Sewing a new boom bag, thread choices

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

Definitely. The basting tape is one thing you definitely want to buy from Sailrite. Along with the binding foot I guess. Most other things you can get cheaper or better elsewhere, but they do make it easy.

If you aren't certain of your perfect sewing then I would recommend black thread. Personally I think the contrasting thread looks rough on most things I see. Hiding the thread means you can reinforce as much as you like.

Ah, basting tape. I saw that name today when I was picking up a chalk pen. I’ll grab some next time I am at that store.

I agree about the contrast. I don’t really like it on the current boom cover which is Pacific Blue with white thread.

[dougweibel]

Originally Posted by GILow

Just to clarify, I may be wrong, but I believe the v-92 refers to thread thickness, not construction.

You are correct. When referring to V-92 we were referring to polyester V-92. If you search for V-92 on SailRite's website you mostly get polyester, with a nylon threads as well. We were a bit sloppy in our conversation. Profelin sold by SailRite is "similar in size to V-92", and "Tenara M1000 is similar in weight to V-92".

Also, +1 for basting tape!

[senormechanico]

I highly recommend a thread stand for Tenara/GoreTex thread, but you need to have the spool rotate so the thread comes off the SIDE not the top.
You may get away without the rotation part for short sewing, but long runs will start to get hockles (kinks).


Here are a couple of pics. The one on the left is my homemade one from an old computer hard drive. I left some of the guts on it just for fun. The motor is only used as a rotation bearing surface for the spool.



The other thread sand does not rotate and is not recommended for monofilament thread.


Arg, speaking of rotating, I can't get the pic straight, but you get the idea.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

I highly recommend a thread stand for Tenara/GoreTex thread, but you need to have the spool rotate so the thread comes off the SIDE not the top.
You may get away without the rotation part for short sewing, but long runs will start to get hockles (kinks).


Here are a couple of pics. The one on the left is my homemade one from an old computer hard drive. I left some of the guts on it just for fun. The motor is only used as a rotation bearing surface for the spool.



The other thread sand does not rotate and is not recommended for monofilament thread.


Arg, speaking of rotating, I can't get the pic straight, but you get the idea.

I fixed the rotation for you.

That is a great idea. I find that the least amount of resistance will cause the thread to break, so allowing the spool to spin freely will make sewing so much easier.

I find even if I have set things up for the thread to come off the spool correctly, given there is still some friction it is much better if I pull off a few metres by hand every now and again.

SWL

[jharding]

The strength of the PTFE thread is not an issue, I always go with a color that will not show up my mistakes. I used to have fits with tenera skipping stitches, then a sewing friend turned me onto Solar fix thread, end of problems, much easier to use than tenera.

[bailsout]

And what about color of thread. I hear that dark thread outlives white thread. So counter intuitive for me.

[Michael Pope]

Sorry I am out of date Too Old ! Steal or buy some thread from your local Sailmaker --- They probably have some super stuff now But Used to be you buy thread that had the same change in length with change in water content
that the material you are sewing has. ( For instance Nylon not good for Dacron Sail cloth as Nylon gets up to 6% longer when wet! stitching gets slack and tight etcetc wears out.) Most of the available sail thread was cleverly made with a core of Dacron or some other Velly Strong fiber and then had a thin sheath of cotton ( Colour it any hue you like ) to protect the fiber from Ulta Violet and more importantly stop it from melting and sticking to all the little metal parts it has to go around in the Sewing machine . Clever details but important! Good Luck Don't Sew your Thums It Hurts. Popemichael

[Cpt Mark]

I made my sail rite stack pack with the original Walker walking foot machine which is what the sail rite straight stitch machine is. Goes through about anything.

I bought Tenara and have sewing experience. Tenara was a bitch to work with. I even took my machine into the shop thinking it needed a tune up. Nope, tensioning. The issue with Tenara is depending on how many layers you're going through you may have to readjust the tension which is not all that easy to get right. In the end I got so fed up I bought regular thread and finished the project.

The advice to make the tenure feed horizontally is great advice. I'm sure this was an issue for me. It loves to kink and even makes threading a PITA.

Personally I won't use Tenara again. I'd rather restitch it.

