DIY Canvas Tips, Tricks, Recommendations

Thanks Mike for posting. That's a great idea


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Bacchus said:

I just sent a note off to SailRite to see if by chance they would offer any sort of discount to TF members - I'll let everyone know if/when I get a response.

BTW For anyone interested there is SailRite Forum you might want to look at / join in... maybe more / different experience level there vs on TF?

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Not the response from SailRite but here is their reply.
If interested you might want to subscribe or take advantage of their current free shipping special.

We’re not really set up to offer permanent discounts this way and when we have attempted similar arrangements in the past we run into a lot of issues.
I realize it’s probably not the answer you’re hoping for, but the best way to stay up to date on when we’re offering discounts is to get on our mailing list.
We do generally offer machine discounts a few times throughout the year on a variety of configurations.
Right now we’ve got a free shipping promotion which ends up being a good deal on something as heavy as an Ultrafeed.
Hope that helps.

Thanks,
Chris Manduka
Marketing Manager
Sailrite

2390 E 100 S | Columbia City, IN 46725
Phone (800) 348-2769
Fax (260) 818-2005
Sailrite.com

Well Don, you gotta try to know.


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Thanks for the effort Don!

Bacchus said:

Right now we’ve got a free shipping promotion which ends up being a good deal on something as heavy as an Ultrafeed.

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Thanks, Don. You gave it your best shot, and that is all that can be expected. It is greatly appreciated, too.

Got my new Ultrafeed LS-1 in today. No free shipping, so I missed the boat on that goody. Story of my life in a capsule!

I have a " Mitzi" commercial walking foot machine that I have just used to re-sew all the bimini seams , as the original thread has rotted and the seams were starting to flap about. The sunbrella fabric was in great shape, so I used " Tenara" thread, quite a bit more expensive but should outlast the fabric.
I don't understand why that thread would not be offered as an upgrade from the canvas shops when making new awnings, tops, and boat items.

Bill

Tuttouomo said:

I don't understand why that thread would not be offered as an upgrade from the canvas shops when making new awnings, tops, and boat items.

Bill

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Some do offer it at a premium$.
I have no experience with it so can't comment. Others swear by it.
Don
'08 MS 34HT
"Bacchus"

jwnall said:

Got my new Ultrafeed LSZ-1 in today

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jw...
Start practicing...scraps to start & gain some experience. Read the manual & watch the SR videos on the machine.
Don't be afraid to make some adjustments as needed...tension...stitch length...

Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Don
'08 MS 34HT
"Bacchus"

Forkliftt said:

Bad news for me- Grandma's machine got sold years ago before she passed. Well- one more item checked on the wish list. Gonna need to get a sewing machine.


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

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I have a sailrite Lz1 and you have a mill/ lathe combo . hmmmm

Pack Mule said:

I have a sailrite Lz1 and you have a mill/ lathe combo . hmmmm

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Come on now Marty... Now you know how much I must love that old Craftsman Lathe... .



Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Tuttouomo said:

...The sunbrella fabric was in great shape, so I used " Tenara" thread...Bill

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How hard was it to get the tension set up with the Tenara thread? We (Lena) has a Phaff 130 and looking at trying the thread.

Forkliftt said:

Come on now Marty... Now you know how much I must love that old Craftsman Lathe... .



Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

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Yes I know . I don't know why the sewing has been so intimidating . Maybe because I so use to working with harder materials that stay put . I need to get the LZ-1 out , build me a table and practice , practice, practice . I still need to get a hot knife and a few more tools .

Larry M,
I used the same thread tension as the previous thread , however when replacing some of the isenglass panels , I had to go slow, as the Tenara had a tendancy to heat up and break if sewing too fast. ( Not that I'm a fast sew machine operator!) and that was using .030 thick isenglass.
I originally purchased a half lb. spool as I wanted to try it before buying a larger quanity.
Hope this helps. As of now , I'm impressed with the Tenara.

Bill

Larry M said:

How hard was it to get the tension set up with the Tenara thread? We (Lena) has a Phaff 130 and looking at trying the thread.

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We have a Phaff 128 and found the Tenara thread to be the easiest and best thread we have ever used. Think monofilament line; it doesn't fuzz up at all leaving the guides and tensioner nice and clean. We didn't change the bobbin tension from when we used the polyester thread, only minor changes were necessary for the upper tension. Unfortunately we used the last of our 8 oz spool today which means we need to buy more.

Got the new Sailrite LS-1 all set up and ready to go, following their excellent DVD in dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's. So next step is going to be the next chapter in the DVD, which is about beginning to sew.

Just to do a full disclosure here (which I already did in a PM), I had a Sailrite before. But my ex bought it, and used it to do canvas work on our sailboat. I got the machine as part of the marriage settlement ("She got the goldmine -- I got the shaft:. So I sold it for a pittance, and now regret that. But it is what it is.

All of which is by way of asking a question (and clearing the record). My main purpose in this is to be able to do my own canvas. I have no interest in doing canvas work for others, but just kind of like the idea of maintaining my own boat without outside help as much as possible. Us Southern boys. Pride, and all that sort of thing.

So, the question is, when the time comes to renew my canvas (bimini top and side curtains), can I just take the old one apart and use it as a pattern? Or do I have to start from scratch?

patterning material

I built my new top- bent my own supports and than used the sailrite patterning material. Old canvas is usually stretched, worn out, repaired, and might not have been very good to begin with. P M doesnt stretch, is clear,easy to mark with a sharpie---good stuff and worth a few $$ sorry I thought I had some photos of the P M but i was using tyvek in this project...works just as good but is not clear

jwnall said:

...can I just take the old one apart and use it as a pattern? Or do I have to start from scratch?

