http://www.sailrepair.co.uk/makingsail.htm

should the draftlock system be moved down a batten?

> You can get a second hand sewing machine in the UK for about £350 ...

Interesting site.
Would be an interesting thing to try, but so many other priorities in life, including... sailing.

Coming into this thread a bit late, but...

The sail in my avatar was a 7.5 race sail I made myself in the early 90's. I made 4 or 5 sails back then. I figured there wasn't much point making sails that cost more than a bought one, so it was mostly an exercise in building sails on a budget. Had some highs and lows, but it was in all an experience that I don't regret. I learnt a lot about what makes a sail work - the good part about a home-made sail is that you feel quite comfortable in re-cutting it, so each of those 5 sails was tried with a variety of luff curves, re-inforcements, batten types etc. etc. Once you have made a few, you start to see where the broad seams are in production sails. Some wave sails have bugger all - it's all in the luff curve.

The highs were the feeling on blasting around on a sail that you had made, and I picked a trophy here and there. The lows were sails that blew apart while rigging, and at one regatta down in Meningie (you could ride a bike around the course now ) I turned up with my own sail, and was at the front of the fleet for the first morning in 20 k winds... and progressively moved to the back of the fleet as the wind lightened up over the weekend. The sail was tight as a drum and had no bottom end. It's easy to make a sail that is good in high winds or low winds, but not both. It also takes a bit of courage to turn up at a beach with a home-made sail - but everyone starts somewhere. About the time I was making sails, the Severne boy down the road was getting into sail making too - I've heard he is doing quite well


Anyway, this story is sounding like Grandpa Simpson. Did I mention I had an onion tied to my belt?

Select to expand quote

Dr Duck said...

Did I mention I had an onion tied to my belt?

That's all right; it was the custom at the time.

i have a few 11m sails 07 protos that would make great projects to cut up if you want to have ago at making sails . will swap for beer

Or you could fold one in half so it it twice as thick, sew around the edges, and you have a 5.5 wavesail.........

that sounds like a plan but the 520 mast could look a bit uncool

derrrrr Mikey

you just have a metre of it poking out the top like in the 80's

retro is cool man

old school, is way cool, i aint no fool......ssssucker ...... i am waiting for the single fin , dagger board and tie on booms to come back then i will be way cool again all i will need is to find my hyper colour wettie and a quick game on the spaceeezzzz and i will indeed feel 18 again ..

word.

I think many underestimate the detail that goes into a sail... Something as simple as batten components that are a tad too soft is enough to make a sail disfunctional..