Ok so here is my dilemma, on Saturday here in Hilton Head South Carolina we had a freak hail storm and my Bimini windows were damaged. The front 3 and also the port window look like someone punched holes through them with a mop handle. It turns out that the size of the hail was that of a tangerine. I contacted 3 companies that do canvas work and they are telling me 2 to 2.5K for 3 new windows and a new port side window. I am going to pay this out of pocket and am willing to go ahead but then another idea came to me. I have been interested in learning canvas work in the past and this may be my excuse to do something about it. In searching the internet I came across 2 companies that teach how to do canvas work. The school closer to me is in Palmetto FL and would charge me $875 for class, and $700 for all the class books on DVD. Now if I stay in a hotel for 3 nights for $250, spend $125 on gas, and spend $600 on a sewing machine, canvas and whatever else I would need to do the job then is it ok? I'm pretty particular about my boat so I want the end result to be good; given this does it make sense? Lastly, the current top is on its way out (5K Replacement Cost) and I want to change the color of it also but could probably get another 1 -2 years out of it. Class 875 Books 700 Hotel 250 Food 75 Gas 125 Lost Work 650 Materials 600 Total 3275 Estimate 2300 Difference 975 WHAT SAYS YOU OH WISE AND COMPASSIONATE LIST!

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Regards, Peter McCorison Coho, 50' Marco Trawler, 1955 John Barlow wrote: > Ok so here is my dilemma, on Saturday here in Hilton Head South Carolina we ... snip ... > Difference 975

John, All of these kinds of ventures are of course, subject to the talent of the adventurer. I thought at one time of doing the same thing, but the time and money and space commitments were more than I wanted to devote. Many years ago I used to repair household machines, so I don't feel unfamiliar with this field. Over the past few years I've pick up a friend who owns a canvas shop, and I've been able to spend some time around him and his jobs. The cutting of the fabric, and fitting of the canvas on the boat, requires a certain skill. This is especially true if you are a near-perfectionist, and want to things "tight". But having said that, I think that you may possibly be able to replace these windows using a household machine using a heavy needle. The size of the thread should be smaller than the eye of the needle, and be able to be pull through easily. Having the needle too big for the thread is no big deal (within limits), but too small will be a problem because among other things, it adds to the upper tension on the machine. Real big needles will leave holes for rain to come through. If it turns out that you need an industrial machine, the last thing that I would do as a newbie in this area, is to buy a new or used industrial machine. It's a big unit (with the table that should come with it), runs fast, and fixing it (if necessary) requires knowledge of the timing & the tension specifications. A knowledgeable repairman should have the special tools and gages to do this correctly. You might be able to eyeball things, but at the speed the machine runs at, the timing is critical, and it doesn't take much to screw things up. I would take a look at the Sailrite as a possibility. This would give you an opportunity to get a feel for what's involved with a modest investment. You might also want to consider focusing on "repairs" (like your windows) that someone else has already measured and fitted correctly. Your current job is rather straight forward it seems, because you essentially have a flat template in the old piece. I would secure all four corners of the eisenglass to the canvas first so you don't end up short (or long) at the end of your work. I don't think I would need schooling for this kind of work, but if you do end up in a school, the more you are familiar with in the beginning, the more you will learn. Most boat canvas work involves curves and bends and screwy angles, and it doesn't take much too end up with a funny looking result. You should also notice how much room the big cutting tables and piles of fabric take up in a canvas shop. It's not a kitchen table kind of setup. If you're a guy that likes to jump in with both feet, that's a different matter. I suspect however that you are more likely to be more cautious since you've put your project out here on the list. Good luck, Phil On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 7:30 AM, John Barlow <JohnBarlow@hotmail.com> wrote: > Ok so here is my dilemma, on Saturday here in Hilton Head South Carolina we > had a freak hail storm and my Bimini windows were damaged. The front 3 and > also the port window look like someone punched holes through them with a mop > handle. It turns out that the size of the hail was that of a tangerine. > > > WHAT SAYS YOU OH WISE AND COMPASSIONATE LIST! > _______________________________________________

Do whatever is the MOST fun, Anthony On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 11:15 AM, Phil de l'Etoile <pdeli3@gmail.com> wrote: > John, > > All of these kinds of ventures are of course, subject to the talent of > the adventurer. I thought at one time of doing the same thing, but > the time and money and space commitments were more than I wanted to > devote. Many years ago I used to repair household machines, so I don't > feel unfamiliar with this field. Over the past few years I've pick up > a friend who owns a canvas shop, and I've been able to spend some time > around him and his jobs. The cutting of the fabric, and fitting of > the canvas on the boat, requires a certain skill. This is especially > true if you are a near-perfectionist, and want to things "tight". > > But having said that, I think that you may possibly be able to replace > these windows using a household machine using a heavy needle. The size > of the thread should be smaller than the eye of the needle, and be > able to be pull through easily. Having the needle too big for the > thread is no big deal (within limits), but too small will be a > problem because among other things, it adds to the upper tension on > the machine. Real big needles will leave holes for rain to come > through. > > If it turns out that you need an industrial machine, the last thing > that I would do as a newbie in this area, is to buy a new or used > industrial machine. It's a big unit (with the table that should come > with it), runs fast, and fixing it (if necessary) requires knowledge > of the timing & the tension specifications. A knowledgeable repairman > should have the special tools and gages to do this correctly. You > might be able to eyeball things, but at the speed the machine runs at, > the timing is critical, and it doesn't take much to screw things up. > > I would take a look at the Sailrite as a possibility. This would give > you an opportunity to get a feel for what's involved with a modest > investment. You might also want to consider focusing on "repairs" > (like your windows) that someone else has already measured and fitted > correctly. Your current job is rather straight forward it seems, > because you essentially have a flat template in the old piece. I > would secure all four corners of the eisenglass to the canvas first so > you don't end up short (or long) at the end of your work. I don't > think I would need schooling for this kind of work, but if you do end > up in a school, the more you are familiar with in the beginning, the > more you will learn. > > Most boat canvas work involves curves and bends and screwy angles, and > it doesn't take much too end up with a funny looking result. You > should also notice how much room the big cutting tables and piles of > fabric take up in a canvas shop. It's not a kitchen table kind of > setup. > > If you're a guy that likes to jump in with both feet, that's a > different matter. I suspect however that you are more likely to be > more cautious since you've put your project out here on the list. > > Good luck, > > Phil > > > On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 7:30 AM, John Barlow <JohnBarlow@hotmail.com> > wrote: > > Ok so here is my dilemma, on Saturday here in Hilton Head South Carolina > we > > had a freak hail storm and my Bimini windows were damaged. The front 3 > and > > also the port window look like someone punched holes through them with > a mop > > handle. It turns out that the size of the hail was that of a tangerine. > > > > > > WHAT SAYS YOU OH WISE AND COMPASSIONATE LIST! > > _______________________________________________ > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering > > To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options (get password, change > email address, etc) go to: > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/options/trawlers-and-trawlering > > Trawlers & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World > Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited.