DIY Canvas

[Cpt. Jon]

Hello,

There have been some questions regarding canvas on here and people have been directed to this sites shop and sailrite.com. I purchased a premeasured Bimini for our H25.5 from sailboatowners.com shop in the past and we are very happy with it.

That said, we are hoping to buy a "new to us" 1981 H30. The current owners said that they have the bows and hardware for an old bimini that they had but the canvas is kaputt..actually I think it's gone. I know people do their own canvas and I'm wondering how hard it is to do a good job that looks good? The price of a bimini and dodger is pretty steep for us and it looks like going through sailrite to get all the hardware might be a good project and save a lot of money. I also think about the flexibility in being able to make the dodger and bimini and later adding on more pieces to make a full cockpit encloser.

I'd love to hear from anyone that has done their own and if you have some pictures I'd love to see them if you wouldn't mind sharing.

thanks!

Jon

 

[Stu Jackson]

It all depends on how good you think you can get

Really, many of us are born with eight thumbs and no fingers and can't figure out the right end of a screwdriver! Others don't have green thumbs - one of my wife's friend can kill a plant just by walking into the same room!

OTOH, I didn't know squat about diesels and electrical systems on boats, but when we bought our boat 11 years ago, I started learning. And some people still have "the yard" do all their work (and many then do nothing but complain about it - go figure).

Many have found doing their own DIY is satisfying and enjoyable.

A friend has documented some of his work here: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4779.0.html

He didn't know which end of a needle to use before he started.

You CAN do it! Just remember, like everything else in life, practice, practice, practice, first.

 

[Ross]

There are two books on boat canvas in my collection: "The Big Book of Boat Canvas" by Karen Lipe and the one published by Sailrite By Jim Grant. In any case I would start with sewing projects that don't matter, canvas bags and totes are always good learning projects and you can't be a complete failure on those. As you gain confidence then you can get into more demanding jobs like cushions or re-upholstering kitchen chairs. Find favric wherever you can. Thrown away sofas are a good source of large pieces of fabric. The backs are as good as new and now stretched out of straight.

 

[Joseph Shirley]

Jim Grant, the owner of Sailrite, has published a book "The Complete Canvasworker's Guide" which will tell you just how to go about it, plus a lot of other things. I have made three dodgers for different boats and it's a lot of work bur if your careful it can be successful and rewarding. You should however plan on getting access to a commercial machine since Sombrella Fabric is plunge sensitive (it shrinks along the stitch line) so professionals use a longer stitch (fewer stitches to the inch) than can be made by a home machine. I would also recommend the use of Gortex thread (TENARA Thread) which is guaranteed against sun rot. Normal thread rots away long before the fabric has to be replaced.

All my canvas has been done by me so I include a pict

Good Luck

Joe S

 

[Bad Obsession]

What type of sewing machine do you need to sew canvas projects? Do you need a heavy duty one or a normal one?

 

[Ed Schenck]

My Sailrite bimini is eight years old and still keeps me dry. It was my first serious sewing project and if you look really close you can tell it was made by and amateur. Part of the problem is that some of the sewing is as much as six layers of sunbrella. You really need a machine with a walking foot for that kind of work. My machine had no problem with the thickness but it was up to me to help pull the fabric through. I'll probably do it again if this one ever gives up. But with a better machine.

But you said that the frame was already on the boat? You can purchase the Sailrite bimini kit without the frame. I have both of the books that Ross mentioned and have made several smaller things like winch covers and hatch covers. I even made my own cockpit cushions. Now there is a project better left to the pros.

 

[Ross]

Some of the old Singers and Whites will sew six layers of jeans. The newer ones are lighter duty. I have a portable singer that must weigh 35 pounds and it does fine on most canvas but about 10 stitches per inch are the longest stitch I can get.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I would think that the books mentioned

plus Don Casey's "This Old Boat" cover the type of machine that is required to stitch Sunbrella fabric.

