Sewing Machines

[SailingFan]

Hmm... Not going to be able to afford a Sailrite any time soon. They cost upwards of $700+ USD new and more depending on model, and even used I bet they tend to run at least half that on average. I will have to keep an eye out and use this Singer until it explodes, I guess, and get something better when it falls from heaven like manna....

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

For over 40 years I had a Bernina (I think '831' is the model), did all canvas work effortlessly, nice compact in a plastic case, has been on the boat for 15 years, running off an inverter. Never tried it on sails. In Australia they can be bought for $100-$200 2nd hand.
Now I have also a Sailrite LSZ-1. A heavy beast.

Bernina photo borrowed from internet

Excellent machine.
Re the Elnastar, it's typical of many machines today.
Badged machine, not unlike many others.
Look at the diameter of the needle bar and guess how strong it is.
You can't see it in the pic, but when shopping for a machine it's something to gauge the strength of it.
Whatever you do DO NOT buy a cheapo Brother from Costco !
They don't even have any metal chassis, just plastic like an egg shell to give it enough stiffness to actually sew.

[roberto11]

In some early posts I read about the Singer 20u.
Somebodies refer at it as a "small portable" or "boat machine"
And I am looking at one of this right now on internet.
Singer 20u professional, blue paint...
It looks like really big and heavy and come with a under table motor.... easily a 80kg machine...
Am I missing something ???

[senormechanico]

It would be a "boat machine" in the sense that if you had a shop you could work on boat projects.
OTOH, if your boat was a ship, it could be a boat machine.

You're not missing anything. Good machine though.

[siamese]

Originally Posted by roberto11

In some early posts I read about the Singer 20u.
Somebodies refer at it as a "small portable" or "boat machine"
And I am looking at one of this right now on internet.
Singer 20u professional, blue paint...
It looks like really big and heavy and come with a under table motor.... easily a 80kg machine...
Am I missing something ???

I don't think it has a walking foot. To each their own, but I would not care to do canvas work without a walking foot.

[roberto11]

Should the Brother TZ1-B652 be added to the list of the good suitable machine to have on board ???
It will be good for sail repair ??

[wsmurdoch]

Sailrite sold the Brother TZ1-B652 as the Sailrite Sailmaker for years. It was an expensive machine, around $2000.


I've written a little about the Sailmaker I own in the Sewing Group. Cruisers & Sailing Forums - Taming a Sailrite Sailmaker Industrial Sewing Machine

[barnakiel]

Unless your boat is quite big, you will not carry a full size long arm machine. The arm limits the jobs you can tackle and then how strong the motor is is another part.

Simply get any decent machine off the shelf (yes, Brother is a decent make, as are Singer, Alfa, Pfaff, Yamaha and many others) and go for it. Such units can be had at less than USD 200 new and less than USD 100 s/h.

A friend here has a Brother that he used quite hard and it is still going after 10 years. Another friend has a Singer 'Heavy Duty' (hahaha - Singer people ARE great jokers) from which many parts went BUT this one too is a good choice as the frame and the motor are strong and the machine is repairable with parts available from many dealers.

I would buy a Singer Heavy Duty for my own use and forget about heavy industrial stuff that hardly fits into the boat.

If you have a shed and can sink the machine into the floor, that's another story - get then a long arm unit with a big motor. You will be able to work on heavy multilayered canvas and bigger projects.

b.

[appick]

I just recently picked up a singer 78-1 it's an old industrial walking foot and needle feed. So far it's great and spent 200 on it. I just sewed through 18 layers of 10oz duck canvas. However if your just looking to do winch covers and hatch covers you'll be ok with lighter machines. As was mentioned spare parts being available are a plus. Trying to find a spare leather belt locally is a no go so it's a two day wait for shipping. The plus to this machine was it's able to do leather nicely and sticks as long as 2-3 per inch.

[senormechanico]

These are a joke:

The only thing worse is:



Yes, they sew for stuff like repairing a ripped shirt, but can you imagine trying to fix any part of a sail or even canvas?
Get real !


For the same or less money, you could get a real metal machine like these:

Singer 301



Bernina 830

Bernina 930
If you can find one of the last two, you've hit the jackpot.

[andrei_ca]

Hey guys, I'm so stoked. I just discovered this company in Montreal that sells a brand named Omega - walking foot machines. Apparently they are the same model as Sailrite, made in the same factory and whatnot. The prices are much lower 400-550 cad (298-410 USD) : Walking foot sewing machine - Walking-foot.com .

Here's a lil video made by the seller:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0m3FHwbvhU

. They are brand new. I'm giving it a chance, at least go and check them out, as I have a bunch of DYI/MYOG projects lined up. Of course all Sailrite stuff is compatible with it - just talked with the retailer.

I'll keep you posted.

Andrei

[ErikFinn]

hi Andrei,
it's not the same machine as Sailrite. It may look like a sailrite but it don't smell like a sailrite and it definitely don't sound like a Sailrite. See here:

Sailrite - Fabric, Canvas, and Sewing Machines Since 1969

[andrei_ca]

First of all Sailrite changed the model recently - those are a bit older. Sound pitch and quality can be affected by many factors (like photography, pretty or ugly sound). If you listen here, the sound is pretty similar: https://youtu.be/w2TcJk6PUxg?t=86 . Sailrite has a more polished sound because the dude is wearing a lavalier microphone (chest or something) while another microphone records ambient, then the two are mixed (it all sounds too polished to be 1 channel). So this influences perception - a reason why movies sound good.

This guys says that there are several companies using the same manufacturer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRYOEpKPdHI

.

I've seen a couple of vids where they claim they have sailrite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rpl7wWiEQ4

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6IZY_E9jqs&t=2s

. And ofcourse sailrite has it on their channel with the same design (plus markings on the front):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnIKUgosTv8

.

The similarity is just too striking. Ultimately, if it goes through 10 layers of 1000D cordura, or faux leather, I don't care what it sounds like as long as the engine seems to cope well: it works. If it's all metal with a lot of power, then I can sleep tight.

Andrei

[andrei_ca]

PS: I forgot to check the bottom of your linked page. Look for "A NEW APPROACH
The Sailrite/Thompson Mini Walker ". Even their first machine was unmarked like the Omega.

Since it's produced by a 3rd party it's very possible that more than one company stamped their brand on it. And what's more important is that this is a MONSTER . Mo' powa' less worries.

Then again, there's a chance for knock offs too; I'll dig the net some more for info on this. Then until the real world results.

Andrei

[Neptune's Gear]

I have one like your omega, branded Morse. Works well. Seems virtually identical to the sailrite machine.