TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Do you fellows who build your own boats , make your own sails , or is there a place you buy them from ? If you make them yourself , could you tell me what is the best material to use and any chance of getting you to tell also where you buy pre-made sails from ?

Thank you

rclooney

my mates mum made me some sails and a flag. it is a cheap, light water-proof material. il findout what it is.

LtDoc

T.'Bob,
You can do both, or either, just depends on what you're looking for. There's a whole lot more to making sails than is at first evident, it really isn't as simple as it 'looks'. But, if you aren't into racing, or getting the absolute mostest out of your boat, you don't have to have professionally made sails.
Almost any water proof, light weight, strong, 'not-very-stretchable' material will work. Even the blue 'Wal Mart' bags if you aren't too picky. Won't look too good on a museum quality three master, but I wouldn't put a custom suit of sails on a stick & board sail boat either.
There are a number of sailmakers for models, I can't give you a name or URL, but I'll bet there are plenty here who can.
Good luck and Merry Christmas...
- LtDoc

TERBObob

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Thank you Lt Doc ,
And ditto ....
Wishing you and yours a very safe and joyous holiday season . ( and of course to all those here on the RCU also )

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

The sail material used by most kit and ARS makers is usually dacron. It is about the same as Ceconite used to cover full scale aircraft. Sewing the stuff requires a master. Some of the dedicated racing types used molded and paneled sails. Take a look at www.amya.org for a list of sailmakers on the links. Most will make anything you want and they are knowledgeable about design and material. You will have to tell them what your yacht is and what sail plan is required, if known. Is it Marconi rig, mast head, gaff headed or a schooner ? Sails do not come sheap when made professionally but they usually last for a good long time and are probably correct as far as material and design.

GRANT ED

I have just started experimenting making sails for my seawind. I have been using mylar drafting film. Its strong, light and thin. Most pro sails are made from similar type material. You could probably get it from most drawing / drafting supply shops.

ec12-1582

It depends on what your ultimate goal is. If you're cutting sails for a strict static display, dacron is the probably the best choice. If however you plan on actually sailing, and more specfically, competing with the boat, I would definitly advise you to have them professionally made, unless you have a home builder nearby to assist you in cutting and broad-seaming.

I have a couple of articles posted in my Northwind Group at yahoo. In the files section (you'll have to join the group to read) there is a folder on "Sailmaking".

[link=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northwind36-600/]Northwind 36-600[/link]

To cut sails that are efficient will require a camber board which can be homemade. But by the time you build the board, obtain all the materials, it's going to end up being far easier to have them cut for you unless you've got someone who knows what their doing to help you out.

As to the actual sail material, quite a few choices her. Mica film works fine on smaller boats, but creases easily. The fabric of choice these days is Trispi. This is a transparent mylar with re-inforcements imbedded in the material, comes in 25, 40 and 75 weights. (higher being stronger). Two other good materials are synthetic fabrics "Icarex" and "Toray" These come in many different colors.

I've included a link for these items where a lot of us EC12rs obtain it. Trispi is listed under films, Icarex (being phased out for the newer Toray) are in the fabrics section

[link=http://www.citystar.com/hang-em-high/]Hang-Em-High [/link]

Hope this helps

Chris

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Thank you for the info , but I could not get the link to work ... ( also couldn't find HANG EM HIGH on their search either ... )

ec12-1582

I'm having the same problem with Hnag-em High's link.

Here's another that carries various sailmaking supplies:
[link=http://www.gbmy.com]Great Basin Model Yachts[/link]

Chris