Monday, April 23, 2012

‘Sandpiper’s’ Sails etc

The job of reshaping and repairing ‘Sandpiper’s’ sails took considerably longer than I anticipated, but they are now finished and they should be good for another two or three years.
I mislaid my sailmaker’s palm, and I was reluctant to buy another; instead I managed with pliers and a coin which was handy for applying pressure to the eye end of the needle, or should I say needles; as I broke and bent several of them. Finally, I found one that was almost indestructible.
The mainsail did not require reshaping; however, worn stitches had to be replaced, and all three batten pockets had to be strengthened at their openings where they were worn. I cut the hickory battens to length, because they were too long.
I am pleased with the finished sails, especially the jib that I re-cut along the foot and leech. Both sails set pretty well too. There are a number of things that have to be attended to before the boat can be launched. I have to replace the rudder stop, because it snapped, on account of being brittle. The draining system for the cockpit and the aft deck has to be cleaned and reassembled. A major consideration will be the engine. Shall I be able to get away with a short shaft outboard? A long shaft one will be more difficult to store and it will be more expensive to buy. My preference would be for a Honda 2.3 four stroke outboard. I doubt there’s a better engine for a small boat.

2 comments:

Paul Mullings said...

A bit late now I know! But I think one of these would have made your life much easier. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAIL-REPAIR-Sewing-Awl-Awning-Yacht-Leather-Canvas-/270946700171?pt=UK_Crafts_Leathercraft_LE&hash=item3f15ae8b8b#ht_4696wt_1097

William Serjeant said...

Paul,
The sewing awl would have made the job easier indeed!

Thanks.

I hope the weather improves for your UK visit - very wet at the moment and quite cool.

Bill.