I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,

On Wed, 22 Mar 2006 17:43:23 GMT, "Thomas Wentworth"
wrote:

I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,


Start by looking at the Sailrite machines (www.sailrite.com). You can
educate yourself fairly well there. Then, if your budget requires,
you can start looking for similar features in a cheaper machine. I
have a Sailrite Sailmaker that I got used. I am very pleased with it,
but you can get a very good machine for a lot less.

__________________________________________________ __________
Glen "Wiley" Wilson usenet1 SPAMNIX at world wide wiley dot com
To reply, lose the capitals and do the obvious.

Take a look at cpRepeater, my NMEA data integrator, repeater, and
logger at http://www.worldwidewiley.com/

"Thomas Wentworth" wrote in news:%0gUf.1562$kB1.709
@trndny07:

I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of
sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are
good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,



First, no matter what anyone tells you, you DO NOT need an expensive
SailRite machine! I have used them, and several other commercial
machines as well. Sailrite is a good machine(not industrial quality),
but a good machine, but over priced and unless you are going to be sewing
a LOT of canvas and large sails these machines have limited utility.

What you need is one of the really old Pfaff or Singer machines, they are
touch as nails will sew leeather and cost a one third less than a
Sailrite and half a Sailrite clone(which by the way there are many of and
every bit as good as the Sailrites).

Look in any medium sized or larger cities yellow pages fro a sewing
machine repair shop, almost all selll used re-conditioned machines with
guarantees. Tell them what you want to do, and they can set you up
properly without resorting to a 2d mortgage. Also MOST of them will sit
you down and show you the basics, a far cry from trying to learn from
some guy on the telephone or by email.
g'Luk

Dudley wrote:
"Thomas Wentworth" wrote in news:%0gUf.1562$kB1.709
@trndny07:


I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of

sailing

yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are

good? Is

this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,




First, no matter what anyone tells you, you DO NOT need an expensive
SailRite machine! I have used them, and several other commercial
machines as well. Sailrite is a good machine(not industrial quality),
but a good machine, but over priced and unless you are going to be sewing
a LOT of canvas and large sails these machines have limited utility.

What you need is one of the really old Pfaff or Singer machines, they are
touch as nails will sew leeather and cost a one third less than a
Sailrite and half a Sailrite clone(which by the way there are many of and
every bit as good as the Sailrites).

Look in any medium sized or larger cities yellow pages fro a sewing
machine repair shop, almost all selll used re-conditioned machines with
guarantees. Tell them what you want to do, and they can set you up
properly without resorting to a 2d mortgage. Also MOST of them will sit
you down and show you the basics, a far cry from trying to learn from
some guy on the telephone or by email.
g'Luk


Well said, Dudley. A $125 used good quality machine is what he needs.

The simpler the better. Get a good pair of scissors, too.

Thomas Wentworth wrote:
I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good? Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,


There's a very long and tedious thread on this issue on the SSCA forum
(comparing Sailrite sewing machines vs similar models).

We have a basic machine (older) that is all metal inside that will sew
up to about 5 layers of Sunbrella or a similar amount of Dacron.
We've sewn awnings, made a dodger, repaired a mainsail etc. on it.
The cheap little walking foot attachment is very useful. However it
is hard on the machine to use it for such heavy fabrics and it does
tend to go out of timing fairly often. I'm seriously considering one
of the "clone" Sailrite types for the next boat

Evan Gatehouse

I've see the recommendation for a SailRite 'clone'.

Before I had heard of SailRite, and being an ignoramous regarding things
sewing...I bought a new clone, unwittingly, on Ebay. I can get the vendor's
name if anyone is serious about WHO TO AVOID.

The seller would accept no phone calls, had no parts or manual, and became
quite abusive upon my expressing my displeasure at his dodgy behavior and
lack of ANY help whatsoever.

SailRite bailed me out of that one and otherwise I'd have been stuck with an
unusable new machine. They are green and have a sticker on them in their
Ebay advertisement saying Heavy Duty. They ain't and the seller's a crook,
despite having sold quite a number. I have a neighbor who is a talented
machinist that unbeknownst to me had also previously bought one from this
same vendor and was thinking of suing in that he had a relative in
California in law enforcement, but instead bailed himself out.

