Model Boat Mayhem

The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Yachts and Sail => Topic started by: Nordsee on July 19, 2010, 03:01:09 pm

Title: Sailmaking and adhesives
Post by: Nordsee on July 19, 2010, 03:01:09 pm
Help again! I am at the Sail Making stage now, I have some nice Dark Brown and also White Spinnaker cloth, the sort with little squares in the pattern.Is it correct to cut the sail with the squares at right angles to the Luff of the sail? How can you stick the seams? i have tried double sided tape but it releases overnight, white glue works, sort of. Impact adhesive dries and you can peel it off later! As does fabric tapes. I have no access to a sewing machine except at a Turkish Tailors, Where can I get double sided tape for Spinnaker cloth and what does it cost? We don't have a Kite shop near us at all. Any ideas will be welcomed!
Title: Re: Sailmaking and adhesives
Post by: tigertiger on July 19, 2010, 06:44:44 pm
If you are using rip-stop nylon, then parallel to the luff is OK but not essential.

You only need to cut (perhaps with hot knife) you do not need to have a hem. You can merely use eyelets in each corner.
Title: Re: Sailmaking and adhesives
Post by: Watchleader on July 19, 2010, 07:48:18 pm
Six years ago I made up a set of sails for my 1/6 scale Silhouette II using ripstop nylon.
It is definitely preferable to keep the weave of the ripstop parallel to the luff.  :-))

I used duct tape made by 3M, available in several colours. Black, silver, white, yellow, red, blue... not sure about brown!
I used this to reinforce the "corners" prior to inserting eyelets and also fixing bolt ropes to leech and bottom of mainsail.
Six years on and there is now some sliipping and eyelets have brokn free from head of sails.
I don't consider that a bad life for a set of sails.

A tip if you are fixing bolt ropes:
Prepare your bolt rope adhesive tape by saving some of the peel off backing from something like double sided floor tape
and set out sufficient length of 'tape sticky side up and put two lengths of tape backing down along the length leaving
3x your bolt rope dia gap in the centre. Lay your bolt rope in the gap and roll the tape aroung the rope.
Peeling off one side first and laying the leech or bottom of the sail on that, and getting it all in the right position before
peeling off the other tape, saves an awful lot of cursing and wrongly stuck bits, including your fingers.   O0

It may go without saying but make sure you are working in a dust free environment and wipe the ripstop before sticking.
Nothing ruins adhesive faster than dust. (Well talc will!!)
Good luck  :-))