First canvas project

[tjr818]

...The only thing I'm not really happy with is that there could be more taper towards the aft end so it wouldn't look so square, but I am not going to worry about it at this point. I guess it's better to have too much material back there than not enough in any case.

That is where you put the wasp repellant. I have heard that dryer fabric softener sheets work real well. I have been using a no-pest strip.
I am in the beginning steps of building our sail cover for Slainte, our CD27. I am using a Sailrite kit. It looks like you sewed the backbone first and then hemmed the bottom. Is that right? I was going to hem the bottom first and then fit the cover to the boat. What are your thoughts, now that you have finished it. It looks very nice.

[bamabratsche]

Haha, I actually had a small bird's nest back there in one of the folds of the sail at the beginning of the season this year. No wasps yet, but fingers crossed.

I did sew the backbone first, but your plan of attack sounds better to me. In fact, if I was doing it again I wouldn't hem or seam anything until I'd fitted it on the boat. Basically what I did was measure the circumference of the flaked sail and boom at various points along the length of the boom, then plotted the curve of the backbone on the fabric by combining those numbers with 2 additional inches for the hem, 2 inches for "hang" below the boom, and then an extra 4 inches which I expected to cut off but wanted to be sure that nothing was too short. Then I sewed the backbone, took everything to the boat, and did the fit with clamps. I fiddled around with everything for a while, moved the clamps around, pinched up extra material, and marked the new lines with a piece of chalk.

My plan was to remove any extra material from the bottom, but it turned out the curve of the backbone was not exactly right in one place and I eventually ended up ripping out the entire backbone seam and trimming that section down, in addition to cutting material off the length of the bottom. I don't think it was really a big deal, and I'm not sure anyone would have noticed besides me, but I knew it was going to bother me every time I looked at so I just went ahead and did it. Ripping out a 9.5-foot semi-flat-felled seam is a huge pain in the butt, and if I'd just pinned the thing in place it would have been a lot easier to make those inevitable small adjustments that are going to happen no matter how carefully you measure.

My problem is that the boat is located a good 45-60 minutes drive from where I live, so getting over there is mostly just a weekend thing. Good luck with it, and hope to see some pictures when you're done.

[Joe M]

bamabratsche

Nicely done, good color choice, impressive "canvas work". I'm not a big fan of mounting stuff on the cabin bulkhead. We do a lot of leaning and slouching against the cabin while sailing and relaxing. I'm actually considering removing the bulkhead mounted compass and fiberglassing in the hole.

On another note...does anybody really use a winch handle on thier Ty? Even with a 150 Genny and a stiff breeze we've never used a handle. We keep one onboard but it hasn't been out of the cockpit locker in years. Even the kids can trim the sails without using a handle. Just curious.

Joe

[Skeep]

Joe, I returned my winch handle to West Marine for credit. No need for it. I always sail with my genoa running through a spring block on the toe rail, 3 to 4 wraps on the winch and a quick tie off on the cabin cleats if it is a long run. In 20+ knots sailed like a charm. Have videos on my blog site to validate that. I'm with you. No winch handle on this Ty.

[ariasis]

My 4 year old uses the winch handle, but we never use it for trimming the sails its just for him to play with.

[Skeep]

LOL, that is classic.

[bamabratsche]

Joe--I'm assuming you're referring to the winch handle in the photo in the original post. It is certainly possible to do without, but "work smarter, not harder", I always say. I don't use it often, but there have been a couple of times I was glad I had it on board. And when it is windy enough for it to come out, it is windy enough that I'm glad I now have a way to keep it from flying across the cockpit every time I come about. To each his own, though.

Since the pouches are removable, I'm not concerned about loungeability of the bulkhead area. It is definitely a good place to enjoy a book and a cold one. When I did the refit last year I actually removed the bulkhead compass that was on the port side and glassed over the hole for much the same reason as you describe, and just recently got a new surface-mounted one that I mounted on the hatch cover. It was relatively cheap, remains visible no matter what size the crew is, and doesn't interfere with beer o'clock. I would recommend the change if you are thinking about doing it.