I, happily, resorted to SailRite's assistance and plan on gratefully buying
most of my material from them. I am working on one of their series drogue
kits and they are knowledgeable and helpful to a fault.

A word from the unwise,

Courtney


"Thomas Wentworth" wrote in message
news:%0gUf.1562$kB1.709@trndny07...
I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good?
Is
this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 22:11:51 GMT, "Courtney Thomas"
wrote:

The seller would accept no phone calls, had no parts or manual, and became
quite abusive upon my expressing my displeasure at his dodgy behavior and
lack of ANY help whatsoever.

Make sure you post negative feedback on EBAY if you haven't already.
Most experienced EBAY buyers will not go near a seller that has any
significant negative feedback.

Well, there you have it. If you want a known excellent machine
tailored for boat use, with outstanding support from an established
vendor, Sailrite is hard to beat. If you want to take the time to
learn the ins and outs of industrial machines, research the various
sources, and handle finding parts and support yourself, you can find a
better price.

As for buying supplies and material from them, I've generally found
their prices and selection to be as good as any retail source I had
access to.

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 22:11:51 GMT, "Courtney Thomas"
wrote:


I, happily, resorted to SailRite's assistance and plan on gratefully buying
most of my material from them. I am working on one of their series drogue
kits and they are knowledgeable and helpful to a fault.

A word from the unwise,

Courtney

__________________________________________________ __________
Glen "Wiley" Wilson usenet1 SPAMNIX at world wide wiley dot com
To reply, lose the capitals and do the obvious.

Take a look at cpRepeater, my NMEA data integrator, repeater, and
logger at http://www.worldwidewiley.com/

First of all it is a good idea to get to know a good local sewing machine
mechanic. Unless you spend a lot of bucks you are going to be pushing a
machine to its limit and it will need service eventually.

Sailrite sells a good machine but with a little research you can find a good
refurbed walking foot machine at a local sewing machine repair shop for a
lot less. There are a lot of good Consew industrial machines floating
around out there but most industrial models are not very portable so keeping
it aboard is not very practical. A good heavy duty re-conditioned luggable
Singer, Brother, Juki or Pfaff walking foot machine with a few simple stitch
patterns might set you back a couple hundred bucks and the shop you bought
it from can service it. The machines on eBay are not a good idea because it
is often hard to find someone to service them. However, some Chinese brands
are relabeled Jukis and Brothers so before you reject an otherwise good
looking machine of another brand out of hand have a good sewing machine
mechanic check it over.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Thomas Wentworth" wrote in message
news:%0gUf.1562$kB1.709@trndny07...
I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good?
Is this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,

Folks,

I have both the Pfaff 130 and Sailrite LSZ-1. Reply if you are interested
in buying the Pfaff. You can have it for $250 with a Hand-crank monster
wheel. Timing is perfect and sews well. Good machine for most
applications. I'm keeping the LSZ-1.

LimeCat


"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:ZrhVf.26669$YX1.14949@dukeread06...
First of all it is a good idea to get to know a good local sewing machine
mechanic. Unless you spend a lot of bucks you are going to be pushing a
machine to its limit and it will need service eventually.

Sailrite sells a good machine but with a little research you can find a
good
refurbed walking foot machine at a local sewing machine repair shop for a
lot less. There are a lot of good Consew industrial machines floating
around out there but most industrial models are not very portable so
keeping
it aboard is not very practical. A good heavy duty re-conditioned
luggable
Singer, Brother, Juki or Pfaff walking foot machine with a few simple
stitch
patterns might set you back a couple hundred bucks and the shop you bought
it from can service it. The machines on eBay are not a good idea because
it
is often hard to find someone to service them. However, some Chinese
brands
are relabeled Jukis and Brothers so before you reject an otherwise good
looking machine of another brand out of hand have a good sewing machine
mechanic check it over.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Thomas Wentworth" wrote in message
news:%0gUf.1562$kB1.709@trndny07...
I have been reading Don Casey's book about repair, and upkeep of sailing
yachts. He recommends getting a sewing machine so that sails, covers,
dodgers, etc can be repaired, made etc by the boat owner.

I don't know anything about sewing machines.

Where would I get one? How much should one cost? What brands are good?
Is this something I can get on ebay?

Any help ?

Thanks,