Sewing Machines

[Cracker]

Can anyone recommend a good heavy-duty sewing machine they carry onboard, or keep at home, for repairing/making canvas items, or making temporary sail repairs?

[chris mac]

The top of the line for quality vs portability is sailrite. They aren't cheap, but are very strong and just work.

[mrsrisakwoods]

Sailrite

[Sailor Sailor]

Reliable Barracuda - seems to be the same basic model as the Sailrite machine, but less expensive.

[steve77]

The Sailrite is a great machine, and built for heavy-duty use.

For us, my wife uses her 20 year-old Singer. She primarily sews in Sunbrella, and has made such items as hatch covers, weather cloths, a lee cloth for the pilot berth, a liferaft cover, and a windlass cover. We use emergency repair tape for sail repairs until we can get to a loft.

Cheers!

Steve

[capt jgw]

I have a Rex, also the same basic machine as the Sailrite. There's five or six other names out there too built on the same design, they're probably all pretty much the same. Doesn't have the bells and whistles of the Sailrite, the Monster Wheel is the most beneficial, but you can add that later. They also don't come as well set up and tuned, but the Sailrite won't STAY tuned forever so you need to learn how to do it yourself. The instruction videos are on YouTube, that helped me decide to get the Rex instead. The Sailrite has some internal parts beefed up as the original ones are prone to break. The beefed up Sailrite parts are drop in replacements and not expensive, I had to do a couple in my Rex. I paid $250 for the Rex and added about $200 for the Monster Wheel and repair parts. Equivalent to a $1500 Sailrite.

[grantmc]

On my boat is an old Singer 15-91 made in about 1955. It's amazing for what it can handle; Sunbrella, leather, polyester sail cloth (in trade names such as Dacron, Terylene, Tetoron, Trevira and Diolen) etc in significant thickness (with a nice sharp needle). The unit is also relatively light to pickup, small footprint which is great cause it can be lugged out on deck easily. There are a multitude of different foot fittings. Best of all you can buy them on E-Bay etc cheap.

What's important, I think, in deciding, is what you want to do with he machine. If you're new to sewing, and asking such a question OP (and I'd guess you are new to sewing), then buy an inexpensive unit and start making simple things with square edges and 90 degree corners using non-stretch fabrics.

Flags are a great project to decide if your enjoy sewing. Making a set of signal flags is fun project, plus simple country flags, Ukraine is a topical example, nice easy two colour, rectangle, no shapes required. By the time you've done such a project you'll have figured out
1. if you enjoy doing that sort of work, and
2. you'll have learnt much about how a sewing machine works,
and so have a much better idea of what you want in a machine.

In respect to Sailrite units. There are a large number of Sailrite units sitting on sailboats just gathering dust. Many cruisers buy them, perceiving them as essential equipment when they first decide to circumnavigate. But without the skills or even any real inclination to become sewers. They're one of those items that experienced cruisers will often list as something they bought that they never used and didn't need. Sewing is a real skill and there's only one way to learn and that's practice and experience.

As an illustration, in the video below Drake trying to fix a small tear in a sail. He tries to use an old Singer, but he's obviously never really used a sewing machine before and hasn't a clue what he's doing. And so the little project is a failure. All the blame is put on the sewing machine. And so the message Drake delivers is that we should have bought a Sailrite. Sorry wrong message, the message should have been learn to sew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UJ49FFuW6U&t=349s

[blackbeard10]

I have a Sailrite and an old Pfaff 230 both work great.

[JPA Cate]

My Mom's old Pfaff 130 did fine on all canvas repairs, and all other sewing needs, but only once worked on a sail, where we sewed a sun strip back on a friend's genoa. On our boats, we carry sticky backed sail cloth to mend snags in sails*, other things like failed thread, we've taken to a sailmaker, because it is really hard to find places to work on them. You can specify at least one row of ptfe stitching per row of stitches, and probably will not have a sail unzip itself. Parks with big lawns work okay for space. Jim and I had one snag in a mainsail that we hand sewed the tear in. Worked towards each other, using a herringbone stitch and good quality needles, not the blunt ones that come with some thread. Here's a link to the kind we bought. I did learn to sharpen them, also. You'll need a hone or a carborundum stone.

Our method: clean sail with acetone to remove salt and moisture. Carefully place patches on both sides of sail. There is in my experience, very little hope for longevity of mends in very old sails.

Back to sewing machines, I did sell on my Mom's Pfaff (couldn't have 2 sewing machines on a boat!), and I miss it. I used to also do "home sewing" on it, and the Sailrite I bought used to replace it doesn't do well on light fabrics, like clothing, to do alterations. Go figure.

