Sewing On Boats

We're itching to get back to Mystic, (the town in Connecticut), and Mystic, (our Alberg 35), on the hard in Avondale, Rhode Island. We've kept busy during the Covid-19 shutdown, completing all the woodworking projects on our list. Dave keeps coming up with new projects, while I've moved on to my sewing list.

I belong to a Facebook group called SOB or Sewing On Boats. Many of the members live aboard so their only choice is to sew on boats. I'm more of a "sew for boats" kind of gal but I enjoy the support and creativity of the group.

I also belong to the Facebook Sailrite Users group.  We purchased a Sailrite LSZ-1 heavy duty sewing machine, The Big Blue Monster, a couple of years back. This brought my collection of sewing machines to FIVE, if you count the little mini machine we carry on board. I use the Sailrite for boat projects. It plows through layers of Sunbrella, sail cloth, leather, etc. like a warm knife through butter. I love working with it.

The Big Blue Monster
set up by our cozy fireplace

We found this little Sew & Sew on the free table at a Marina. 
It is only for light projects but has come in handy.

Dave went back to work in April which allowed me to focus on sewing. I approached my long list of boat projects with sleeves rolled up. Dave asked for wrench organizers, a flat storage system for his tools. I created a pattern that holds a full set. I included a flap that folds down before rolling it into a burrito shape. It is secured with ties for storage. I made two rolls, one for each of his wrench sets, standard and metric. Storing wrenches this way takes up much less room on the boat and finding the correct wrench is easier as they are in order, each in their own pocket.

Wrench Roll

Wrench roll curled up like a burrito

Next on my list was designing a custom cover for our newly refinished swim ladder. I wanted something that was easy to attach so I created a bag that could be loaded from the bottom of the ladder upward. Using material from an old sail, I pieced together sailcloth scraps, giving the fabric a textured, artistic pattern. I came up with a custom fit, (not too tight), with a flap that comes over the top of the ladder and is zipped into place on each side. A velcro tab holds the flap closed at the bottom. Our ladder hangs off the lifelines on hooks which peek out the top of the zipper. To finish off the project, I added a soft nylon lining. It turned out great and will protect the varnish from the weather.

Swim ladder

Custom swim ladder bag

Side view, zippers start at middle and
zip up to top right and top left

Back view, lifeline hooks peak out of zipper
to hang freely

The swim ladder bag was a lot of work. It took me a couple of days to complete. My next project was a lot easier. I made a bag to hold our backup tiller using colorful nylon fabric that we salvaged from a trade show. I wrapped the tiller in bubble wrap before placing it in the bag. It will be protected during storage aboard Mystic. I also made a lined sailcloth cover for our working tiller. It will go on the tiller at the end of each day to protect those 10 coats of varnish we just added. The cover has ties to tether it to the base bracket when it in use.

Tiller bag on left, tiller cover on right

Backup tiller on left, working tiller on right

The final project on my list, the biggest of all, was repairing our sun awning. Without a dodger or bimini, this sun awning has been a godsend, especially in the Florida heat. It is used often, and has taken a beating while on the Loop, which is evident by the several areas that are worn through. The tarp goes over our boom and is held flat above us with three poles that run across the boom and slip into pockets on the underside of the tarp. We've lost a few of the poles overboard when they slipped out of the pocket during rough weather. I reinforced and replaced all grommet areas with vinyl and added vinal loops to hold each pole in place at five points across the width of the tarp. We've tried several different methods of securing these poles. I'm hoping my current design with extra loops will do the trick.

Mystic with sun awning in place

Underside of sun tarp with white vinyl
reinforcement and added pole loops

After repairing the sun tarp, I sewed a new rain tarp out of eight yards of light marine fabric we found on clearance. Originally, the thought was that we would double the blue tarp by attaching the lighter fabric to it. We planned to put the lighter side facing up to reflect some of the suns heat. Our plan included zip-on side panels that could be added during a rain storm. After much consideration, we decided to keep things simple by making a separate rain tarp instead. It's two feet bigger than our sun tarp and will hang low over our lifelines, protecting us in the cockpit. We should be able to leave our main hatch open during a rain shower as well. Sometimes, keeping things simple is the best way to go.

Working with large fabric cuts is tricky. After creating the middle seam by joining two 10' by 5' sections together, I added seam binding to all four edges of the tarp. I used sail cloth binding on each side, (port and starboard), while the front and back was made with vinyl. We will wait to add grommets until we return to Mystic so we get them exactly where we need them.

10' x 10' rain tarp
Ready for grommets

Sailcloth lined sides, vinyl front and back
with vinyl reinforced corners

The new tarp is a lovely light marine grade fabric. As I worked on this project, I began to think about the winter cover I want to make for Mystic. This fabric would be perfect for that project. And maybe I should make a storage bag for each tarp. Alas, like Dave, I am coming up with new sewing projects...SOB is truly a labor of love!