DIY Canvas

johnrock · Feb 15, 2009

DIY Dodger & Bimini

John,

Several years ago we had a type of canvas delema. Our 1970 Cal 34 had ugly vinyl worn out interiorcushions and no dodger. Now I have to state I have a big advantage. My wife Nancy is very talented arround a sewing machine. She complteley reupolstered the interior and made a new dodger. I just watched in utter amasement.

My advise to you is go ahead and do the bimini for it should be fairly straight forward. However, the dodger should be left to a professional. There's too many curves to make it look good. My wife bent the stainless, made a patern (which took days!!!), then the canvass with windows. Prior to all this she actually attended a two week canvas school. After all this work she has stated that she will never to it again.

John Berens
Shady Side, MD

Cpt. Jon said:
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

Ross · Feb 15, 2009

Don't forget all the hardware and the setting tools for that stuff. http://www.itwnexus.com/
shop these folks direct. They are very generous with samples.

Mac Daddy · Feb 15, 2009

MacMikey tell me about that rudder was that a solid rudder you converted to a kickup?

letterman · Feb 15, 2009

Wow..is it just me???
Several people said the same thing...why respond then? Yep..got it, have to go through several layers...yep...got it...repeat several times to make sure..yep got it...
Who makes the Sailrite machine? Why Singer.....now, go to Ebay and Craigslist and look for one with a walking foot...or buy one from Sailrite.
Material...Google sunbrella. I bought mine from a company in Georgia that was 25% less than Sailrite. What iritates me is I forgot the company name...
Which leads to...who posts something that says "Rocco Scotti went over that in Plastic Sailboats, page 35-70, issue 27....to quote a Sienfeld episode "Why don't you just TELL me what he said..."
A fri4nd bought a sailrite zxw53-02 or whatever it is...paid over $1000 with the accessories...DAMN fine machine...he sewed up a half dozen bimini tops and dodgers at our marina...then, he went to a garage sale..he alsways goes to garage sales...and he saw this Singer that looked just like his Sailrite LZ unit. He bought it for $1.00 as in one hunderd pennies! It came with a test piece that was 13 pieces thick! Now he has two machines.
I bought a Slant-O-Matic for $25. Sewed thru a lot of material, but it will only go up to v-69 thread. The Sailrite will go to V-120. Mine does not have a walking foot. And, in the next issue of Crusing World after I bought it there was a lady and her hubby who have been sailing around the world and she was in the picture using the SOM. Said it was fine.
Personally, get the walking foot machine....
Search the net for material....
Go to a second hand shop and buy a coat or something CHEAP taht you can cut up and play with to learn how to sew....I mean if the 10 year old kid above can do it!!!!
Yeah....now some klutz will juast have to insult me...but before you do...what cover did the guy make for his rudder? Didn't know it needed one....

Ross · Feb 15, 2009

tho52mas said:
Wow..is it just me???
Several people said the same thing...why respond then? Yep..got it, have to go through several layers...yep...got it...repeat several times to make sure..yep got it...
Who makes the Sailrite machine? Why Singer.....now, go to Ebay and Craigslist and look for one with a walking foot...or buy one from Sailrite.
Material...Google sunbrella. I bought mine from a company in Georgia that was 25% less than Sailrite. What iritates me is I forgot the company name...
Which leads to...who posts something that says "Rocco Scotti went over that in Plastic Sailboats, page 35-70, issue 27....to quote a Sienfeld episode "Why don't you just TELL me what he said..."
A fri4nd bought a sailrite zxw53-02 or whatever it is...paid over $1000 with the accessories...DAMN fine machine...he sewed up a half dozen bimini tops and dodgers at our marina...then, he went to a garage sale..he alsways goes to garage sales...and he saw this Singer that looked just like his Sailrite LZ unit. He bought it for $1.00 as in one hunderd pennies! It came with a test piece that was 13 pieces thick! Now he has two machines.
I bought a Slant-O-Matic for $25. Sewed thru a lot of material, but it will only go up to v-69 thread. The Sailrite will go to V-120. Mine does not have a walking foot. And, in the next issue of Crusing World after I bought it there was a lady and her hubby who have been sailing around the world and she was in the picture using the SOM. Said it was fine.
Personally, get the walking foot machine....
Search the net for material....
Go to a second hand shop and buy a coat or something CHEAP taht you can cut up and play with to learn how to sew....I mean if the 10 year old kid above can do it!!!!
Yeah....now some klutz will juast have to insult me...but before you do...what cover did the guy make for his rudder? Didn't know it needed one....

Having a bad day? Did your dog bite you? Spill the last beer in the fridge?
We reiterate things here over and over. It is the way we are. Just like tacking down a long channel, you say the same thing over and over, "ready about? Hard alee." and a few minutes later we do it all again.

RECESS · Feb 15, 2009

You know tho52mas you would have had some good information about where to look for a machine had you not thrown all the other garbage in there. We post to help each other.

Ron20324 · Feb 16, 2009

A new trend of thinking for dodgers is from Dan at the Annapolis Sailrite store. He suggests making a dodger top, somewhat like a bimnini top. Then the front and side panels can be made one at a time then zippered (or some other fastener) to the top and other side pieces. There's not so much material to handle around the machine this way.

One thing that has made my projects a whole lot easier is to get one of the tools made to heat-cut acrylic fabrics- which Sunbrella is. I was using a cutting blade in my solder gun, but it got too hot to hold, plus trying to hold the trigger was a pain. A heat-knife is a must-have tool as far as I'm concerened. It cauterizes the edges to eliminate fraying.

Mike B · Feb 16, 2009

Seperate panels on the dodger have another benefit in that you can unzip the side and or front panels on a hot day. It's amazing how much more air flows through the cockpit with them removed, both under sail and at anchor. Dodgers built that way are referred to as California Dodgers, which by the way will cost you more to have built should you pay a canvas man to do it.

letterman · Feb 16, 2009

Saw a LOT of sewing machines on Ebay...Walking Foot...but be careful...one or two had an attachment that theycalled a walkingn foot. Not the same.
Also look for a zig-zag, double needle. With the zig zag, it's better for sails. The double needle gives a nice parallel double line.
The prices have been dropping...last I looked two years ago, all of them were in the $1000+ zone.
Good luck.

Mike B · Feb 16, 2009

Having had a California Dodger for 7 years on our last boat I wouldn't think of having anything else. Fortunately the new boat already had one installed as part of a boat show package. You don't realize the amount of air a dodger blocks until you're able to remove a section on a hot day. They're worth the price IMHO.

Thia09 · Mar 12, 2009

Industrial Sewing Machine

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

I would suggest a Singer 111W155 or a Juki LU563 or a Consew 206 RB5. All have the necessary walking foot. The Singer and Juki are older, you could check Craigslist or Ebay.

DIY Canvas

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Thia09