All,
I've mostly been lurking here. I've seen some discussion about various sailmakers on the forum. Has anybody here made their own sails? I have an interest to do so. I've bought the sailrite books and I've been playing with sailcut CAD. I did find this old article:
https://www.thebeachcats.com/news/213/building-your-own-catamaran-sails/

It seems there is not a lot of internet presence of people who build their own so I thought I'd ask here. I have made one sail for a little foam monohull that I play with but that was before I either bought the books or downloaded sailcut. That project did give me the confidence that I can do it though.

I'm still planning to head to Florida next month and pick up a Supercat 17 from a buddy of mine, assuming Covid doesn't shut down the country. I had to rebuild the trunk of my tow vehicle but have since wrapped that project up.

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

There's a whole lot of not much out there about sail making, besides a few hits on YouTube and sailrite's kit videos. Be fun to make one or two, and people apparently make garage-built sails frequently. Just not a lot about design and build methods shared that I know of. May be due to competitive forces in a tight market.

If you find any sources, please post here, I'll do the same. I'm going to be repairing a couple sails, and may eventually build a jib. A main would be a good month long project and a commitment of a lot of materials. Still..

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

Dacron or nylon would be easy enough. I have a book, "Sails", that goes over (rather outdated) methods of construction. There are rules of thumb you can use to make cross cut sails. I think you would need a plotter or at least a projector to transfer over the pattern for a tri-radial cut. I have looked and failed to find a source for any laminate cloths more serious than x-ply, does anyone else know where they can be had?

Sailrite will get you the cloth - have to call them. They'll even cut you out a "kit", but the kit runs about the same as a finished Whirlwind sail (or more), so... My local sail loft will sell me some material, though I haven't asked about advanced laminates.

You can plot the panels from SailCut CAD; it gives you the coordinates. Crosscut sails would be "relatively simple", but near as sexy as a tri-radial. "Sail-makers Apprentice" is a decent book, but doesn't have enough good diagrams, etc. to fully translate the knowledge. But still, better than nothing and does get a TON of basics across. It seems the only true method for learning this besides trial and error is to intern in a loft, something that's both not readily available nor easy to get into.

A 5 by 10 plotter that could hold a low power CO2 laser running on Mach 3 would be the ticket... Then you need a sewing machine. Triple stitch, zig-zag sewing machines are $$$. Reasonable zig zag walking foot machine = $500 to $1,000. You're in it deep now and a new main for me costs somewhere around $1,200 to $1,500 (roughly). So, unless you already have the sewing machine you got to do it because you want to. At least to hit anywhere near the ballpark quality of a loft. Having said that, after I re-stitch my current jib, repair a main and release a couple of bolt ropes, I'll likely try my hand at a new jib for grins.

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

i have a buddy who has made a bunch of sails
he had a phaf (spelling) sewing machine and a little knowledge

mostly started as a way to repair his (and our) sails from wear and dying windows

i think his first couple we jibs and he was defiantly learning as he went

after he made a few mains for himself a friend of ours purchased a main from him - looked nice and i think the results were decent

I purchased a jib from him and i was mostly pleased accept the jib died a quick death

I think in the end- it was a good deal of work with decent (not great results) and required many sails to be able to do it right

we have another friend who sails more than anyone else in the world (kidding but around 150 days a year, since 2004). he has a machine and does his own repairs and modifications but knows he can't compete with a quality sail shop. i think that is a good lesson for most

So if you are interested in saving money, may be hard to do if you don't have the equipment

if having great shape in your sails - probably gonna take lots of practice runs

but dont let that stop you if you are interested and willing to accept those factors



Edited by MN3 on Nov 12, 2020 - 10:09 AM.

Thanks all for the replies. Mainly I am doing it because I like to do things. Looking at the principles between putting the shape in the sails and also the mechanics of sewing them together more or less aligns with my idea of fun. I do have 3 machines - one which was light duty. I destroyed it making a ski boot bag out of old hovercraft skirt material. My neighbors gave me a 1928 Singer 29K machine which will sew anything, but it is a straight stitch machine. My kid sewed up the new hovercraft skirt with this machine. Finally I got an older Brother sewing/embroidery machine from my mom which has a walking foot attachment and a bunch of stitches. I used that to make my first sail, which came out decent except it doesn't perform. But it was only about $60 worth of materials and I'll probably make another one as I learn. Both of my foam boats need new sails. They are both a lateen rig and about 45 square feet. So I'll make a couple more before I commit to making a new mainsail for the Supercat.

