Sewing Machines

[Orionsmith]

Hi
I'm looking to buy a 12 volt sail sewing machine, any words of advice??

[Orionsmith]

Sorry, I should of started by saying we live part time in Canada , and sail when we can. We have a hunter 27 and would love to sail the seven seas if he wife was not uch a chicken

[forsailbyowner]

I run mine off an inverter. It has a 400 watt motor and uses surprisingly little power as by the time you've run it 10 minutes you've done a lot of lineal feet of stitching. Its industrial with a servo motor. A light duty machine like the sairite would use much less. Inverters don't cost much.

[Orionsmith]

Do you mean a sailrite sewing machine??

[maxingout]

I like my sail rite, but I don't like it's weight.

But if it was a source of income while cruising, I would put up with the weight.

[Celestialsailor]

Welcome to the forum
I have Pfaff 230. with Zigzag. It is 110 but as mentioned above, it makes sense to run it off an inverter.

[stickybeak]

In Australia Strongarm walking foot machines run well off an inverter. They're similar to a Sailrite. They draw 150 watts so no big deal on a decent electrical system.

Inverters are now getting ridiculously cheap. Has anyone tried any of the ebay specials?

[barnakiel]

Get a household one and an inverter. Why 12 Volt?

b.

[Doodles]

We like our Sailrite too (except for the weight). Go with the inverter for more options like shore power!

[senormechanico]

I service and repair sewing machines for a living.
A home sewing machine usually draws less than 100 watts at full power.
The sewing lamp (incandescent) in older machines is 15 watts.
Newer machines have led lighting and are much more miserly with power.
A Bernina is usually around 45 watts running flat out.

Steve B.
Certified Bernina Technician

[Sulaire]

We are cosidering a sewing machine onboard too, does not need to be 12volt. So with apologies to OP, can I ask about this in parallel instead of having two sewing machine threads running at the same time!

I have no sewing machine experience, but it seems sailrite are the top of the range with a great customer service. Is there a viable altenative that will stitch through layers of heavy sail material with zig zag stitching? Sailrites pricing seems a little high, but i do appreciate their reputation for backing up thier product. Alternatives?

Charlie

[Vasco]

I have a Sailrite. There are identical machines that are a bit cheaper. I think Sailrite claims to modify or, at least, set up the machines so that they are better for marine use. A friend has the same machine but not a Sailrite. Her's seems to work as well as mine.

[senormechanico]

Sailrite has a video somewhere on their site comparing their machines with other similar looking knockoffs.
The difference in the quality of the metal castings is shocking.
I've worked on a few of these knockoff machines. They are P.O.S's.
If I were in the market for one, no question in my mind which I'd choose.
It's definitely worth your time to look for that video.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Sulaire

We are cosidering a sewing machine onboard too, does not need to be 12volt. So with apologies to OP, can I ask about this in parallel instead of having two sewing machine threads running at the same time!

I have no sewing machine experience, but it seems sailrite are the top of the range with a great customer service. Is there a viable altenative that will stitch through layers of heavy sail material with zig zag stitching? Sailrites pricing seems a little high, but i do appreciate their reputation for backing up thier product. Alternatives?

Charlie

See post 3,6,7 & 8

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Sailrite has a video somewhere on their site comparing their machines with other similar looking knockoffs.
The difference in the quality of the metal castings is shocking.
I've worked on a few of these knockoff machines. They are P.O.S's.
If I were in the market for one, no question in my mind which I'd choose.
It's definitely worth your time to look for that video.

Since you're a pro...I've heard that I should increase the spring tension on the foot for canvas work or get a stronger spring altogether. I've got a Pfaff 230