copying a sail

[Bill Gordon]

I have a lot of experience in the auto/marine upholstery field and have done a fair amount of marine canvas work as well however I've never done sail work other than repairs. My old Hobie sails are about shot, my question is...If I were to take the sails apart and use them for patterns to make new ones (like I would with upholstery) can I expect decent results? My thinking is that the sails have stretched some and the patterns might not be accurate. I just sail the boat for fun and am not concerned about any race legal stuff. Thank's.

 

[Mike]

Sailrite

There is a catalog available for Sailrite, which sell sailcloth and has kits for sails for many different boats, including Hobie Cats. To contact them , call 800-348-2769 or go to www.sailrite.com

 

[Bill Colombo]

Sail Patterns

Bill, If you have a heavy duty machine you might be able to copy the old sail as far as finishings details etc., but to get the right shape you should use patterns made from a new sail or sail design. I wasn't aware that Sailrite sold kits but this might be the way to go. I think you'll find that building a sail is more complicated than it might appear.Bill ColomboDoyle Sailmakers