Quickie
12-22-2003, 06:11 PM
Like I have mentioned in reply to another thread on Sailmaking this is one of those areas, like rigging, where a great deal of voodoo magic is attributed to the topic. some of it is undoubtedly
our own fears of something that seems "too specialized" and a large portion the wives' tales and BS spread around by those who have money
to make on us or are afraid to admit their own fear of an unknown project.
WHY MAKE YOUR OWN SAILS
i can give a few compelling reasons-
the first, and biggest one is cost savings. the difference between one i build and one i could buy is staggering. by building your own,
you spend only 30-40% the price of store bought for essentially the same product.
THE SAME PRODUCT?
pretty much, yep. the days of the sailmaker excercising majic juju on the cutting floor
are long, long past. nowadays most everyone uses one of a handful of software programs to design your sail all or in large part. the cloth
is then cut on a plotter, which even etches the alignment marks for each panel, the overlap marks at the seams, the reef points...you get
the idea. most small and medium sized lofts do not own this equipment, so guess what? they send away for the material to be cut.
worse yet in a sense, many lofts just send off for the sail to be made somewhere that labor is cheap and then simply sell it to you. i
am not faulting anyone for trying to make a living here, just making a point.
most folk go to a sailmaker with little or no idea what they want, and let it be designed for them. to make your own, it is important to
know at least in rough layman's terms what you want and be able to communicate it. the concepts aren't particularly tough, and there are
many books which discuss sail design. jim grant's in particular are excellent, as are any writings by arvel gentry you can lay hands on.
IF YOU SAIL ENGINELESS: EVEN ABOVE COST SAVINGS, THE MOST COMPELLING ARGUMENT OF ALL IN MY
BOOK.
most lofts, like most sailing folk, do not understand what the performance considerations of an engineless boat really are. you get
to choose between expensive, fragile modern racing sails and so-called cruising sails which are generally way too heavy and ridiculously full cut. my sailboat had a nearly new main from a loft
famous for their cruising sails. it was soo baggy you could sit on the boom! you certainly couldn't point with the thing, and it took 10 knots just to get the wrinkles out. i recut the foot to flatten it as much as i could, and it helped a great deal, but it was still awfully full and would no draw better if it wasn't so heavy. what we really want would be something akin to a racing sail of 30 years ago. in terms of a main, this generally means a fairly fine entry with a moderate draft which is greatest about 1/3 the way back, and a stretchy foot. i think the full battened thing is probably not a good idea for a working sail. remember, our boats are working boats in the greatest sense. we have more in common in many ways with a fisher than a yacht...but we need to HAUL ASS. unless your boat was so designed, don't let anyone talk you into the battenless idea (I'm meaning short battens here - full battens are a pain in the backside and have no place on a sailboat in my opinion) or any of this loose footed nonsense unless you don't really care about performance above a reach.
THAT MUCH SAID, LET'S CARRY ON...
WHAT WE NEED NOW IS SOMEONE TO DESIGN OUR SAIL TO OUR GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS AND SUPPLY US WITH A COMPLETE MATERIALS KIT TO ASSEMBLE.
one word. sailrite. sailrite have been in this business for an incredibly long time, and are an excellent company to deal with. their catalog is free and is also available online. the website has a great deal of helpful info and articles, including everything you need to know to hotrod a home machine. this is pretty generous from a
company that sells specialized machines, and may give you an idea about the integrity of the outfit.
you call 'em up, and give them the measurements they ask for, then specify any particular requests you may have and any add-ons in terms
of heavier cloth, extra reef points, etc. if you need advice or have a special need, you will end up speaking with a very experienced sail
designer in person at no additional charge, who will MAKE SURE you get what you are after. cool.
NOW, LET'S KILL SOME MYTHS.
