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  • 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.
    H21SE 408
    --
  • 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.
    H21SE 408
    --
  • 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
    --
  • QuoteMy 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.

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    Pete Knapp
    Schodack landing,NY
    Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
    --
  • pknapp66Also 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.

    --
    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)
    --
  • waiex191I 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.

    --
    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.
    H21SE 408
    --
  • charlescarlisI 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.

    --
    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.
    H21SE 408
    --
  • charlescarlisI 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.
    https://www.thebeachcats.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=134613&g2_serialNumber=3

    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.
    https://www.thebeachcats.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=134614&g2_serialNumber=3

    Here are my two sail kits. There is some serious sewing in my future.
    https://www.thebeachcats.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=134618&g2_serialNumber=3

    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.

    --
    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?

    --
    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.
    H21SE 408
    --
  • 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.
    https://www.thebeachcats.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=134838&g2_serialNumber=3

    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.

    --
    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
    --
  • Quotehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTy43MH2Wyg

    Well that was AMAZING

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