Sail suppliers

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Hi all, I am getting close to where I need to think about sails for Vanity. But I can't find anything suitable for a large gaffer. Can anyone recommend a supplier of white cotton sails for a Gaffer that won't break the bank?

Cheers,

Martin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Martin

Frank Parsons of NYLET provides an excellent service, you may need to send him a drawing,but has most designs in his archive.

Regards Ray

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Hi Ray,

his only mention of a gaff rig is small or medium and the medium is priced at £195, which is way outside what I can justify. I'd be happy to pay about half that.

Otherwise my dear wife will have to get to the bottom of the tension problem on her machine because I have no idea how they work!

Martin

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Reading this review on Moonbeam, a traditional model yacht sailmaker, Apex is mentioned in the Sails section. They are also mentioned on the Vintage Model Yacht Group website. No email but a phone number is given.

**LINK**

**LINK**

Other thoughts would be to ask racing yacht suppliers PJ Sails and Housemartin. Easy found on the internet.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Martin,

These sails cost £10 for the material and a month of evenings hand stitching including bolt ropes, If I can do it anybody can

Regards Ray

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Ray, I'm not sure I have the patience for a month of evenings! And I have no idea how to stitch sails in the tiny way they'd need doing. Where do you learn how to do such a thing? I could always sew a button on or even mend a few inches of fabric, but a neat job of the right stitch on yards of fabric terrifies me!

Cheers,

Martin

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Tony, thanks for the links. The VMYG one was 404 Not found, but then that lot are so far behind it's a wonder they don't say hi to themselves on the way back.

I'll give the guy a call on the other one.

 

Martin

Edited By Martin Field 1 on 13/05/2018 23:48:47

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Martin,

Thinking about sail making, probably harder than actually doing it, like big handkerchiefs cut oversize to allow for the hems, found wonder web can be used and ironed into the hems prior to sewing, with a machine or stretch along a batten and sew a running stitch by hand, wonderful therapy from working on a computer all day

Regards Ray

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

I have come to the conclusion, Ray, that I will have to do it myself or hope my wife can get the tension problem sorted out on her machine. I'm sure she can do it as she used to make naughty knickers for a job and was the Mrs. Fixit for the factory, sorting all machine and machinist problems. It would also be lovely to have a considerable input from her in the model, and I certainly consider sails to be a considerable input!

But please explain….Wonder web? And a running stitch?? Stretch along a batten???

Thanks for your interest.

Fortunately as I am now officially retired I don't need therapy any more!

Cheers,

Martin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Martin

Wonder web is a heat activated adhesive strip put into the hem & ironed to fix the hem temporarily prior to sewing it is fabric based and stops the sail edge going crinkly, I tried PVA glue but not as good, the sail edge is best tensioned along a timber batten to keep the luff or leach straight. Hope this helps, I'm sure your good lady can explain the running stitch

Regards Ray

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Thanks, Ray. I'm assuming the stretching along a batten is done just while you bend the hem and iron in the wonder web? I imagine it would be a bit difficult to include a bit of wood on the sewing machine<G>

We have a sample of cambric coming to see if it's suitable for the sails. It's coming from a fabric supplier, not a model boat supplier!

Cheers,

Martin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Martin

Egyptian cotton is good if you can find some, mine is washed in Terracotta Dylon cold water dye in the washing machine with salt, works like a charm

Regards Ray

you only need the batten when hand stitching to tension the cloth.

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 16/05/2018 22:17:17

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 16/05/2018 22:19:21

[Kev.WParticipant @kev-w]

Posted by Ray Wood 2 on 16/05/2018 22:15:55:

Hi Martin

Egyptian cotton is good if you can find some, mine is washed in Terracotta Dylon cold water dye in the washing machine with salt, works like a charm

Regards Ray

 Dunelm do Egyptian cotton sheets, a couple of our club members have used these on their gaff rigged boats.

http://www.dunelm.com/product/5a-fifth-avenue-egyptian-cotton-300-thread-count-cream-fitted-sheet-1000093461#Colour%20Group=Natural&Bedding%20Size=Single

Edited By Kip Woods on 16/05/2018 23:09:18

Edited By Kip Woods on 16/05/2018 23:12:18

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Thanks, gents.

We have a Dunelm Mill shop in our nearby town. I'll see what the Cambric is like when the sample arrives, but I like the idea of Egyptian cotton. It's what everybody tells you to look for.

Thanks for the clarification on the batten, Ray. My wife had also heard of wonder web and explained the running stitch for the bolt rope.

We'll get there in the end. Many thanks for the tips, etc.

Cheers,

Martin

[Author]

Posts