What type of heavy duty sewing machine do you use to sew recut sails back
together? I have a boat top place that sews mesh sling seats for me but they
don't want to try a sail.
Thanks
Chook recently purchased a sail makers sewing machine, it is designed so it can run from mains electricity- and also from a flywheel if you have no power on your boat.
It was a pretty good price too, being about the same as a decent quality domestic machine-but a lot more robust.
If you dont mind spending a bit more time, there is a manual sewing gizmo available too.
Best bet is to send Chook an email for details of his machine.
stephen.
Yeh, the first 7 or 8 sails were stitched with the wife's "Globe, Cub 7"
domestic machine.
I just used a slightly narrower (5mm wide) Zig zag, to make it easier on the machine. I used 110 needles (that you get for light leather) Wound it through by hand on the heavier bits. Used a heavy denim thread.
I oiled it all up, after using it and blowing the sand out of it.
When "SHE" did her next project, it got oil spots on it.
That's where it got ugly!!!![}:)]
I got a walking foot "Sailrite" clone and haven't looked back. It has got an 80 tooth, 7 Lb. flywheel and crunches through more than 20 layers of cloth with a straight stich or 10 to 12 layers with a 5mm wide zigzag.
The most important part of the recut is obtaining double sided carpet tape. It's 50mm wide, wispy thin and will stick to ANYTHING, even older sailcloth that is starting to bleed/delaminate.
This stuff holds everything in position till it's stitched.
I've made power kites with this tape and they we not even stitched, for the trial flights.
A 50mtr roll for $28 (from my local carpet retailer) does about 5 sail recuts, without any headaches.
Sometimes I slit it down to 25mm wide with a razorblade while it's still on the roll.
When fitting the protective binding around the edge of the sail at the foot etc. Tape it on with 100mm long bits of standard sticky tape (50mm down the sail around the edge tape and back up the sail on the other side) every 100mm or so and just sew over the lot. It holds it all in position when stiching it and peel the bits off, when you have finished sewing. 
Im using a singer 20U but you do need to think about it when the going gets tough
i wish Id learnt to do this years ago
This turned up at my shed and looks the goods!!!! 2 of us could just lift it out of the car.
It is a stitcher machine for harnesses and heavy leather.
The whole foot rotates to any direction of travel and has heaps of power with the huge hand crank wheel.
Hoping it will deal with the tough/thicker sewing I struggle with now.
It is calibrated to sew to a thickness of 3/4".
Although that's only leather, not what I'll be throwing at it.
Scored it off eBay for $103.00 and my brother picked it up in Belmont, Perth for me.