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John
Like most things - it depends...

How well does the old one fit? Anything you want / need to change? How good do the side curtails fit?

I have found it is a fair amount of work to neatly take an old top apart so that it lays flat and can be used for a pattern. Usually I prefer to start w/ a piece of heavy heavy poly and use that to make a pattern.
Others are comfortable using Sunbrella & marking / cutting directly - I have ruined more material that way than making a pattern.
SailRite video available - I believe - on bimini's.

Take a careful look at other tops / side curtains to see how different folks have done the details. I have learned a lot by looking at other peoples work.

Only other advice is to practice w/ scraps & do a few small projects to get the feel and gain some confidence.

Good Luck

baccus

raindr said:

I built my new top-

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raindr...

Nice job! I have seen / read about setting up the bows on a frame as you did but haven't done that myself yet. That sure makes it easier to work on than on the boat.
Agree Tyvek makes a good pattern material - I have used it to make deck patterns for new synthetic teak decks.

John,
Many people do use the old canvas as a pattern. Understand that if you have wrinkles anywhere, you will have them in your new canvas. A word of caution, when making new canvas for any part of your boat, you need to understand the steps to follow.
As a general rule, the main portion of the canvas first, this includes top stiching, reinforcement panels are second. From here you need to plan for zipper installation, taping the edges and or installing plastic. Hardware such as snaps and webbing for straps are usually the last items.
I would encourage you to make the easy items first, such as hatch covers, light covers, window covers. Another thing that may help is making a simple bag that has a zipper, straps for handles and maybe a pocket. These will help you gain confidence and understand how the pieces go together in a logical sequence.
Hope that helps.

Crusty Chief said:

I would encourage you to make the easy items first, such as hatch covers, light covers, window covers. Another thing that may help is making a simple bag that has a zipper, straps for handles and maybe a pocket. These will help you gain confidence and understand how the pieces go together in a logical sequence.

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That is pretty much a given for me, to first practice with easy items. Most definitely I will do that. But the canvas which is on there now was well done, and so if I can take it apart and use it as a pattern when the time comes, then I can tuck that away in my memory. Thus the question.

My son has a pontoon boat which needs a new bimini top. So I am going to buy the Sailrite DVD on doing that and see how I can do with it (after first doing all the easy items, of course).

John,
Take your time and have fun. You will surprise yourself.

jwnall said:

All of which is by way of asking a question (and clearing the record). My main purpose in this is to be able to do my own canvas. I have no interest in doing canvas work for others, but just kind of like the idea of maintaining my own boat without outside help as much as possible. Us Southern boys. Pride, and all that sort of thing.

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I'm with you on that! I'm saving nickels till I can get an appropriate machine- hopefully a Sailright. And I'm not interested in in sewing for anyone- but want to do all that I can myself. I have a little Pacific Blue Sunbella and black shade cloth.

In the meanwhile, I still don't know how to sew. I'm gonna bring the old Singer with me to the boat tomorrow. I'll pull the Sailright beginner video up and see I can string it up.


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Bacchas didn't have much choice on that-- the boat is in Puget Sound and Im in Montana. Take lots of measurements,lots of pictures, hold your breath and prey! I did the frame, top material, and curtains in my shop. Left the curtains length wild and finished them on the boat with my sailrite. The patterning material is shown in my pics--It is the pattern for the base of the bimini and allowed me to pattern the base for the top.

forklift-- If you have building skills sewing is a natural---think cabinet work! I started with hatch covers than cushions then bimini enclosure. Not perfect but learned alot, had a good time doing it, and saved a few boat bucks! (they quickly diapeared--big surprise!)

Raindr-

Nice job! Never actually seen it done that way, but looks like it turned out just fine. Like you, I'm a ways away from my boat also.
I was fortunate to have a nice place to work on the dock at our Marina. I'll be back up on my boat in a few weeks and hope to finish the rest of the Canvas then.
Thanks for posting your project.

raindr said:

forklift-- If you have building skills sewing is a natural---think cabinet work! I started with hatch covers than cushions then bimini enclosure. Not perfect but learned alot, had a good time doing it, and saved a few boat bucks! (they quickly diapeared--big surprise!)

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Thanks raindr, that's what I was hoping. I'm thinking of it "mechanically"- and think I will get it. My biggest challenge first is filling a bobin and threading the machine. I pulled this machine out a few years ago and fooled with it a little and never got the hang of it. A start for me will be sewing two pieces of cloth together. If I have anything over the weekend I will post. Thanks for the support.


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

What thread do you use for canvas work? V-69 or V-92? (Or perhaps something else?)

Tuttouomo said:

Larry M,
I used the same thread tension as the previous thread , however when replacing some of the isenglass panels , I had to go slow, as the Tenara had a tendancy to heat up and break if sewing too fast. ( Not that I'm a fast sew machine operator!) and that was using .030 thick isenglass.
I originally purchased a half lb. spool as I wanted to try it before buying a larger quanity.
Hope this helps. As of now , I'm impressed with the Tenara.

Bill

Click to expand...

drf6 said:

We have a Phaff 128 and found the Tenara thread to be the easiest and best thread we have ever used. Think monofilament line; it doesn't fuzz up at all leaving the guides and tensioner nice and clean. We didn't change the bobbin tension from when we used the polyester thread, only minor changes were necessary for the upper tension. Unfortunately we used the last of our 8 oz spool today which means we need to buy more.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the responses. Now to go buy some.

jwnall said:

What thread do you use for canvas work? V-69 or V-92? (Or perhaps something else?)

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Lena has used both but the V-67 is the easiest to work with. On the next project, we'll be trying the Tenara.