I'll probably sail the first season on the old sails. Sounds like they need some repairs, especially in the batten pockets. We are not racers, just recreational sailors. Anything compared to the foam monohulls will seem like a rocket ship.

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

ziper1221

Dacron or nylon would be easy enough. I have a book, "Sails", that goes over (rather outdated) methods of construction. There are rules of thumb you can use to make cross cut sails. I think you would need a plotter or at least a projector to transfer over the pattern for a tri-radial cut. I have looked and failed to find a source for any laminate cloths more serious than x-ply, does anyone else know where they can be had?

I made my first sail out of 1.5 oz nylon, bought from Sailrite. This material seems like a good choice for the little boats. I am thinking of using 4oz Dacron for the Supercat sail but would be willing to listen to suggestions on material choice. I don't see any rush to get into laminates based on my recreational sailing nature.

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Aquarius Sail had my new sq top made by Ulman in Deltaville VA. It's a beautiful sail and performs really well.
If you can make a sail that will do that SC 17 justice, go for it.

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--

I bought a complete Sailrite kit a long time ago and stitched up a jib sail for a Hobie 16 using my mothers fancy Singer sewing machine. The jib was OK. I did not damage the sewing machine. It took a lot longer than the 4-6 hours Sailrite had estimated in their directions. It was only a little bit cheaper than buying "brand name" jib new.

Just be aware if you give any value to your time you will not be saving any money and will not be making a superior product until you have made many many sails.

I think everyone should at least try it. Then you will have the basics to do your own repairs. Also, you will have new and profound respect for the artistry and skill of your local sail loft.

Good luck!

bradinjax

Just be aware if you give any value to your time you will not be saving any money and will not be making a superior product until you have made many many sails.

I've heard that many times before! Like everything I do - I'm building an airplane, I rebuilt my '99 Saturn, Got my old '80s motorcycles going after a 16 year storage, and so on. It's all therapy, and you are right it is not time effective.

As to whether or not I can make a sail that will do the SC17 justice or not, we will see!

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

what kinda motorcycle?

i owned a kawaski 84 LTD 750 (with kickstart) that i rode around the north east (US), Scotland and Greece - miss that girl



Edited by MN3 on Nov 12, 2020 - 04:58 PM.

Good time lapse here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTy43MH2Wyg

I wouldn't recommend it unless you have A LOT of time on your hands and a four-point zig-zag machine.

A two-step zig zag will do the job, just have to re-seam twice. Many sails built this way in the past, just a 4 point stitch saves time. Down side is those machines are really high dollar, even used. I got a Zoje 20U93, which was the last contractor for Singer prior to their demise. Its a Singer knock-off, sort of. Still has the Singer emblems cast into it. Anyway, had to do a few mods to get it to sew through 5-6 layers (servo motor, large pulley, locked drive shaft, etc.) but it will and do a nice, wide zig zag through whatever goes under it now. Sewed on a leech patch to my main (laminate), and it worked great outside of running out of bobbin thread 3 times and extended the life of my main by probably 2 seasons. Replaced a jib zipper, etc.

Anyone got SailCut to display the sail you generate in 3D? Can't figure how to get there.

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

MN3

what kinda motorcycle?

I still own my first motorcycle - a 1981 Suzuki GN400 that I bought new at age 15. I had gotten that running a couple of years ago. Last spring my kid got a 1984 Magna V30 from a neighbor, and I got my long dormant 1989 FJ1200 running again. Lots of carb and hydraulic work. Oh, and I made a seatcover for the GN that came out really nice. Plus new tires on all the bikes. I mount and balance my own.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Quote

I wouldn't recommend it unless you have A LOT of time on your hands and a four-point zig-zag machine.

Great video! This won't be my biggest project by any means. I don't watch TV or go to bars, so I like to spend my time making things. I've got like 1500 hours into building an airplane, and my kid has about 500 hours helping me. I'll post a couple of my timelapses if it is of any interest.

I did my first sail with a 2 point zig zag. I just did two rows.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

MN3

what kinda motorcycle?

i owned a kawaski 84 LTD 750 (with kickstart) that i rode around the north east (US), Scotland and Greece - miss that girlEdited by MN3 on Nov 12, 2020 - 04:58 PM.