MYTH #1-HOMEMADE SAILS LOOK CRAPPY AND ARE NOT AS GOOD AS STORE
BOUGHT.
ha. they COULD look crappy, but if one follows the directions and does a good job of it--which isn't that tough--they're great. the sails are professionally designed to YOUR needs and basic specs., and the materials are supplied just like to the lofts. again, all you have to do is communicate your needs when you order the kit. then you have to try at it...you will have an occasional crooked stitch or something, but that's ok--it doesn't hurt the sail any. LEGENDARY
aerodynamicist, sail trim guru and bay area racing legend arvel gentry has built his own from sailrite kits for years.
MYTH #2-YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SEW.
absoloutely not. putting together a sail is about using a machine and tools like anything else. the machine is pretty simple, and you catch on fast. i can sew sails just fine-covers and web gear too. i would never try to sew a shirt, and i still hem my pants with tape. i've seen several people learn how in a hurry, myself ncluded...and i've been involved in the construction of a reasonable number at this point and all have worked really really well and looked smart too.
MYTH #3-YOU MUST HAVE A SPECIAL MACHINE.
an industrial machine is very nice, but this is just more b.s. all a person needs is heavy old home machine from the yard sale or thrift store. you want as much weight as you can find, and the
biggest flywheel you can find. the machine needs to zigzag. open it
up, clean it and oil it well; then go to the sailrite site and avail yourself of the tricks and info for adjusting and hotrodding it for
best performance on sail work. machines with any notable amount of plastic, and machines with a slanted needle post do not make it.
MYTH #4-YOU NEED A BIG FLOOR
hah! again, it's a nice thing to have. all that is really needed is a floorspace that is about 5 feet wide and a couple of feet longer than
the foot of the sail. it can be done is less length, too, but it gets a bit awkward. i do know a guy who built a very nice 150% headsail
for a 27 footer in a 12x12' room!
SSSHHH! BIG SECRET!
things will go a lot smoother if you change needles as soon as the going starts to get tough. also, hose down the threadcone with regular silicone spray lubricant from the hardware store. makes a BIG
difference. as the cone goes down, hose it again to get it good and soaked all the way in.
OOPS, I FORGOT ONE--MYTH #5: YOU'LL RUIN THE MACHINE.
more bull. as long as it is sturdy, an old home machine will go and go and go. one guy i know wel his machine has been through 14 sails and counting and is still going strong. again, you want a heavy old beater, a beast like mom or
grandma might have had.
WHAT DO I NEED, AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
--THE MACHINE, OF COURSE.
someone gave me mine, but i see them all the time betwenn 25 and 40 bucks.
--THE SAILRITE CATALOG!-NOT JUST A CATALOG, IT IS A HOW-TO WITH PICTURES AND MUCH USEFUL INFO.
check the project/vendor links on this group.
--NEEDLES
#16 general purpose, and a few #18's
--THREAD STAND (OPTIONAL)
nice to have, but a bent coathanger will suffice until you get sick
of it.
--ZIPPER FOOT FOR MACHINE
a must have for the boltropes, available at the friendly sewing store or from sailrite. if your machine comes with a box of goobers, you'll
probably have one already.
--SEAM RIPPER
as ye sew, so shall ye rip.
i've yet to see one that isn't crappy and won't break, so get a
couple-the cheaper the better (the 5.00 ones die just as fast as the 2.00 ones). from your friendly fabric store or sailrite.
--HAND PALM, HAND NEEDLES, AND SAIL TWINE
sailrite items. get at least the mid-priced palm, as the el cheapo ones are uncomfortable and were apparently patterned from a rather disfigured hand as best i can tell. the english needles are the best,and get a good number as they do break. dritz sell a "repair needle assortment" which you see in a lot of boating catalogs...they're
crap, and do not get the job done at all. maybe to fix a sailbag, i
dunno.
--HOLE PUNCH AND GROMMET SET FOR THE LUFF GROMMETS AND REEF POINTS
sailrite sell these pretty inexspensively, and you gotta have 'em. if unsure the right size, they can tell you. there are large and costly
grommet sets for the tack and clew grommets, but these can also be either hand sewn or webbed on with excellent and durable result. i'm
inclined to think the lofts use pressed grommets because they are spiffy looking and take 15 seconds each as opposed to 15 minutes.
