Sewing machine needed !

[captainstubbie]

Search your area craigslist, I got a very good deal on my last one

[oleretlmn]

bought an omega xl on ebay around 500.00 sews leather canvas fabric whatever- also have a singer 500a rocketeer 50.00 craigslist great machine many older machines pfaff singer toyota will sew anything you can get under the foot. zig-zag is a little more modern,still plenty older cast iron machines avaible at reasonable prices. agree with others, watch craigs, ebay,other for beat deals

[Tillsbury]

Just make sure whatever machine you get has a walking foot

[KimAKnight]

Sailrite sewing machine . sewed and extensive dodger system , sail covers , my Genoa sun protection replacement 50 feet long . Sailrite has great customers service and I have done business with them for 30 years. Highly recommend.

[Stomp]

Thanks to everyone so far that has spent the time to give a bit of input on this topic, much appreciated. As I mentioned at the beginning of this thread I am a tradesman with lots of decade’s of working with tools and machines and various materials,but primarily with wood. My motto throughout my career has been to always buy good quality tools and equipment so as to make life easier and safer and to achieve the best results.
Having looked at lots of other machines and manufacturers it seems that I’m still drawn back to the Sailrite machine solely because of the comments made by so many satisfied sailors.
It’s just the price !!!!!!! My goodness they seem to know how to charge. We all know that boating and any equipment related to sailing is expensive and we have to pay a premium rightly or sometimes wrongly but blimey the initial purchase of this little puppy is painful. !!
Anyway..... before I take the plunge.........

Two things that someone might be able to reassure me on are

1/ Is the Sailrite machine susceptible to rusting due to the harsh environment on the salty seas we frequent?
2/ Is there enough space to get bulky items through the throat of the machine?(I have read a few articles where people have mentioned this as being a bit ‘tight’ for certain jobs)
Looking forward to any comments and tips ! ; )

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by Stomp

Does anyone have any recommendations for a reasonably priced sewing machine that would be able to cope with making cushions, enclosures,dodgers and maybe smaller sail repairs ?
Ive bought a boat that needs all the usual bits and being a tradesman recon I can get the hang of a sewing machine after some practice.

Yes, I make/repair sails and other stuff for ships for a living, and I definitely recommend an old Singer Semi-Industrial. You can pick one up for about $180, and they use only about 80watts. I don't have one currently, but I did on my last boat. Right now I do everything by hand. Some work has to be done by hand unless you have a machine capable of sewing leather.

The Sailmaker's Apprentice book is a good place to start, but there a lot of small things that it doesn't teach you that I learned from experience. I'll be making some tutorial videos on my YT channel soon.

Hand sewn bimini, 30 hours sewing, Needs some improvements, but has stood up to 60 knots gusts without issue. New sailcovers coming soon. (yes, I just noticed the new damage to the sailcovers on this photo, and made a temporary repair)



Some waterproof 12v fairy lights sewn to the underside, $5, looks nice at night

[1affiah]

"Anyway..... before I take the plunge.........

Two things that someone might be able to reassure me on are

1/ Is the Sailrite machine susceptible to rusting due to the harsh environment on the salty seas we frequent?
2/ Is there enough space to get bulky items through the throat of the machine?(I have read a few articles where people have mentioned this as being a bit ‘tight’ for certain jobs)
Looking forward to any comments and tips ! ; )[/QUOTE]"

As a long time sailrite owner (I bought mine directly from founder Jim Grant at the Annapolis boat show) I can vouch for them. I had loaned mine to a well-meaning friend once, and he made "improvements" after which the machine refused to work properly. I shipped it back to sailrite, they returned it to factory specs ( at a charge) and installed some updated parts at no charge.
They are a family business top to bottom and great people to work with.

1) Your machine will come with a case, and the internals are very wet with oil. If kept properly cleaned and stored, rust should not be a problem.

2) It is a short arm machine, as are most of the alternates, they would have the same limitations. Just roll up the material to guide it thru, a bigger issue on a boat would be the workspace that allows you to feed the material straight thru the machine and out the other side. Sail lofts have huge tables to allow for this.

3) They hold their value so well, used machines sell quickly for a very high percentage of replacement cost.

Good luck!

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by 1affiah

2) It is a short arm machine, as are most of the alternates, they would have the same limitations. Just roll up the material to guide it thru, a bigger issue on a boat would be the workspace that allows you to feed the material straight thru the machine and out the other side. Sail lofts have huge tables to allow for this.

Most old Singers have a longer arm than sailrite's machine, which I did look at, but the price was prohibitive. Depending on the job, you might not be able to fit a rolled bundle through it.

