Lee cloth fabric choice

[Manana5]

First time sewing lee cloths, first time owning a boat. Which is a better choice of material - ultralight nylon ripstop or heavy duty cordura cotton? Or something else?

[Sailmonkey]

We used sunbrella. The nylon, imho, is too light. If for no other reason than the human that is laying against it won’t trust it enough to really rest.

[Manana5]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

We used sunbrella. The nylon, imho, is too light. If for no other reason than the human that is laying against it won’t trust it enough to really rest.

Thank you. I keep reading recommendations about sunbrella but it seems hard to find/outrageously expensive, at least where I am.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Manana5

Thank you. I keep reading recommendations about sunbrella but it seems hard to find/outrageously expensive, at least where I am.

The cordura should be fine then. I’ve seen lee cloths made of pheifertex or other shade cloth type of materials as well. That may be a more appealing option if you feel that more ventilation is required.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

The cordura should be fine then. I’ve seen lee cloths made of pheifertex or other shade cloth type of materials as well. That may be a more appealing option if you feel that more ventilation is required.

+1 for Phifertex. The ventilation is helpful in the tropics and is very strong especially w/webbing around edges.


Bill O.

[LittleWing77]

+1 for canvas-type lee cloths. Nix on the nylon.

Good luck!
LittleWing

[gmakhs]

Lol you can made them out of everything as far as the cloth can hold the human weight ..... I used my old mainsail.

[TrentePieds]

gmakhs is right. Anything will do. Just think it through: Lee cloths are not subjected to direct sunlight, rain or wind, so they don't deteriorate for the reasons "canvas" items above decks do. All that's required is that they will hold the weight of a person thrown against them as the boat rolls. Plain old cotton duck, which is what jeans are made from, is perfectly fine and can be bought for cheap at your local "Fabricland" or similar outlet catering to ladies who like to sew. You don't need a fancy sewing machine either. Mine is a garden variety domestic, light weight Bernina "MiniMax" with a #12 needle. Works a charm.

TrentePieds

[roland stockham]

If you are anywhere hot definitely go for a soft net with a small mesh, about 1/2" is ideal. Much cooler than solid canvas. It is also a lot lighter and less bulky so stores easily under the bunk for settee berths. Very easy to make as all you need to do is thread a rope though it top and bottom, no sewing needed!

[sail sfbay]

Sounds like a nice sewing project and useful. I would recommend Phifertex mesh since it allows airflow and is easy to clean. However, as noted above any strong fabric will, such as Sunbrella, cotton duck, soft trampoline mesh or polyester bag mesh. You might look at the web site below for more information on how to make lee cloth.


https://www.sailrite.com/How-to-Make-Lee-Cloths-Video

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Manana5

First time sewing lee cloths, first time owning a boat. Which is a better choice of material - ultralight nylon ripstop or heavy duty cordura cotton? Or something else?

We spent the time to make Lee cloths and they lasted only a couple of days while sailing to Hawaii...they were torn down by crew reaching for hand holds.

Before making them figure out how you are going to hang them...not all boats an have available anchor positions for them; on my boat there was not a good way. At Hawaii we devised a better system using a series of upper and lower s.s. eye straps (about 10 inches apart) and weaving available rope through them, up and down. It worked very well, inexpensive, quickly installed, and can be removed when sailing in calmer waters.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[anacapaisland42]

We used netting, kids could see out, air flow was good, it worked just fine
BILL

Originally Posted by Manana5

First time sewing lee cloths, first time owning a boat. Which is a better choice of material - ultralight nylon ripstop or heavy duty cordura cotton? Or something else?

[JPA Cate]

Manana 5 wrote "lee cloths", the cloths that keep one in the sea berth when the boat's having strong motion.

Some people have answered relative to weather cloths. As Trente Pieds points out, very different applications. For weather cloths, I have used mostly Sunbrella (though any acrylic canvas will do), and most recently have tried WeatherMax. I find, however, that it fades pretty fast, and I don't care for the color the dark red fades to, a reddish medium gray. The medium gray WM I used for the dinghy chaps has merely become a bit lighter, and the color's okay. But for me, the 5 yr. lifetime for it means I'll be making a new set of dinghy chaps in a year, because it is sun-rotting. So, for weather cloths, yes, I prefer acrylic canvas, even though it is heavier than WM.

For lee cloths, use whatever you have that is strong enough to keep the largest person safe in the sea berth.

Ann

[Mike Banks]

Flax canvass. It will help keep you warm as well as in your cot. I made my hammocks out of it. Lotsa luck finding some though--

[MoorOrLess]

I like the canvas (sail cloth from old sail is a great idea) Permanently fix in place along the bottom (lay them under mattress when not used). We found pockets on the outside very handy. On bunks that we’re difficult to climb in/out with the lee cloth up, use a snap shackle to attach the line holding the lee cloth up at lee cloth end.