--OTHER THINGS YOU PROBABLY OWN ALREADY
25' TAPE MEASURE
SCISSORS
RAZOR BLADES
HAMMER
VISE GRIPS
CENTER PUNCH
SO, HOW MUCH TO GET SET UP?
IF YOU SHOP SMART, AROUND 100.00., ASSUMING YOU ALREADY HAVE THE THINGS I THINK YOU DO.
CANVAS WORK
think of it--cushion covers you like, canvas gear and window screens that actually fit, custom bags for all the gear... the same machine and tools will do this for you, too.
WEB AND HARNESS GEAR--JACKLINES, TETHERS, YOU NAME IT.
A DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY FROM ME, TOO.
sailrite have excellent instructions for making such things. here is the rub: they recommend v-92 weight thread, when the most your machine may handle is likely v-69 (the next size down).
here we go. i am not an engineer, nor am i a professional canvas guy,a professional rigger or whatever. i am not telling anyone how to
make their safety gear--that's up to you. for my own, i allow twice the overlap(and hence, stitching) area and do it with v-69. i make
sure i do a clean job of it, and i trust my own and my family's lives to it with personal confidence. i'm not encouraging anyone else to do
that, okay?
SOME RECOMMENDED READING:
YEAH, THE SAILRITE CATALOG--AND THE WEBSITE...SOME OF THE BEST TIPS
AREN'T IN THE PAPER ONE.
ANY SAILMAKING, DESIGN OR REPAIR BOOK BY JIM GRANT
ANY ARTICLES BY ARVEL GENTRY YOU CAN FIND ONLINE OR IN BOOKS
"THE BEST OF SAIL TRIM"--BOOK OF ARTICLES FROM SAIL
"THE COMPLETE CANVASWORKER'S GUIDE"--JIM GRANT
"WIND AND TIDE"--JEROME W. FITZGERALD
i hope this stuff helps or inspires...i have found this to be one of the avenues to affordability of my dreams and goals, and it was an intimidating thing until i just did it. if i can, so can anyone.
[ 12-22-2003, 07:57 PM: Message edited by: Quickie ]
our own fears of something that seems "too specialized" and a large portion the wives' tales and BS spread around by those who have money
to make on us or are afraid to admit their own fear of an unknown project.
WHY MAKE YOUR OWN SAILS
i can give a few compelling reasons-
the first, and biggest one is cost savings. the difference between one i build and one i could buy is staggering. by building your own,
you spend only 30-40% the price of store bought for essentially the same product.
THE SAME PRODUCT?
pretty much, yep. the days of the sailmaker excercising majic juju on the cutting floor
are long, long past. nowadays most everyone uses one of a handful of software programs to design your sail all or in large part. the cloth
is then cut on a plotter, which even etches the alignment marks for each panel, the overlap marks at the seams, the reef points...you get
the idea. most small and medium sized lofts do not own this equipment, so guess what? they send away for the material to be cut.
worse yet in a sense, many lofts just send off for the sail to be made somewhere that labor is cheap and then simply sell it to you. i
am not faulting anyone for trying to make a living here, just making a point.
most folk go to a sailmaker with little or no idea what they want, and let it be designed for them. to make your own, it is important to
know at least in rough layman's terms what you want and be able to communicate it. the concepts aren't particularly tough, and there are
many books which discuss sail design. jim grant's in particular are excellent, as are any writings by arvel gentry you can lay hands on.