All my work is done aboard, moving the galley table to the centreline allows you to feed the bundle from the cockpit and through the boat. Although I take the sail to land for measuring and marking.

And yes, you can't expect any machine to stay rust free without maintenance and good stowage.

[carlosproa]

Had my blue Sailrite for over 25 years. Overall is a good machine but the foot could use more clearance. Since you are in a boat, get that super heavy monster manual wheel. I don’t have it in mine. I heard the newer version is more reliable than mine, but if you are a tradesman than you should have no trouble adjusting parts. Get UV thread and plenty of metal bobbins.
Is a good investment to get the swing away binder. See pics
As for the hot knife, I got a cheap one from Home Depot and had it forever

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by carlosproa

As for the hot knife, I got a cheap one from Home Depot and had it forever
]

I like the combination hot-knife/soldering irons, just change the tip. The 12v one I had first was disappointingly underpowered though, I switched to a 240v one.

[KimAKnight]

I purchased Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ‑1 PLUS Walking Foot Sewing Machine (110V) and have stored it in a locker in the cabin of my 39 foot sailboat in a locker . The boat is moored in Charleston SC , so plenty of salt air here. It has been in the boat for 5 years , no rust , I do keep it oiled as per Sailrite directions . The machine has been a tad tight in sewing 6 layers of sumbrella , but on whole I never have much of a problem with sewing most marine applications . Its saved me it's price over and over again in multiple projects from major sail repairs to new biminis and seat covers and sailboags , etc. Love my Sailrite. Kim

[JPA Cate]

Hi, 1affiah,

For years, I used a Pfaff 130. Now I have a Sailrite LSZ-1 I purchased 2nd hand from a cruising couple. It must be 10 yrs. old, and no significant rust. Customer service from SR is excellent.

I do not think the throat size on the Sailrite is high enough, nor long enough. My opinion is that it is not substantially bigger than my Pfaff had been. The walking foot is wonderful.

In your shoes, if I were land based, and had a big room I could use for sewing, I'd be looking at a 2nd hand commercial machine that has been professionally re-habbed, that has a higher and longer throat AND the walking foot. From my experience, I cannot do all the layers other people are claiming for their SRs, the pressure foot won't lift high enough. However, it is very doable to adjust for Tenara (ptfe thread), and that is the thread of choice for canvas work that will be sun exposed; plus, I'd use it if I had to mend sail seams.

I let myself be convinced that I wanted to use Weather Max, for my most recent boom bag, and I feel pretty dissatisfied with it. The color was burgundy, when new, and now, after about 4 yrs, it is a very ugly grey. The Sunbrella UV strip on our staysail, however, is still close to its original color, and looks just fine. So, even though it is heavier, my next boom bag will be Sunbrella, with some of my left over WM for the high chafe areas, on the inside. We also made dinghy chaps from the WM, in medium grey. The grey fades lighter without getting ugly. However, my next chaps will be Sunbrella, as well.

Just a little practice will have you sewing straight seams. You can even draw the sewing lines on the fabric to help guide you while you learn. If you're familiar with fiddling with machinery, the rest of it is a piece of cake. (The SR instructions are good. I wish I'd found them for chaps before I made them. Silly me.)

Enjoy it. It really feels good to know you can do this stuff for your boat (s), and sometimes help other folks.

Ann

PS. Here's a link to a photo of the chaps mentioned above: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...er-148353.html And there's some updated discussion here: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ghy+cover.html Relative to the reflective material, use SOLAS reflective tape instead. The reflective piping was a waste of time, not weatherproof at all.

I did get the seam binder attachment for my SR. You'll work out the necessary tricks for using it. Here's a tip: if you are binding something cut on the bias, plan to use stay stitching to stabilize the fabric, or cut extra binding tape. The black fades to dark grey.

[Tillsbury]

The sail rite edge binder is excellent and a necessary add on. It fits most machines (including my long-arm), not just sail rite ones.

The hot knife cutter is also a great thing for cutting and sealing sunbrella and other fabrics. But you’ll find it in lots of places too — it’s a standard rope-cutting hot knife.

[Stomp]

Just bit the bullet !!
Sailrite LZ 1 V3 on its way !! I've got grin on my face and now have a very skinny wallet!!!

Thanks to everyone for the help, information, stories, experiences, etc. Very much appreciated.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by Stomp

Just bit the bullet !!
Sailrite LZ 1 V3 on its way !! I've got grin on my face and now have a very skinny wallet!!!

Thanks to everyone for the help, information, stories, experiences, etc. Very much appreciated.

All the best mate, I look forward to seeing your work. Feel free if to message me if you need advice on any designs. I'll give as much advice as you need for free, but schematics take much more effort and are not free, but can provide those too.