Sabrina's Sail Loft - BBQ Cover

Our new BBQ grill needed a cover.  

I had leftover Sunbrella fabric in Sunbrella forest green.  But not quite the right size so I sewed some pieces together.  

I used Julie Gifford's book.  She has a detailed description on how to make your own BBQ grill cover.  SUCH a good book.  A must have onboard!

Worked like a charm.  It took me a full day to make this.  I did make a test one out of muslin but to be sure, so a couple of days.

When I  was done, I sprayed it with 303 fabric protector.  

Sabrina's Sail Loft - Sewing Muscles

Oct 2018

The headsail stitching has come loose again on the sacrificial.  Simple repair but then my Sailrite starts acting up.  I check all the usual things I am supposed to check.  They are ok.  I ask the Sailrite Facebook group.  I am very detailed in letting them know what I have already checked and tried.  Many go ahead and suggest those same things despite my detailed post.  Sigh!  I contact Sailright directly via email.  I explain in detail and mention that I don’t have the bandwidth for videos.  They reply back, suggesting I look at the video links below.  Sigh.  I email back “While I really do like your videos and find them helpful under normal circumstance, I DO NOT have the bandwidth now or in near future to watch, can you email me instructions?"  They reply back with links to videos.  UGH!  I email back again, this time I am not as ….nice.  They send printed instructions on advanced troubleshooting.  It turns out the paddle behind by tension mechanism is slightly bent.  Tom fashions a longer one, therefore adjusting for the slight bend and I am back in business.

While sewing up at the pool area is nice in terms of having the room to work, it is also a pain because I have to haul everything up there…..Sailrites are HEAVY.  Plus sewing in public then opens you up for all the questions and comments….”Oh, what are you working on?  Will you repair my sail, bimini, dodger, etc…. I have a tiny repair, please?”  So I opted to sew below on sv Honey Ryder.  With the table down, I actually have quite a bit of space.  Or I thought so until I had to restitch the headsail.  Oh mon.  That sucker is big. 

This brings us to the subject of sewing muscles.  Sewing sails and other big objects, I find I use my whole body, activating sewing muscles I have not used in a while.  For the head sail, I have my left arm up at shoulder height at ninety degree angle, letting the sail rest on it and thus lining it up even and flat to be pulled into the machine.  Try that for a whole morning or afternoon – whoa.  There are other stretches and contortions.  Sewing pilates is real! 

I also sewed a BBQ grill cover for the new griddle and did a few other repairs.  A new outboard cover is coming soon as well.  

Dinghy Seat Cover and Storage Solution

Oddjob does not have a forward storage compartment.  Nick Nack did.  Many dinghies don't.

Inside OddJob - bow

Instead, they have seat covers with built-in storage.  A good, alternative idea.

Big pocket in front

I have been keeping my eye out at all the dinghy docks for design ideas so I could make one for OddJob.
I took pics of designs I liked and then hit the web.  There is a Facebook Group called Sewing On Boats - SOB.  Seriously, that is the nickname.  Ha!  I searched there for good ideas.  Sure enough, my fellow SOB's had designed and sewn some of their own.  I found one I really liked.  Jan had done a terrific job on hers.  I commented and asked a few questions.

Smaller pocket, long, skinny pocket and two drink holders

Soon we were chatting on FB Messenger - me in Martinique and she in The Bahamas.  She answered all my questions, sent more detailed pics and guidance and gave me encouragement.  "Keep me posted on how it goes."

Design, layout and cutting phase

I wanted to use up some of the leftover fabric pieces I have.  However, I wanted it to look nice as well - not too hodgepodge.  I THOUGHT I had enough fabric.  It turned out I really didn't for my type of sewing...."D-oh!  Damn it!  I cut it too small.  Argh Sabrina!" 

Not much leftover

However, I pieced and patched, using the same two fabric colors - grey and black as well as good amount of webbing and was just able to pull it off.

Expansion when needed

Velcro'd when extra space is not needed

I had some old, used zippers from our old dodger/bimini but I decided not to use them.  I didn't think they would hold up in the harsh environment that the dinghy has to take.  Additionally, I simply didn't have ANY spare fabric to make zipper covers and such.  Plus.....honest truth is....zipper are not my forte.  They intimidate me.  Instead, I decided to go with Velcro.  I love Velcro.  I am the princess of Velcro.  

What is in here?  

As with ALL canvas boat projects, the size is weird, odd shaped and not symmetrical.  But that is standard by now....that all canvas projects will not be standard.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, I used a plastic drop cloth to design the pattern and check it before I started cutting on canvas.  This doesn't mean I still didn't do some swearing when I cut the fabric wrong/too short.  But, I was developing it as I went, working with the spare fabric I had.  Really quite tough doing it that way.