 

[Hermit Scott]

What is the cheapest place online to buy real sunbrella fabric? I am going to attempt to replace my bimini and then the mainsail cover. I figure at worst, it will look good from a distance.
I am going to look on craigs list to try to find an old commercial sewing machine. If I can't find one, I may buy the commercial one from harbor freight, and get a 2 year warranty.
Cpt. Jon one thing you have working against you is you don't have the old one for a pattern. If you can get your hands on the old one I think it will make things much easier.

 

[lehighsail]

I have done some canvas repairs and some projects like winch covers and a cover for the lifesling etc. Doing canvas work is like sailing, I guess. It is very easy to do but very difficult to do well. Practice the exact stitch you are going to use on scraps of Sunbrella. Make a pattern from cheap muslin fabric or even paper. After the canvas is cut, make the hems and attach the pieces you are about to sew with a stapler. After stitching is complete, just take out them out. Use sharp or new needles frequently. I use a Sears 16231 machine that has a needle threader which is a MUST. It works well on up to at least 4 layers of Sunbrella. As you sew, learn to watch how the fabric is being fed into the foot, NOT the needle. Good luck.

 

[Dean5735]

Save money here: sailors exchange in st. augustine and surpluss unlimited in daytona, they both have websites and are fun places to shop!!!

 

[Ron20324]

I second Ross's 2-book suggestion. There are a few other books I have, but are pretty much a waste of money unless you get them at yard-sale prices. I started with a Montgomery Wards machine- one of the last metal-cased ones you could get for a hundred bucks. Now they are plastic encased. It easily did the six Sunbrella layers of a hemmed corner, and I recall I did eight layers for a project. Four years ago I had the tax refund in one hand and was at the openeing of a Sailrite store, so bought the zig-zag machine. It has done 13 layers for me. Jon, there is a Sailrite store in Annapolis you can visit and get some hands-on experience.

When I got my B323, the dodger/filler/bimini would have cost $5,200 through the dealer, but made locally. I made my own bimini and awnings for 2 boats, tiller cover, cushions for the 323 (not really all that hard), am working on slipcovers for the bunk mattresses, a fordeck awning, lee cloths around the cockpit. I've put the dodger frame onto the boat but have not started the material work yet.

I don't know about all the boat shows, but at the Annapolis one, Sailrite brings a bunch of end-of-roll pieces that are a bargain price. Sailrite has an excellent on-line forum. Obviuosly, I'm totally pleased with them and their machine. The only thing that keeps me from a "professional looking" job is having a table big enough to support the canvas as being sewed. A big dining table would help.

 

[Ross]

I watched a man making a pattern for a bimini one day: he spaced the frames as he wanted them and tied them securely. He then laid double stick tape on the top of each frame and then laid polyethylene film on that tape and adjusted it tight. Then with a black marking pen he marked the top of each frame. He did one section at a time and when he was finished he had his patterns for each piece for each section. He still had to add seam allowances to his cutting patterns.

 

[sailndive345]

I used to have a Sailrite Yachtsman model and sewed a bimini, main cover, tiller cover, etc., for my previous boat, a Beneteau 30. This model is (I think) no longer available but it did the job fairly well. The person who bought the Beneteau from me also bought the Yachtsman - not sure how well things went. You may still be able to locate one in the classified ads for a decent price.

A few years ago, I purchased a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 (the type that does zigzag stitching, etc) - it is an excellent machine and will sew anything you could possibly want on a boat. I have already sewn a bimini, a liferaft cover, outboard cover and am currently working on replacing my dodger. The machine is a little pricey, however.

If you use basting tape (double sticky tape to keep seams lined up) you'll probably get better results. Stapling may work for some; for me, it didn't work as well as basting tape. It is possible I was doing it all wrong.. (wouldn't be the first time!... Depending on how much sewing you do, you may need to wipe the needle with goo-gone or something to remove any adhesive build-up from the basting tape.

It is very important to maintain the machine (oil after each use, check for parts that may have loosened up, etc) - Particularly the bobin housing and the thread tensioner...