My first bike was a 1977 Suzuki 750 3 cylinder 2 cycle water cooled bike. Known as the Suzuki Water Buffalo cuz it was so heavy and first water cooled motorcycle in US market ....many gears (8 or 9?).... cafe racer build. Very narrow powerband. Kinda like a high performance cat. When you have the groove on, you know it.

Quote

Anyone got SailCut to display the sail you generate in 3D? Can't figure how to get there.

Are you talking about the 3D rendering that Sailcut has on its primary screen, or are you talking about an export to DXF or one of the other formats? I get the Sailcut 3D rendering when I start the program.

I saw a water buffalo come up on Craigslist not long ago. You don't see many of those these days. I've seen a couple of RE5s come up as well. I used to own a 1981 GS650E that I bought from my dad. I rode it from Connecticut to California and back, just after graduation and before I started working.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

What I want to see is the 3D rendering after inputting all the sail parameters, like the boot screen. Would love a comprehensive how-to guide...

Funny, my first bike at 15 was a Suzuki GS 400. Not much power compared to my later bikes but I sure put some miles on it. Setting valve clearances was some kind of time consuming. Learned a lot and still have the scars...

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

Note-have to reload Sailcut...missing menus somehow. It also won't run on a Surface Pro on Windoze 10.

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

Chuck,
I thought my copy of sailcut was missing the menus also. I'm working on a linux machine running Ubuntu 16.04. So, I downloaded sailcut on one of our windows machine and initially saw the same thing. But what happens with sailcut is the main screen pops up and appears to be floating over the windows/linux background. But, up at the top, there are menus. So don't look for them on the screen with the sail itself.

When I change sail parameters, and click OK, those changes go into the sail and the boot screen changes to become the new sail.

I did email Robert Lainé (Sailcut creator) with a question and he responded. So there is still support.

My poor GN400 is out of action at the moment. I had a bad oil leak, which I fixed. Then it came back. I was trying to remove stuff to get a better view of where it was coming from, and took off the exhaust pipe. The bolts snapped. So I drilled them for an ez out. The ez out snapped. That project is on the back burner. The great thing about the GN400 compared to my FJ1200 is you can ride it WOT to high RPM in every gear, get the enjoyment of thrashing a bike well, and you have barely broken the speed limit. Do that on a fast bike and it can be go directly to jail.

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

On the bikes - I do know that, but haven't gone to jail over it... My second or third street bike was a Honda CB900F Super Sport. Got it used and the second gear shift fork was broken or something so I had to shift from 1st to third; had to really wrap it out but dang that thing could move! I replaced those studs in the past - it was a project. I think I ended up taking the head to a machine shop.

I'll try Sailcut here from work and see if I can get to the menus better. It won't even boot up on a Surface Pro; it just refuses to load it an blames the software manufacturer.

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

So I think my machine does a 4 point stitch. Check out the video and tell me what you think.
https://youtu.be/ZeuDYCcLOTA

From some sewing I just did with the machine, it seems to miss the corners now and then. Not sure if that is my setup or an issue with the machine. It's a Brother Pacesetter ULT2002D embroidery machine.



Edited by waiex191 on Nov 23, 2020 - 01:43 PM.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Yes, that is a 4 point zig-zag stitch.

Yup, usually a sail-stitch is a bit longer, for some reason; I think its too keep it from "unzipping". The biggest challenge you're going to find is getting the reinforcements under the presser foot and getting the machine to punch through it. Can your machine handle V-69/V-90 thread? I found that I need to go through several needles, big ones to make sure it would track straight and stay sharp. I think I went through 3 on the entire length of my leech; going through 6-8 layers of mylar/Pentex.

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

I sewed my first sail with V69, but that is pretty much the limit of the machine. I'm assuming I'd use 4oz dacron for the sails - please correct me if I'm wrong.

For the really thick patches, if my Brother machine couldn't handle it, I'd use the vintage Singer. Unfortunately that machine only does straight stitches, so I'd just sew some more rows.