[JPA Cate]

I found it hard at first to get the tension right for the tenara thread, too, and cheapskate that I am, I just hated wasting it. And of course, I have both black and white, now, about 1/2 spools, so no clear in my future for a while.

However, getting the tension right is pretty straightforward, and responds to logic.

Our boom bag is just about 17 ft. long, finished. I really didn't want to re-stitch it. Ever. Plus the black Tenara, which was what had been used on the Sunbrella one that preceded it was still okay after ten years. However, Seaworthy Lass is a really good researcher, and when I need more ptfe thread, I, too, will go to the clear, especially for something like a dodger, which is under so much tension all the time.

Clear ptfe thread would not contrast with black Sunbrella, but may shine a little in certain light conditions.


Cheers,

Ann

[Tillsbury]

Originally Posted by bailsout

And what about color of thread. I hear that dark thread outlives white thread. So counter intuitive for me.

Polyester thread, yes. Tenara, no. But even the coloured "weaker" Tenara is tough as old boots. Once you get the thread tension right up there you'll be fine. I increased tension by threading the machine differently to put much more tension early in the system and don't have problems, but there have been reports of difficulty with the sailrite machine. Keep playing until you get it right and then you will be fine.

[dougweibel]

Thanks everybody. Lots of good info in this thread!

[kryg]

At the MOMENT Far East Sails are making form what they call Lazy Bag, which is boom stack bag for a better description.

Far East sail maker has quoted me USD 669 including Shipping and an added USD 75 for the PTFE tread. I’m told by many sailmakes that WeatherMax is the longer living material and most sail makers are now using it for UV covers on Roller furler Genoas and What I call Lazy boom Bag instead of Umbrella Canvas.

The cloth is Weathermax and the thread for an extra USD 75 is PTFE for UV protection and long life. Also if you want to prolong the life of your main you should pick a dark colour cloth for max UV protection.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Here are a couple of pics. The one on the left is my homemade one from an old computer hard drive. I left some of the guts on it just for fun. The motor is only used as a rotation bearing surface for the spool.

I love it!

[GILow]

Originally Posted by jharding

The strength of the PTFE thread is not an issue, I always go with a color that will not show up my mistakes. I used to have fits with tenera skipping stitches, then a sewing friend turned me onto Solar fix thread, end of problems, much easier to use than tenera.

Solarfix was on my short list, thank you for mentioning it. I think it may also be easier for me to obtain locally than the others.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by kryg

At the MOMENT Far East Sails are making form what they call Lazy Bag, which is boom stack bag for a better description.

Far East sail maker has quoted me USD 669 including Shipping and an added USD 75 for the PTFE tread. I’m told by many sailmakes that WeatherMax is the longer living material and most sail makers are now using it for UV covers on Roller furler Genoas and What I call Lazy boom Bag instead of Umbrella Canvas.

The cloth is Weathermax and the thread for an extra USD 75 is PTFE for UV protection and long life. Also if you want to prolong the life of your main you should pick a dark colour cloth for max UV protection.

kryg:

I think somebody was pushing you towards the WeatherMax. It is only guaranteed for 5 yrs., whereas Sunbrella is guaranteed for 10 yrs., or was when I last checked.

My experience with WeatherMax is with the dark red and the medium gray. I also have one sail with dark red Sunbrella UV protection to compare with the WM. The medium gray is in use for an awning and for dinghy chaps. The grey has faded to a lighter grey, that is easy on the eyes, so that's good, but at 3 yrs. has noticeable UV degradation: the fabric has become weaker, as well as faded.

I am extremely dissatisfied with the lack of longevity of the WM. It is guaranteed for 5 years, but after only two, my formerly dark red is a dirty reddish grey--it looks bad, and is not old. My previous dark red Sunbrella boom bag was over ten years old, and some of the fabric was still in good nick, with little fading. [It was its lack of chafe resistance that bothered me.] Meanwhile, the Sunbrella is still a nice, bright burgundy wine color, and some of it was on the boat 16 yrs. ago. If I had it to do over, I sure wished I'd used Sunbrella, the boat would look much smarter with unfaded cloth. It was a huge effort for both Jim and me, and looked good for about a year. Weather cloths, tiller cover, all of the red WM looks poor.

You're right about the darker colors absorbing more UV. But, if you can, I'd put up with the extra weight, and line the chafe areas, to have the better appearance long term.

Ann