Cheap Sails!

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by BHOFM, Aug 15, 2008.

  1. BHOFM
    Joined: Jun 2008
    Posts: 457
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    Location: usa

    BHOFM Senior Member

    Doing some research in building my cheap sailboat, looking
    at polytarps, house wrap, tarps from Wal-Mart.

    Living in the poultry center of the world, I think I have come
    up with the near perfect substitute for sail cloth!

    The material for chicken house curtains! It is a reinforced poly
    tarp material that is dimensional stable from 0 to 140`f! Retains
    it's flexibility within the same range and is 100% UV resistance.

    It is 80% transparent and comes in rolls from 6' to 14'
    wide and is sold by the foot!

    It is heavier that house wrap and lighter than Wal-Mart
    tarps!

    The best part, the 14' wide is $1.17 a running foot!

    My main will be about 18'X10' and the jib of course a
    bit smaller. So, 20' will do it or, $23.40!

    There is also repair tape in the same material!
     
  2. Petros
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    Location: Arlington, WA-USA

    Petros Senior Member

    That sounds like great stuff. Do you know a brand name? What weight is it? Does it have a "rip-stop" look to it with little squares of reinforcing filaments? I may have seen something similar.

    I would like to find it locally but if I went into a farm supply outlet and asked for "that chicken coop stuff" they would likely take me to the wrong dept. So finding a brand and a generic name for it would be helpful.

    Can it be sewn, or is the tape strong enogh to make sails with?

    I made some sails for a 14' sloop I built from salvaged lumber with Tyvek house wrap. It too cost about $1 per foot for a 9' wide roll, but I got almost a whole roll (100 ft) for $5 at a garage sail. It makes a pretty good sail, but it will stretch out in heavy weather and you get to advertise the brand of house wrap in large letters every time you use it.

    sound like a good find.
     
  3. BHOFM
    Joined: Jun 2008
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    Location: usa

    BHOFM Senior Member

    This is very similar to house wrap. It is the color of the "clear"
    plastic vapor barrier. It has the weave in it. As I said, it is
    just a bit heavier than house wrap, but not as heavy as the
    tarps at Wal-Mart. It has a seam on one edge so you will
    loose a little in the width.

    Just ask for chicken house curtain material!

    It looks to me like when the sails are up in the bright sun it
    will look like mylar.

    Here is the site, it has the red and blue stripe on the edge like this:

    http://swsalesco.com/index.htm

    It is just down the road from our house! Look
    at the bottom of their web page!

    You use the same tape for seams as the house wrap and you
    can sew it, the seam that comes in the edge is sewn!

    The tape that has the same material as a backing is for
    repairs or reinforcement.

    It has no printing on it. I did not see a brand, it was a
    very large roll, 500' I think!
     
  4. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    What's it weight per square yard? Thread count? Fabric density? UV resistance? Is it a "breathable" fabric?
     
  5. lewisboats
    Joined: Oct 2002
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    Location: Iowa

    lewisboats Obsessed Member


  6. Crag Cay
    Joined: May 2006
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    Location: UK

    Crag Cay Senior Member

    Remember the clear parcel packing tape that has the 'strings' in it? It's great for making corners and running along load paths. I made a great Code zero with this stuff plus Tyvek house sheet.
     
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