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Quote

My first bike was a 1977 Suzuki 750 3 cylinder 2 cycle water cooled bike. Known as the Suzuki Water Buffalo cuz it was so heavy and first water cooled motorcycle in US market ....

it’s off topic, but jayzus... I owned one of those, back in the late 70’s. Early spring, or late season, (I lived in S Alberta at the time, just where Alberta, B.C, & Montana meet), the warm air coming off the radiator was a blessing.
On a road trip south to Colorado, coming through Wyoming in 100* heat it was hell.
It was also miserable to keep clean. If you wound it up the pall of smoke behind was worthy of a James Bond special weapon. The rear wheel was always a mess of 2 stroke emissions.
We used to do day trips through the Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, Going-to-the-Sun road, 2nd most scenic ride in N America.
Up in the clouds one drizzly miserable day it started to miss. Idiotically I reached down to wiggle a spark plug boot. Damned near got electrocuted, & when I looked up, came within inches of hitting a grizzly bear. I got rid of it, for a Suzuki GS1000, a far superior ride.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Also off topic. My first bike was a 1982 Suzuki GS 750t. It took me from NY out to Yellowstone park. Hit snow on top of the Bighorn Mountains and less than an hour later in Wyoming it was sunny and 80 degrees. Some really great road trips on that bike.

--
Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
--

pknapp66

Also off topic. My first bike was a 1982 Suzuki GS 750t. It took me from NY out to Yellowstone park. Hit snow on top of the Bighorn Mountains and less than an hour later in Wyoming it was sunny and 80 degrees. Some really great road trips on that bike.

On my coast to coast trip, I was trying to make Yellowstone and got stuck south of there due to snow. Tried again the next morning and more snow. This was in June and I had no warm clothes, and just plain leather gloves. I finally turned around about 10 miles from West Yellowstone, as the snow was really starting to stick. Later it was in the 70's and seemed like a whole different season.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Unless you have access to a professional sewing machine, I would not recommend it. Even some of the machines you can easily buy online, I would not use for a catamaran or a boat over 20'. I have been a professional sailmaker and have built a few of my own sails. The thickness of the material you need to make the sail last, typically cannot be achieved with a standard sewing machine. You may go through a load of needles and broken thread. If it is something you need to do to get on the water, then go for it.

--
Scott

Prindle Fleet 2
TCDYC

Prindle 18-2 Mod "FrankenKitty"
Tornado Classic "Fast Furniture"
Prindle 19 "Mr. Wiggly"
Nacra 5.8 "De ja vu"
Nacra 5.0
Nacra 5.8
Tornadoes (Reg White)
--

waiex191

I sewed my first sail with V69, but that is pretty much the limit of the machine. I'm assuming I'd use 4oz dacron for the sails - please correct me if I'm wrong.

For the really thick patches, if my Brother machine couldn't handle it, I'd use the vintage Singer. Unfortunately that machine only does straight stitches, so I'd just sew some more rows.

Most beachcat sails are built with Contender Apen 06 OD, a 4.5 oz laminate. As others have said, there are many more layers in high load areas, and normal sewing machines struggle with this. You really don't want to stitch laminate cloth with multiple rows, that weakens the materials on the seams, which is the worst possible place to do so.

With dacron cloth, I would look at 6oz dacron for beachcat square top mains.

In terms of thread, V-92 is basically the minimum, V-69 can be used for spinnakers.

My kid is working on a prototype xy plotter. This one is obviously not big enough. We would scale it up.
https://youtu.be/JdCrD_h4IgI

We may try and add a stepper motor to control the angle of the walking foot of my 1928 Singer 29K51 machine. Then we could program it to do a 4 point zig zag and lock stitches.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

I made a CNC router; sitting in my garage now...thats a hobby of its own. Don't know why you'd want to hook a stepper motor onto your sewing machine; not likely to be successful coordinating movement. You're also looking at controller board, power supply and controller software like Mach 3/4. Why not just make a sail out of Dacron and double stitch a two point zig zag? Spend the money on materials, books and practice...

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

charlescarlis

I made a CNC router; sitting in my garage now...that's a hobby of its own.

Very cool and I agree. Would like to see your CNC router, either on the forum or via email. We had talked about making a setup that could either draw or carry a router. We are using an arduino for control. A newer video:
https://youtu.be/dCD5Jp9tEww

Your advice is sound and likely we will use dacron and the two point stitch of our Brother machine. The CNC controlled Singer antique would be a hobby project. If we do it, I'll post it here. The one big disadvantage of the 29K51 is it has a small bobbin.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

I have the same problem with my Singer 20U83; bobbin size. Doing the leach of my main took, I think 4 bobbin changes.

I'll get picks of my router and franken-computer that controls it this evening. I know zero about arduino stuff. I'm doing standardized, NEMA 23 high torque steppers (not servos), powered by typical controller boards tied together and running Mach 3. I WAS using Fusion to design, because it has an integrated CAM solution that used to be free... You know - "The first hit's free. After that you have to pay..." I haven't messed with it again in a while. I would like to build a 5 foot by 9 foot plotter with z-axis and vacuum table so I could mount either a pen or a laser. Would be useful for marking plywood parts and particularly useful for cutting cloth (in theory). Would have to be able to break it down for that size, however.

