Making a boat cover

[Sunken Ship]

I must make a cover for my boat as I really need my garage back. Boat is taking up both stalls in the garage atm. Will use the old Singer 15-91 that WOG talked me into buying last summer for my Larson interior project. Certainly think it is up to the task. Machine did one heck of a job on the boat interior.

Going to use Sunbrella (Marine) or Cost Guard Marine fabric, which will be well worth the money if the cover will last more than one season.

However, before I get started I was hoping to get some input from the pros.

If I take the 14 yards and cut into two 7 yard sections, I could then sew these into two long 7 yard strips that will run bow to stern. My concern is the seam leaking, so I was hoping to get some advice on how to make a proper seam. Put a ton of work into the boat interior last summer and would like to make the best seam possible.

Not entirely certain about how to handle the edges going around the sides and back of the boat either.

Anyone have some advice on this project before I get started?

Here is a photo of the boat BEFORE I got it :




Hoping to prevent this from happening again:



Thanks,
SS

 

[Big Gee]

Have you seen this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC1muFgrSFU

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Have you seen the videos at Sailrite ? They have a wealth of great videos and advice.

 

[bruceb58]

I would do some testing on some scraps before using that machine. Put 4-6 layers of sunbrella together and see how it does. Also, you will need to buy or make a way to heat cut the Sunbrella. You can't use scissors.

Make sure you use a size 92 polyester thread. Hopefully, that is the size you used on your interior. I am actually using SolarFix Thread on new projects. Its pricey though

The seam on the top of this picture is a semi flat felled seam. It's all you need to do. Plenty waterproof. The seam stack is on the inside of the cover so you don't see the ends of the fabric.

You basically do one stitch with the backsides facing out followed by a top stitch.

Here is the hot knife I use for cutting Sunbrella

 

[Corjen1]

The sail rite video linked in the earlier post will tell you pretty much everything you need to know...

 

[bruceb58]

Yeah...I am not impressed with how they do it in that video. I hate doing tons of darts.

 

[Sunken Ship]

Thanks for the info and photos.

The thread was a special thread that I had to order. This machine is a beast. It will penetrate more than 10 layers of marine vinyl if I remember correctly. I think I can manage the stitch in the top photo, but that second (lower) stitch would be a tough one to get right for 21'.

Totally forgot about cutting the Sunbrella. Soldering iron with the flat blade that I could sharpen? Guess I could do some testing when I get the materials.

Bruce, What do you think of the "Coastguard Marine Canvas"? I see it has an 8 year limited warranty.

 

[bruceb58]

I have heard of it but never used it. I buy Sunbrella wholesale so my price for Sunbrella is cheaper than what everyone sells Coastguard for.

There is a product that a lot of pros are using now called Tempotest. It is very close to Sunbrella including color matching.
http://www.tempotestusa.com/images/products/MARINE.pdf

The bottom stitch is a full flat felled seam. It may be slightly more waterproof but not really needed unless it's the bottom side of a bimini and you want it to look nicer than the semi felled seam.

The Sailrite video shows how they are doing the semi flat felled seam.

Soldering iron can work. My cutter was very expensive. Even the foot was like $50 that attaches to it.

Here is the page for the Sailrite hot knifes
http://www.sailrite.com/All-Tools/Hotknife
I have the Engel knife.

Just warning you. Sunbrella is way harder to penetrate than vinyl. Vinyl is like butter in comparison. You can get a lot of layers built up fast at seam intersections or if you ever use binding.

 

[Woodonglass]

I made a great working hot knife blade for my weller Soldering iron. I just use a 6" length of 10 gauge copper wire and flatten about 1 1/2 inch middle section Bent it into a FOOT shape and secured it to the gun. Works GREAT!!! As to the ability of the 15-91. It will easily go thru 6 layers of Sunbrella. Been there done that. You can get #20 needles on Ebay to use and the V-92 thread works great with that size needle. I even use #138 with it and it works good. A Walking Foot IS the best and easiest way but...the 15-91 WILL get the job done. I totally agree that the Semi Flat Felled seam is all that's needed and it's very easy to sew on the 15-91. I would advise you to get some Spring Clips so you can roll the fabric into a tight roll and clip it so it won't unroll. This allows you to feed it under the throat of the machine. Make sure and set the stitch length to the longest you can. I also think the Sailrite video is a good one to get tips and pointers from. Each boat is different so Patterning your cover for a custom fit can be a bit of a challenge but the video shows some good methods for using clamps to get the fabric to conform to various shapes. CorJen1 did an excellent job on his cover and He had never done one before. If you run into issues...just ask. Lots of good experienced members here to help you.

Here's how my cutting blade kinda looks... I bent it a bit more into a FOOT shape. I'll try to make a rough sketch of it. We moved and the gun is still in a box SOMEWHERE in the Garage!!!

Don't laugh at this terrible drawing but...Maybe you'll get the idea.

 

[Sunken Ship]

Thanks guys!

I think I have some 10 gauge wire in my attic. Will give it a try. Illustration suits me just fine, sir...thank you. I think I have the same Weller, it has alight and low and high on the trigger. Excellent soldering gun.