IF YOU SAIL ENGINELESS: EVEN ABOVE COST SAVINGS, THE MOST COMPELLING ARGUMENT OF ALL IN MY
BOOK.
most lofts, like most sailing folk, do not understand what the performance considerations of an engineless boat really are. you get
to choose between expensive, fragile modern racing sails and so-called cruising sails which are generally way too heavy and ridiculously full cut. my sailboat had a nearly new main from a loft
famous for their cruising sails. it was soo baggy you could sit on the boom! you certainly couldn't point with the thing, and it took 10 knots just to get the wrinkles out. i recut the foot to flatten it as much as i could, and it helped a great deal, but it was still awfully full and would no draw better if it wasn't so heavy. what we really want would be something akin to a racing sail of 30 years ago. in terms of a main, this generally means a fairly fine entry with a moderate draft which is greatest about 1/3 the way back, and a stretchy foot. i think the full battened thing is probably not a good idea for a working sail. remember, our boats are working boats in the greatest sense. we have more in common in many ways with a fisher than a yacht...but we need to HAUL ASS. unless your boat was so designed, don't let anyone talk you into the battenless idea (I'm meaning short battens here - full battens are a pain in the backside and have no place on a sailboat in my opinion) or any of this loose footed nonsense unless you don't really care about performance above a reach.
THAT MUCH SAID, LET'S CARRY ON...
WHAT WE NEED NOW IS SOMEONE TO DESIGN OUR SAIL TO OUR GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS AND SUPPLY US WITH A COMPLETE MATERIALS KIT TO ASSEMBLE.
one word. sailrite. sailrite have been in this business for an incredibly long time, and are an excellent company to deal with. their catalog is free and is also available online. the website has a great deal of helpful info and articles, including everything you need to know to hotrod a home machine. this is pretty generous from a
company that sells specialized machines, and may give you an idea about the integrity of the outfit.
you call 'em up, and give them the measurements they ask for, then specify any particular requests you may have and any add-ons in terms
of heavier cloth, extra reef points, etc. if you need advice or have a special need, you will end up speaking with a very experienced sail
designer in person at no additional charge, who will MAKE SURE you get what you are after. cool.
NOW, LET'S KILL SOME MYTHS.
MYTH #1-HOMEMADE SAILS LOOK CRAPPY AND ARE NOT AS GOOD AS STORE
BOUGHT.
ha. they COULD look crappy, but if one follows the directions and does a good job of it--which isn't that tough--they're great. the sails are professionally designed to YOUR needs and basic specs., and the materials are supplied just like to the lofts. again, all you have to do is communicate your needs when you order the kit. then you have to try at it...you will have an occasional crooked stitch or something, but that's ok--it doesn't hurt the sail any. LEGENDARY
aerodynamicist, sail trim guru and bay area racing legend arvel gentry has built his own from sailrite kits for years.
MYTH #2-YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SEW.
absoloutely not. putting together a sail is about using a machine and tools like anything else. the machine is pretty simple, and you catch on fast. i can sew sails just fine-covers and web gear too. i would never try to sew a shirt, and i still hem my pants with tape. i've seen several people learn how in a hurry, myself ncluded...and i've been involved in the construction of a reasonable number at this point and all have worked really really well and looked smart too.
MYTH #3-YOU MUST HAVE A SPECIAL MACHINE.
an industrial machine is very nice, but this is just more b.s. all a person needs is heavy old home machine from the yard sale or thrift store. you want as much weight as you can find, and the
biggest flywheel you can find. the machine needs to zigzag. open it
up, clean it and oil it well; then go to the sailrite site and avail yourself of the tricks and info for adjusting and hotrodding it for
best performance on sail work. machines with any notable amount of plastic, and machines with a slanted needle post do not make it.
MYTH #4-YOU NEED A BIG FLOOR
hah! again, it's a nice thing to have. all that is really needed is a floorspace that is about 5 feet wide and a couple of feet longer than
the foot of the sail. it can be done is less length, too, but it gets a bit awkward. i do know a guy who built a very nice 150% headsail
for a 27 footer in a 12x12' room!
SSSHHH! BIG SECRET!
things will go a lot smoother if you change needles as soon as the going starts to get tough. also, hose down the threadcone with regular silicone spray lubricant from the hardware store. makes a BIG
difference. as the cone goes down, hose it again to get it good and soaked all the way in.
OOPS, I FORGOT ONE--MYTH #5: YOU'LL RUIN THE MACHINE.
more bull. as long as it is sturdy, an old home machine will go and go and go. one guy i know wel his machine has been through 14 sails and counting and is still going strong. again, you want a heavy old beater, a beast like mom or
grandma might have had.