Before that, my cat's getting complete strip-down, hulls need to be detached, stripped of paint, repairs/bottom job and re-paint/re-build. I'll do a new trampoline and misc. canvas stuff. That should have me ready for the spring, and for a good full 2-3 seasons at least. That's enough project in what free time I've got. I'll help where I can on the CNC stuff; got lots of info built up over the years. CNC Zone dot com is a pretty decent place to learn also.

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

charlescarlis

I would like to build a 5 foot by 9 foot plotter with z-axis and vacuum table so I could mount either a pen or a laser. Would be useful for marking plywood parts and particularly useful for cutting cloth (in theory). Would have to be able to break it down for that size, however.

We were thinking we would hoist it to the roof of the hangar, and pull the airplane/catamaran out when we wanted to use it. Thanks for the info. I'll PM you my gmail ID, you can just append (at) gmail dot com onto it.

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

I am making a couple of practice sails for my little boats. They are 55 ft^2 lateen sails. I'm using 4oz dacron just to work with the same material that I plan to make my SC17 sail out of. I used Sailcut CAD and plotted the panels out by hand.


Because I am making two identical sails, I plotted one and traced one. Plotting by hand sucks! My kid and I will work on a plotter/cutter this summer.


Here are my two sail kits. There is some serious sewing in my future.


I did end up buying another machine. This is what I've got. I've used it for a few small projects and I like it. It has a long arm, 9" compared to the 7" which is more common.
https://walking-foot.com/product/omega-wf24lnzzmw/



Edited by waiex191 on Apr 22, 2021 - 12:32 PM.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

samc99us

With dacron cloth, I would look at 6oz dacron for beachcat square top mains.

It seems the only colored dacron I can find is 4 oz. Did they used to make 6oz dacron in colors or did they used to make the sails with the lighter cloth?

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Challenge still advertises it, but I bet you'll end up having to buy it from a loft or get Sailrite or Sailmakers Supply, etc. to special order it from a phone call.

Whether it's truly available or not right now could be an entirely different story.

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

I've been working on this sporadically. The sails have come out pretty good. Compared to the old ones they have a lot more shape - some of it due to Sailcut generated panel curves, and a lot from the foot rounding. We should have these on the water this weekend and see the results.


The SC17 will need a sail before the H16 does, but they are both in need.


As mentioned this was all 4oz dacron. For most of the sail I used V69 thread and a #16 needle. For the spar pockets, especially at the tack and the clew, that combination was giving me trouble. I went up to a #20 needle and V92 thread. Also I think I used several miles of 1/2" basting tape from Sailrite.



Edited by waiex191 on Jun 02, 2021 - 11:23 AM.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Quote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTy43MH2Wyg

Well that was AMAZING

yeah, pretty cool. And, actually not complicated CNC mechanics. Would love to do a home build...

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

charlescarlis

yeah, pretty cool. And, actually not complicated CNC mechanics. Would love to do a home build...

I won't be offended if you beat me to it!

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

We got the new sails out today. What a transformation - lots more power. Some of it is from going up to 55 ft2 from 45, but also these sails actually have shape. So I'm pleased with my efforts. However, we did have one little issue:


I'm afraid we may have outgrown our foam boats. Time to get the H16 going.

Video to follow...

--
Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Congrats on your first sail. Any pics in action? Well if you're trying to go fast and breaking stuff, that's about right, so you MUST be on the right track!

--
Chuck C
NACRA 500 Mk2
--

Hey Chuck,
No pictures, because we often end up turtled so we leave the phones on shore. I was going to take a picture of both boats next to the water when we got back, if the wind had died down. But my kid recently got a gopro, so we have some video:
https://youtu.be/hcRpHW9wr8I

I was on the other foam boat and it has never gone so well. I had to sit on the gunwale to keep it upright & flat and it scooted a lot better. I know these are not beachcats, but they are still fun. I think the focus in terms of working on boats will be the Hobie 16.

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Bryan in Poplar Grove, IL
Supercat 17, unknown year. Future project
Hobie 16, 1977 - died a spectacular death https://youtu.be/Y7O22bp2MVA
Hobie 16, 1978 - current boat
--

Perhaps just keep beer in that cooler and don't try to sail it.

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--