Drink holder

Additionally, I was doing all this on the water.  Oddjob is in the water working as our dinghy.  I could have hauled him to the beach but it wasn't really necessary for just the seat.  However, it still wasn't easy.  I sometimes feel bad when I see all the beautiful, perfect canvas projects that fellow SOB's create.  Why can't mine have more of a finished looked?  Then I noticed in the pics from fellow SOB that whatever they are sewing it is sitting in someone's garage/basement/dinning room aka they created it on land....where stuff doesn't move....where there is room to spread out yards of fabric absolutely FLAT.....where the wind doesn't blow your pattern/material around as you try to fit it!  Mind you not all, but many, many are created on solid land.

Long, skinny pocket for say.....a bamboo outboard handle.  Note the drain hole

Anyway, I used our bed, the cabin sole and our main table in the salon to design, pattern, cut and sew my dinghy seat cover.  It turned out pretty good.  Anyway, good enough for us as I always say.

One last look - webbing with quick release clips under the seat keep it all place

  

Sabrina Sail Loft - Dodger Repair

We had the dodger and bimini designed so I could fix pieces and parts as needed.  At least that was the theory.  However, I have been dreading the day.  It is still very complicated stuff.

We wore a spot on the front edge of the dodger on our passage from the USA down to the Caribbean.  Our first attempt at a boom brake did this.  It has since turned into a small tear.  I knew I would need to repair it soon or it would become bigger and compromise the dodger.  However, it was on the leading edge near the bend and under tight tension.  In hind sight, there should have been chafe guard there from the beginning.  

I wasn't sure how I was going to do the repair due to location.  Heather on sv Asseance - a 1992 Caliber 40 (for sale btw) told me she saw how professional canvas guy Sean does it here in Trinidad.  He put whatever piece needs repairing in place and then makes the pattern in place, using chalk marks as a placement guide.  This allows for bends and shapes.  Makes sense. 

I bought a plastic drop cloth specifically for making canvas patterns.  However, this was a small pattern.  Instead I was able to use two sheets of tracing paper taped together.  From that I cut a muslin pattern to further test.  Before last season I found the perfect chafe guard fabric at Radica Trading here in Trinidad.  It's a marine vinyl with a slight texture.  Turns out it matches other chafe guard fabric on the back edge of the dodger.

First I sewed a tiny patch of Sunbrella over the hole to help stabilize it and keep it from spreading further.  Next I sewed the front edge of the chafe guard in place.  Then we put the dodger on, stretching it tightly into place.  Then I chalked the sewing line for the other side.  This allowed me to take into effect that the chafe guard fabric needed to come up and over the dodger metal frame - not quite 90 degree but enough to affect where the back edge was sewn.  If I had simply sewn it on flat, it would be off when put into place most likely causing fit issues.  The dodger is so tight on the frame, there is little room for error.  

I got it complete and we got it into place.  Repair done - check mark.  The best part?  I was able to do this in one day and put the machine away again.  That never happens on my canvas projects!

Sabrina's Sail Loft - Jerry Jug Covers

As long as I had Little Nellie (my sewing machine) and all the stuff out this week on the staysail conversion, I decided to do a few other projects.

I made covers to protect our jerry jugs from UV rays.  The sun beating down day after day on these jugs on the rail effects the petrol/water/diesel inside and breaks down the plastic jug over time. 

Thanks to Roberta off s/v Celilo and Sarah off s/v Cape for your pattern ideas.

Sabrina's Sail Loft - Staysail Conversion

As part of a complete re-rig of sv Honey Ryder, we also decided to convert our hank-on staysail to a furling staysail.  The old hank-on set up meant that one of us had to leave the comfort and safety of the cockpit, and go forward on deck to raise and lower the sail.  This in turn meant that we didn't use it as much as we would have liked to.  Me = "Do you want to put up the staysail?"  Tom = "We could.  Do you want to go forward to do it or should I?"  Me = pause....."Nah.  Never mind."

Sabrina's Temporary Sail Loft

The current staysail is old but still has some life left.  Most people either order a new staysail or have a professional sail loft do the conversion.   To finish getting life out of that sail and save $$, I decided to take on the task of converting that sail from hank-on to a furling one.

Generally this is done by cutting off the entire luff edge of the sail and then sewing in "luff tape" that allows the sail to be feed into the slot on the furler (raising the sail) and then furl it (roll up).

