The Dinghy Chaps Project

We never guessed it would take us 80+ hours to make Dinghy Chaps. We were excited to begin our first big project on our new Sailrite Sewing machine which we refer to as The Big Blue Monster. This machine boasts a walking foot with straight and zig zag stitches, as well as the power to glide through multiple layers of leather. It is a machine used for sail making, sail repair, and canvas work but it is capable of all kinds of sewing projects. We tried, for months, to find a used LSZ-1; but we were always a day late and/or a dollar short. Sailrite machines are quite popular; especially used ones which hold their value.

The Big Blue Monster Sailrite LSZ-1 Plus

These machines are not cheap! Dave caught me in a weak moment in October during one of Sailrite's 10% off - (with free shipping) sales. We bought the deluxe Plus model which came with all kinds of cool extras. We began our labor of love by watching the Sailrite 'How To Make Dinghy Chaps' video several times.

Sailrite How to Make Dinghy Chaps Video Here

Following the video, we calculated how much fabric we would need then purchased six yards of Sunbrella in the color Teak. Next we had to make a pattern of each section of the dinghy, using clear plastic. During this process, we marked the many obstacles on the dinghy which would be cut out and reinforced with vinyl. Sailrite sells a good quality plastic for pattern making but we used a heavy duty product that we got for free; saving a few dollars on this step. It took a long time to mark and cut our pattern but we felt great about our work once we were done.

Plastic pattern, marking obstacles

We laid the pattern pieces on the Sunbrella and began to mark and cut out each section of the chaps. We don't have a hot knife which is the recommended way to cut Sunbrella. This tool melts the edges as you run it along your cut line. This helps to prevent fraying. Dave has a heated tool that cuts foam and rope. He used this on the Sunbrella and found that it worked well.

We purchased cream colored vinyl from Midwest Fabrics, a local shop. They sell a wide variety of materials used in car restoration. The vinyl is to reinforce the obstacles (holes) in the chaps and is sewed to the front and back of the Sunbrella. It slips easily under the walking foot. We used Sailrite fabric tape to hold all three layers in place while sewing it together. This step took a lot of time and patience. Once all obstacles were reinforced it was time to sew our sections together.

Measuring and cutting vinyl reinforcements

Adding vinyl reinforcements

Matching vinyl lined obstacles and sections

Panels laid out and ready for sewing

Front panels aligned

 

First section joined together

Our dinghy has registration numbers that must be mounted on the boat and be visible, even when the chaps are installed. To accommodate this, we decided to add windows over the registration numbers. Midwest Fabrics stocks 30 mm clear plastic which is perfect for this project. We cut the opening in the sunbrella, then cut the plastic windows and vinyl edging. I wasn't sure about how well the Big Blue Monster would go through the four layers of various fabric but the needle cut through them like a knife through soft butter. Our little windows came out very nice!

Window mounted on Sunbrella with Sailrite fabric tape

Plastic sewn to fabric, vinyl added later

Cutting out vinyl reinforcement for the window

Applying Sailrite fabric tape to hold all layers together

Registration numbers seen through chaps window

The Sailrite video suggested we cover the cone ends of the dinghy with a special kind of fabric called Phifertex instead of Sunbrella. Phifertex is a mesh type fabric that water can flow through. We had remnants of a similar product that we had found on the "free" table at St. Augustine Marine Center. Most marinas have these give-away spots for boat folks to share what they no longer need. We'd picked it up back in November when we were last in Florida. It was one of our better "free" finds!

Phifertex fabric cone covers

Once the sections were all sewn together it felt like we were close to done but the remaining work proved to take time and required attention to detail! The final touches included adding a cinch pocket and line directly below the rub rail on the outside of the chaps. This line tightens the chaps to the hull of the dinghy, holding it in place on the outside. We also added vinyl over the rub rail to protect the dinghy and Sunbrella when docking. These details wrapped up our project and brought big smiles to our faces!

Chaps with rub rail and cinch pocket installed

My final sewing step was to hem the inside of the chaps. I made a triple fold hem about 1.5 inches wide, using the zig zag stitch along the top and bottom of the hem. When we added snaps to the inside of the dinghy chaps, we placed them between the two stitch lines.

Double stitched inside hem

Dave had the honor of finishing off our project. He installed eye pads to the transom so the cinch line could be tied off there. Then he added adhesive snaps to the inside of the dinghy and matching punch snaps to the inside of love!

Transom with cone ends, eye pads, and cinch lines

Adhesive snap inside dinghy

Finished snaps - dinghy bow

Finished Dinghy Chaps Project

Finished Project

Our Supply List

6 yards outdoor sunbrella $120

15 pack of adhesive snaps $45

6 pack of button snaps x 3 $18

3 yards of white vinyl $45

1 yard clear vinyl $12

Sun-resistant Tenara thread $11

2 stainless steel pad eyes $10

Approximate Cost in Dollars: $260

Approximate Time: 80 hours

Lessons Learned: Countless