Oh, like others, I learned how to use a sewing machine from books - for me it was an old Singer users' manual...

Good luck - it has been lots of fun tackling the canvas... much better than dealing with the plumbing in the head!..

Sailndive345

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Thanks for the replies so far. My wife has a really good Pfaff machine from Germany, she thinks it has a walking foot. We will probably give that a go as it has a lot of different features and stitches. I have little knowledge about sewing, but my motto in life is essentially anything someone else can do, I can do if I try. Obviously birth is out of the question as my wife is pointing out right now (7 months pregnant).

Not having a pattern to use is definately a disadvantage, on the other hand, I was thinking about making a prototype out of a cheap fabric just to see if the dimensions etc are right and then using that as the pattern... I have no idea if this is "acceptable" practice in the sewing world, but seems to make sense to me.

If the machine we have doesn't work well, I might consider purchasing a heavy duty one with a walking foot etc, I might be able to justify the cost by the money I would save by doing the projects myself.

I think I'll take a look at getting one or both of those books.

I just noticed as I was writing this that some of you have posted more...Ross, the way the guy spaced the frame and marked the fabric is along the lines of what I was thinking of doing with a cheap fabric and then trace the pattern after it's all good to sunbrella for the template.

 

[Ross]

Pinning is the generally accepted method for seam construction before sewing.

 

[Steve Dion]

Cpt. Jon:

I would suggest that you start with something like a bimini. This is going to be much more forgiving than the dodger. One of the ladies down at our marina is an excellent seamstress but said she would never again try to stitch a new dodger.

When a professional makes these things they are as tight as a drum. If you and your wife can accomplish this more power to you. There can be a lot of cost in materials to make these units, so if you screw up a lot of your savings will go down the drain.

 

[Ron20324]

Sailrite sells a pattern material and a DVD on making what you're after. I siggest go online and order a catalog. If you use a fabric for a pattern, it may twist or stretch as you work with it. When I made my bimini, I just used clamps to hold the sunbrella on the bows, then mark the Sunbrella. Measure twice, cut once.

 

[MacMikey]

My canvas man has a motto..." If it an't tight...it an't right " .

My wife Judy has had extensive sewing experance and when I first asked her to do canvas work for our boat she was scared to death to tackle it because she thought it was beyond her skills and didn't have any experance with this type of sewing...(layout and fit).

I pushed and shoved her into doing a bimini top for our Boston Whaler, and after helping her measure it and providing lots of encouragement she found out that it was not any different then any other sewing once you get into it.

Measuring twice and cutting once is a good policy. Planing out your project as to what you are putting togeather and learning to work in reverse (and upside down) in some cases. Buying good quality hardware, fabric, and threads for the marine enviroment. Having a quality machine is a great help but even the home sewing machine in the right hands can turn out good work.

One tip I can give the DIY Canvasman when working with Sunbrella is to pre-wash it before beginning the job. It softens it and allows you to handle it in a limited work space with much more ease.

But first and foremost " Just do it " "Start Small...and move up with your increased confidence and skill level"

 

[William12213]

The way Ross mentioned he seen the pattern being made is exactly the the way you do it. Make sure it is a calm day for the best results. They really are fairly easy to do and even easier if you have a little sewing experience. I have made two Dodgers and full enclosures plus a few sail covers and they all have fit great and I have gotten lots of compliments.

The seam tape is the best way to go for "pinning" your pieces together before you sew. If you use pins they leave small little holes that have a chance to leak not to mention the fabric can still move around on you a bit. With the seam tape you make a water tight seal and the fabric stays where you put it but if you make a mistake you can pull it apart and re tack it.

I do not think a normal sewing machine will work for sewing a dodger. Thereare places you will go through 4 - 6 layers of sunbrella, 2 layers of basting tape and vinyl window material. That is a lot to go through. I know my normal machine won't do it.

The biggest tip I can give is take your time.. and buy a good seam ripper.