Easy-peasy - NOT!  The head, tack and clew of  the sail (the corners) are very thick with hardware, webbing, luff, leech and foot lines.  These would all need to be re-sewn.  Even though I have a heavy duty Sailrite sewing machine, I would not have been able to get through thicknesses like that.

I also questioned my ability to sew luff tape in straight.

This summer Tom found an alternative on the internet.  Kiwi Slides.  I did some investigation then visited ear to ear with the USA distributor, Alfred Poor.  He was very helpful.  I also visited with the USA distributor for Profurl which is Wichard USA in Annapolis.  This seemed like the best solution for us given my sewing skills so I placed an order.  The slides arrived immediately with a personal thank you note inside the package from Alfred.  Not something you see these days.  Alfred also promptly responded to email questions I had once I got ready to start the project.    

The actual Kiwi Slide - I added the green chalk mark

This past week I officially started the project.  An internet comment gave me some concern about sail shape so we borrowed s/v Casa Blanca's (sister Caliber ship)  furling staysail to compare.  Their converted staysail and our hank-on staysail were exactly the same shape and size.  Whew!  And with that confirmed, I started the conversion.

Old hank on the staysail

The first task was to get the brass hanks off the staysail.  Tom did this for me.  Special note -  The tool below was given to Tom by his good friend Kevin Haefner.  It's a hybrid pipe wrench-channel lock-crescent wrench made by SnapOn, part #PWZ-1.  This tool is amazing and can generate incredible gripping power. 

Tom removing the hanks

I was concerned that the grommets would be tough on the sail when furled.   Tom offered to drill them out but then I would need to content with the loose luff line.  Instead I decided to simply cover them with seat belt webbing.  I borrowed a zipper foot from s/v Curare so I could sew as close as possible to the grommet.

Rough grommet

Covered grommet

The next step was to attach the Kiwi Slides.  Alfred suggested placing them just above or below the grommets.  I opted for above.  The size of Kiwi Slide and sail, determines how many, spacing and distance between sail edge and furler.  I stitched them in three horizontal places and then two vertical for extra strength.

Covered grommet and Kiwi Slide

Since this sail was a hank-on sail, it lived below deck or in a deck bag and out of the sun.  This meant it would need a sacrificial strip on the leech and foot to protect it from the UV rays when furled.  I just sort of guessed at how wide.  Actually, did a quick look at s/v Casa Blanca's staysail but accidentally reversed the leech and foot measurement.  D-Oh.  Luckily, we did a test furl after I got the Kiwi Slides on and made an adjustment to my measurements.  I had Tom triple check my calculations for fabric needed.  It doesn't seem to matter how many times I calculate fabric needed for a project, I always come up short and thus I buy extra.  Oh well.  I bought four yards and used most all of it.

Trinidad has fantastic fabric stores with all kinds of fabric at terrific prices.  This includes marine grade fabrics of all sort.  We decided to go with a fabric like Sunbrella - a knockoff, if you will.  It was $65 TT per 60 inch yard or $10.83 per yard.

Adding sacrificial UV protection material

60 inches wide is great but I found smaller panels were easier to sew into place.  When sewing on any sail, there is a lot of rolling of fabric this way and that to get it into the machine and into place so the sail can be sewn.  This project was no different.  The ultra thick corners of the sail made it tough as well.  I used double sided seamstick to help hold the panels in place but even then they wanted to move around 

Clew that will be covered when furled at anchor

Covering the thick corners with the hardware and webbing was a conundrum.  Tom and I discussed the three corners and decided that we would leave them open.  Normally these are resewn but again, my machine would not be able to do those thicknesses.  The tack will be covered when furled up.  When we are at anchor, it will be covered with a Velcro wrap that I make for the hank-on that is no longer used.  The tip top edge of the head will just be exposed.  We will keep an eye on all three areas as the season progresses.  Judge if you will but that is how we are going to roll.

Final Kiwi Slide attachment - hand stitched

Finally, I decided to hand stitch the area between the Kiwi Slide and sail edge to get right up next to the sail and add stability.

We will keep you in the loop as we start to use the new furling staysail.  

        

Sabrina's Sail Loft - Fabric Shelf for Lids

There is handy storage area under our stove/oven where we store pots and pans.  However, this area isn't used as efficiently as it could be.....until now.

Fellow Caliber 40 - s/v Casa Blanca had the great idea to put in a fabric shelf using curtain rod holders.  Sharon stores all her lids up there with the pots and pans below.  Brilliant!  I promptly copied it.  Thanks s/v Casa Blanca!