WHAT DO I NEED, AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
--THE MACHINE, OF COURSE.
someone gave me mine, but i see them all the time betwenn 25 and 40 bucks.
--THE SAILRITE CATALOG!-NOT JUST A CATALOG, IT IS A HOW-TO WITH PICTURES AND MUCH USEFUL INFO.
check the project/vendor links on this group.
--NEEDLES
#16 general purpose, and a few #18's
--THREAD STAND (OPTIONAL)
nice to have, but a bent coathanger will suffice until you get sick
of it.
--ZIPPER FOOT FOR MACHINE
a must have for the boltropes, available at the friendly sewing store or from sailrite. if your machine comes with a box of goobers, you'll
probably have one already.
--SEAM RIPPER
as ye sew, so shall ye rip.
i've yet to see one that isn't crappy and won't break, so get a
couple-the cheaper the better (the 5.00 ones die just as fast as the 2.00 ones). from your friendly fabric store or sailrite.
--HAND PALM, HAND NEEDLES, AND SAIL TWINE
sailrite items. get at least the mid-priced palm, as the el cheapo ones are uncomfortable and were apparently patterned from a rather disfigured hand as best i can tell. the english needles are the best,and get a good number as they do break. dritz sell a "repair needle assortment" which you see in a lot of boating catalogs...they're
crap, and do not get the job done at all. maybe to fix a sailbag, i
dunno.
--HOLE PUNCH AND GROMMET SET FOR THE LUFF GROMMETS AND REEF POINTS
sailrite sell these pretty inexspensively, and you gotta have 'em. if unsure the right size, they can tell you. there are large and costly
grommet sets for the tack and clew grommets, but these can also be either hand sewn or webbed on with excellent and durable result. i'm
inclined to think the lofts use pressed grommets because they are spiffy looking and take 15 seconds each as opposed to 15 minutes.
--OTHER THINGS YOU PROBABLY OWN ALREADY
25' TAPE MEASURE
SCISSORS
RAZOR BLADES
HAMMER
VISE GRIPS
CENTER PUNCH
SO, HOW MUCH TO GET SET UP?
IF YOU SHOP SMART, AROUND 100.00., ASSUMING YOU ALREADY HAVE THE THINGS I THINK YOU DO.
CANVAS WORK
think of it--cushion covers you like, canvas gear and window screens that actually fit, custom bags for all the gear... the same machine and tools will do this for you, too.
WEB AND HARNESS GEAR--JACKLINES, TETHERS, YOU NAME IT.
A DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY FROM ME, TOO.
sailrite have excellent instructions for making such things. here is the rub: they recommend v-92 weight thread, when the most your machine may handle is likely v-69 (the next size down).
here we go. i am not an engineer, nor am i a professional canvas guy,a professional rigger or whatever. i am not telling anyone how to
make their safety gear--that's up to you. for my own, i allow twice the overlap(and hence, stitching) area and do it with v-69. i make
sure i do a clean job of it, and i trust my own and my family's lives to it with personal confidence. i'm not encouraging anyone else to do
that, okay?
SOME RECOMMENDED READING:
YEAH, THE SAILRITE CATALOG--AND THE WEBSITE...SOME OF THE BEST TIPS
AREN'T IN THE PAPER ONE.
ANY SAILMAKING, DESIGN OR REPAIR BOOK BY JIM GRANT
ANY ARTICLES BY ARVEL GENTRY YOU CAN FIND ONLINE OR IN BOOKS
"THE BEST OF SAIL TRIM"--BOOK OF ARTICLES FROM SAIL
"THE COMPLETE CANVASWORKER'S GUIDE"--JIM GRANT
"WIND AND TIDE"--JEROME W. FITZGERALD
i hope this stuff helps or inspires...i have found this to be one of the avenues to affordability of my dreams and goals, and it was an intimidating thing until i just did it. if i can, so can anyone.
[ 12-22-2003, 07:57 PM: Message edited by: Quickie ]