[Skeep]

Per the winch handle etc:

Yesterday was sailing in 10kts with 18 gusts, beautiful skies and temps. South Carolina's August is going out with a glorious coolness! However, I notice one thing on the Ty's durability vis-à-vis the winch mount. I think one has to remember to carefully calculate wraps so that there is enough leverage to pull the genoa, but too, to be careful to not "crank down" too severely on these little guys. The mounting of 2 bolts on the deck and 2 on the coaming is not my idea of durability under tension! I'd be careful about over-tensioning the winches. As someone else mentioned, these boats are built for the enjoyment of sailing, not the exhilaration of pushing a vessel to its limits!

[bamabratsche]

I would agree with that--my winch mounts only have a single thru-bolt on the deck side, and when I first got the boat they did not have any backing at all underneath. Not even a fender washer. On the one hand, they had clearly made it 40 years like that without any issues, but adding backing plates was still one of the first things I did.

[tjr818]

Haha, I actually had a small bird's nest back there in one of the folds of the sail at the beginning of the season this year. No wasps yet, but fingers crossed.

I did sew the backbone first, but your plan of attack sounds better to me. In fact, if I was doing it again I wouldn't hem or seam anything until I'd fitted it on the boat. Basically what I did was measure the circumference of the flaked sail and boom at various points along the length of the boom, then plotted the curve of the backbone on the fabric by combining those numbers with 2 additional inches for the hem, 2 inches for "hang" below the boom, and then an extra 4 inches which I expected to cut off but wanted to be sure that nothing was too short. Then I sewed the backbone, took everything to the boat, and did the fit with clamps. I fiddled around with everything for a while, moved the clamps around, pinched up extra material, and marked the new lines with a piece of chalk.

My plan was to remove any extra material from the bottom, but it turned out the curve of the backbone was not exactly right in one place and I eventually ended up ripping out the entire backbone seam and trimming that section down, in addition to cutting material off the length of the bottom. I don't think it was really a big deal, and I'm not sure anyone would have noticed besides me, but I knew it was going to bother me every time I looked at so I just went ahead and did it. Ripping out a 9.5-foot semi-flat-felled seam is a huge pain in the butt, and if I'd just pinned the thing in place it would have been a lot easier to make those inevitable small adjustments that are going to happen no matter how carefully you measure.

My problem is that the boat is located a good 45-60 minutes drive from where I live, so getting over there is mostly just a weekend thing. Good luck with it, and hope to see some pictures when you're done.

Thanks for your encouragement. I took your advice and fitted the cover to the sail before sewing the "Backbone". I didn't like the way the "Mast Wrap" extended the cover an additional 4" up the mast. That made it cover the topping lift cleat. I took it off and dropped it down by sewing the top of the wrap to the top of the cover. i like the fit a lot better. It closes that little gap that Sailrite recommends at the top of the zipper. I am not going to get any closer with the camera, my sewing skills still leave a lot to be desired. I almost wish I had started with a drifter as a first project. The wandering seams wouldn't show up as much up in the air.

[Zeida]

Your finished version is a great-looking Typhoon. You must be very proud. Congratulations. It really shows off the "Cape Dory" type of boats.

[bamabratsche]

Looking good! I also took Sailrite's recommendation about the gap between the zipper and the boot top, but also don't like it at all. What generally happens is the boot top sort of slides down the mast and forms a wrinkle right above the zipper. Yours looks much neater and sounds like an easy fix. Maybe this winter I'll get around to doing the same, as it annoys me every time I look at it.

For what it's worth, the wandering seams don't show up in the photos. Like everything else I've done to the boat, I've decided work that passes the "10-foot test" is acceptable, including uneven stitches, varnish goofs, etc. For special cases, I extend this generosity to a 20-foot test. I figure the satisfaction of doing it myself plus the money saved balances everything out in the end.

If you end up doing a drifter I'd be interested in hearing how that goes, since it would be really useful to have one here on the Chesapeake.

[tjr818]

...I've decided work that passes the "10-foot test" is acceptable, including uneven stitches, varnish goofs, etc. For special cases, I extend this generosity to a 20-foot test.

I have heard someone use the term "a 20/20 test. From 20 feet at 20 miles an hour. My father would always remark; "A man on a fast horse will never notice."