My son just obtained (was gifted) a Melges 16 (aka X-boat, aka cub-boat). The boat is in a great shape, but needs a few tweaks. One of them is the fact that the covers on the 4 hiking straps have to be replaced (the straps are cushioned with a layer of foam wrapped with several layers of a canvass-like material). There is no need to replace the straps themselves. Now, I have no clue what kind of material to get ("canvass"?) or where to get it. I was thinking of getting a piece of sunbrella, but based on costs, that may not be much cheaper than getting new straps . Any insight would be great.
replacing cover(s) for hiking straps
- Thread starter Piotr
- Start date
The hiking straps themselves are made of the same material as automotive seatbelts. Any good canvas shop should be able to replicate the pads. As a last resort, try contacting Melges boat works in Zenda, Wisconsin. They show scraps for C scows on their site (Melges.com) for about $40.
the pads themselves are fine, it's just the pads covers that have to be replaced. And I did try contacting Melges. They didn't answer.
I could replace the hiking straps themselves, but they are $40 a piece (from Melges, and they are C-Scow straps, not X-boats). The replacement non-OEM pads are $25 a piece minimum. Both types would have to be converted. There used to be pad sleeves sold in the past (attached with velcro), but are no longer available.
I will (eventually) replace them, but I'd rather put that money for deck hardware at the present time.
I will (eventually) replace them, but I'd rather put that money for deck hardware at the present time.
go to your local shoe repair shop with them and ask him to make you some, should be easy enough and not that expensive
Piotr, give Annapolis Performance Sailing a call, and see what they recommend.
My smarta$$ comment is "kids don't need no padding! Raw straps build character!"
Then again, maybe he needs some dinghy boots like the Zhik Race Boot 360: http://www.apsltd.com/c-3765-dinghy-hiking-and-trapeze-boots.aspx
Brian
My smarta$$ comment is "kids don't need no padding! Raw straps build character!"
Then again, maybe he needs some dinghy boots like the Zhik Race Boot 360: http://www.apsltd.com/c-3765-dinghy-hiking-and-trapeze-boots.aspx
Brian
ordinarily, I would agree, however:
1. He has similar boots,
2. Occasionally, I sail with him and I DON'T have dinghy boots...
Okay.... so how much did you want to spend? Since you only sail with him occasionally what about a pair of heavy socks.... or some neoprene diving booties.... or a wetsuit... or a set of knee pads on your ankles... or a pair of long pants... or a shoulder pad from a camera bag, purse, luggage etc... there's all kinds of things you can do if the unpadded strap bothers you...
I doubt you'd be able to pull a flat polyester webbing strap through the hole of a pool noodle. Plus, pool noodle floats will compress down pretty quickly. The structure of the cells of that expanded polyethylene is not all that robust. I used them on my lifelines, as I often sit on the coaming top and lean back against the lifelines. I expected them to give out pretty quickly, and they did. Also, they started to disintegrate after about a month and a half due to the UV, which I also expected. I've heard of folks putting suntan lotion on them to reduce this. I just went ahead and bought some of the less expensive Taylor Made cushions.
There is nicer neoprene pipe insulation out there. It's pre-cut down the length, with pressure adhesive on the edges of the cut. Again, I doubt it would fit on the strap, but it might be slightly more compression resistant than the polyethylene of the pool noodle.
It's all academic, though, because Piotr just needs new covers on the existing padding.
I think you'll find you need to get someone to sew them up for you, perhaps with velcro closure. Most padded hiking straps I'm seeing from googling look to have padding and covers sewn onto the strap. If you're at all handy with a sewing machine, it would not be difficult to make with some Sunbrella and velcro. My worry for you is that a round sleeve around the padded strap may rotate and not feel too secure.
Another place you could ask around would be the Gear Anarchy or Dinghy Anarchy forums over at Sailing Anarchy, http://forums.sailinganarchy.com. Just be aware, Sailing Anarchy takes no prisoners, and gives no quarter, so get your thick skin on before you head over…
Brian
There is nicer neoprene pipe insulation out there. It's pre-cut down the length, with pressure adhesive on the edges of the cut. Again, I doubt it would fit on the strap, but it might be slightly more compression resistant than the polyethylene of the pool noodle.
It's all academic, though, because Piotr just needs new covers on the existing padding.
I think you'll find you need to get someone to sew them up for you, perhaps with velcro closure. Most padded hiking straps I'm seeing from googling look to have padding and covers sewn onto the strap. If you're at all handy with a sewing machine, it would not be difficult to make with some Sunbrella and velcro. My worry for you is that a round sleeve around the padded strap may rotate and not feel too secure.
Another place you could ask around would be the Gear Anarchy or Dinghy Anarchy forums over at Sailing Anarchy, http://forums.sailinganarchy.com. Just be aware, Sailing Anarchy takes no prisoners, and gives no quarter, so get your thick skin on before you head over…
Brian
Thanks! this is EXACTLY (i.e. cover only) what I need. I'm thinking Sunbrella or a nylon (like from an old raincoat). I could saw it lenghtwise for a very tight fit, pull it on, and then fasten to the strap. The issue is is the cost of sunbrella going to exceed the cost of a new strap. AND, where can I buy a yard of sunbrella?
Baconsails.com in Annapolis sells Sunbrella. Or, what color and size do you need? I might have a scrap of what you need. (Annapolis).
You can also get Sunbrella from places like http://www.sailrite.com/Boat-Exterior-Fabric#!Boat-Exterior-Fabric, and http://www.seattlefabrics.com/sunbrella1.html
You could also probably order from your local JoAnn Fabrics, though they only tend to carry Sunbrella exterior upholstery fabric in store, for applications like lawn furniture cushions. Also, I think much of their "exterior" fabric is polyester. Not sure which is more abrasion resistant, the acrylic of Sunbrella, or a polyester cushion fabric. I think abrasion resistance is probably more important in a hiking strap cover than UV resistance, as most racing boats are stored under cover… I bet if you called Sailrite, they would have an opinion on Sunbrella's abrasion resistance. For what it's worth, Sailor's Tailor sells boat covers in a lighter, more breathable acrylic fabric, and other coated polyesters, and they specifically say that the acrylic is low abrasion, so they recommend the polyesters for trailering covers.
Brian
You could also probably order from your local JoAnn Fabrics, though they only tend to carry Sunbrella exterior upholstery fabric in store, for applications like lawn furniture cushions. Also, I think much of their "exterior" fabric is polyester. Not sure which is more abrasion resistant, the acrylic of Sunbrella, or a polyester cushion fabric. I think abrasion resistance is probably more important in a hiking strap cover than UV resistance, as most racing boats are stored under cover… I bet if you called Sailrite, they would have an opinion on Sunbrella's abrasion resistance. For what it's worth, Sailor's Tailor sells boat covers in a lighter, more breathable acrylic fabric, and other coated polyesters, and they specifically say that the acrylic is low abrasion, so they recommend the polyesters for trailering covers.
Brian
Well, each pad is about 16-18 inches long. Color doesn't matter, really. I sail out of Rock Hall and we visited Annapolis last season. It was fun!
I used Zhik Hiking straps made for NS 14's which are about 6 feet long. These straps have a special underside material that really grip sailing shoes and boots. They have a number of versions with different lengths. I wrote an article in the Hunter 15 owners modification page that you might like to look at: http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_kb&Itemid=267&cat_id=1056&aid=8024&page=article&mn=15