I think for most folks on boats, an yold (metal parts rather than plastic), straight stitch and zigzag machine will work well for what we all need to sew: cushion covers, boom bags, weather cloths, and the ilk, and will still be useable for "normal" fabrics. So if you need a gauze no-seeum outfit, you can make it. You'll find them in thrift shops. Almost museum pieces. But they are simple, and respond to logic relative to their adjustment. Do not lose the little screw that adjusts the bobbin tension!

Ann

[wingssail]

We have a Sailrite Sailmaker which we bought in 1993 and it has seen almost continuous use since that date. Mostly sail repair and canvas work, some clothing, backpack repairs etc. I've made a few sails with it. I frankly don't know how people can get by without a good sewing machine on board, our is used so often. There have been many times on passage when a sail is torn (even shredded) and we repair it and have it back up the next day. The Sailmaker model has a bigger throat so getting big sail pieces into it is a little more possible, still difficult.

The Sailrite machine is pretty much bullet proof although it can get out of time and need re-timing. I learned how from the Sailrite book. I've also worn out bobbin cages and other parts but we carry a few spares. The machine is mounted on a slide out arrangement in the shop area of the boat and at times we have taken it ashore to a yacht club or other building to do large sail repairs or make sails. I also often take it on deck, but a high percentage of the time it is used in it's mounts below deck. It plugs into the wall socket on the boat and is powered by whichever inverter is feeding the outlets.

We have large bin full of sail repair tapes and canvas supplies, plus several rolls of sail cloth and canvas of various description. I have expensive sissors and a couple of propane powered hot knives. I have rolls of super tack extra sticky double sided tape.

Do not be afraid to just plow into it. Using a sewing machine is a lot of common sense. My first project was to repair Judy's shorts. The next was a kevlar/mylar mainsail for Wings which I designed on a lotus spreadsheet. 52 panels not including patches. It worked and we won a lot of races with that sail. It ended it's life as an awning at a shop in Singapore. I no longer make sails for our boat, I get better results from high end products from the Asian lofts I do business with.

[Caleb_Grey]

Originally Posted by capt jgw

I have a Rex, also the same basic machine as the Sailrite. There's five or six other names out there too built on the same design, they're probably all pretty much the same. Doesn't have the bells and whistles of the Sailrite, the Monster Wheel is the most beneficial, but you can add that later. They also don't come as well set up and tuned, but the Sailrite won't STAY tuned forever so you need to learn how to do it yourself. The instruction videos are on YouTube, that helped me decide to get the Rex instead. The Sailrite has some internal parts beefed up as the original ones are prone to break. The beefed up Sailrite parts are drop in replacements and not expensive, I had to do a couple in my Rex. I paid $250 for the Rex and added about $200 for the Monster Wheel and repair parts. Equivalent to a $1500 Sailrite.

My neighbor just sold a pretty heavily used 5 year old sailrite for $1200.
Didnt even have to list it, just mentioned in passing to a group that she was going to sell it and it was sold.
So 5 years of excellent sewing machine, for less cost than trying to save money by buying a knockoff and fiddling with broken parts and tuning.
If you can afford the upfront cost get a sailrite, its cheaper in the long run, and their support and videos are great help.
Like they say, buy once, cry once.

[Nekton73]

Another vote for the Singer 15-91. It's my go to for all sunbrella and canvas repairs and handles up to a 20/120 needle and V92 thread, although it prefers an 18 and V69. I've also babied it through some sail repairs, but it meets its match at about 4 layers of 5 oz dacron. They are getting hard to find, but keep an eye on your local buy & sell and you may get lucky. It's certainly no match for a Sailrite or Pfaff industrial, but for the $100 I paid it has more than earned its keep.

[mrcarson]

I sold my old Singer with last yacht. Bought second hand in the '60's.
Electric with Knee bar (Industrial) Bought a manual handle for $35.
it went through 4 layers of 6oz cloth and 6 with the manual winder.
32ft yacht They'll do ALL you need to. Long Straight, and fairly wide Zig/Zag
With reverse. Look round the old second hand shops. AND friends Grandma's.
They are where they come from.

[tamicatana]

Silk to sails, Pfaff 130 or 230. Google for tips and techniques.

For new, https://zamirsew.net/
Sells the portable Family Sew clone around $500 with shipping, machine sews a fine stitch and the throat is larger. Zamir is a nice guy, too

[goboatingnow]

I was thinking of getting a Singer 4423 with a walking foot attachment