is this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,




The machines he's talking about cost approx $1500.00
Fot the amount of sail repair you will encounter, I'd think getting
friendy with a good sailmaker may be more practical.

As an ex-sewing factory manager/director, I heartilly endorse that!

The domestic machines might sew spinnaker nylon with reasonable care, but to
punch through 4 thicknesses of 15-oz Dacron you need a heavy industrial
machine. Heavy machines need a BIG motor, usually 3/4 Horsepower, and very
special thread.

Most of the boats on round-the-world races carry such equipment, but as you
know, they are sponsored, and money is no object.

BTW, these industrial machines run at 80 to 100 stiitches per second. Think
you could control a machine at that speed?

I had such a machine in my garage for years, and I still used a sailmaker!


Dennis.

On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 17:47:38 GMT, "Thomas Wentworth"
wrote:

I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.
I don't know anything about sewing machines.
Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Becoming independant and self sustaining, thats what cruising is about
IMO and a sewing machine helps a lot.
I talked to a retired sewing machine mechanic/distributor and he
advised me to look for a Pfaff 360. A few months later I bought a
Pfaff 360 in very good shape for 150 euro's. In the old days sewing
machines were manufactered like they had to last for decades and guess
what, they do.
Needle pressure and zizag stitches are a must for sailcloth and that
can easily be tested. I bought sailcloth and thread at the local
sailmaker.

The only thing is that the arm off the Pfaff or any other heavy duty
"family-machine" is a bit short for big sails. When the damage is
located in the centre of my 55m2 main I probably can't reach the spot
and I will have to make the repair manually and look for a sailmaker
lateron. IMO chances are you will have more damage and wear at the
edges/eyes/top, etc.

Fair winds, Len.