# What can I EASILY make out of an old sail



## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

I have an old mainsail and a genoa. The genoa has some rips in it. I was pondering cutting them up and seeing what I can make. Hammocks maybe?

Any ideas?


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## Seaduction (Oct 24, 2011)

Ditty bags, shade awnings (back yard type), firewood cover....


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

Oh yeah, I had not even thought of non-sailing things. Firewood cover would be great. The plastic I use is always ripping.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Riding sails, harbor awnings, windscoops, winch, horseshoe, binacle, and instrument covers, hatch slide storage bags, Halyard bags, chafe gear, sea covers for the hatches, and so on. Just remember that sail cloth is very strong, but not particularly UV resistant.


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

I like the idea of rope bags. I could imagine that it would be easy to make one that would hang and have several sections to clear up locker clutter.

What's a riding sail?


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## zz4gta (Aug 15, 2007)

Riding sail = for use at anchor to keep the boat from swinging so much on the hook.

https://www.google.com/search?q=rid...dLMqU2AW3s4H4Dw&ved=0CDEQsAQ&biw=1456&bih=779


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

These bags are made from our old North Norlam genoa.


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## AirborneSF (Dec 14, 2010)

Toga's, toga's toga's????? I like the 'staysail' idea, wind sock for the hatch? Cover for the cockpit?


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

Sabreman said:


> These bags are made from our old North Norlam genoa.


Wow, those look great!


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## misfits (Dec 9, 2011)

Lee cloths? 
Is that the correct name of the gizmo's you put around the stern rails for added protection from the elements?


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

I thought Lee cloths were what held you in the bunk. Either way, both are good ideas 

Has anyone had success fitting a hammock in a ~30' boat for more sleeping berths?


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## Seaduction (Oct 24, 2011)

misfits said:


> Lee cloths?
> Is that the correct name of the gizmo's you put around the stern rails for added protection from the elements?


I've heard them called "spray shields."


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## drb9 (Feb 18, 2013)

You asked what YOU could make, but you also might consider letting someone make you a bag. I believe they trade you a bag for your sail. If you go to seabags dot com, you can click on the link for recycle your sail. They make nice, though pricy, bags.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Lee boards keep you in a bunk or berth.
Lee cloths help reduce water splashing the cockpit.
Hard alee is a barely perceptible turn or tack~~~!~~~


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

Ahh, great tip drd, I will look into that


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

Honestly, the bags are easy to make. I designed the tote after looking at my wife's Land's End bag for 10 minutes and then making a newspaper pattern to get the construction sequence right. The duffel was easier in that it's just a tube with two circles on each end. The gold sail material are cutoffs from my sailmaker that he had in the trash.

A tote takes about 90 minutes to make (most of the time is spent just cutting material) and the duffel takes about 4 hours because of the details. But they're not HARD. All that's needed is a willingness to fail... I had nothing to lose, the genoa was already dead. Totes make great gifts and I make 4 or 5 at a time after Thanksgiving in time for the Holidays. Special people get sailcloth bags, acquaintances get bags from old sailcovers or material form JoAnn Fabrics.

While not made from my genoa, this handbag for my wife is made from racing laminate and material left over when I made new interior cushions:


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

Hmmm, maybe I'll give it a try. I am not really much of a sewing person. Do you need special needles for the sewing machine?


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## Seaduction (Oct 24, 2011)

CalebD said:


> Lee boards keep you in a bunk or berth.
> Lee cloths help reduce water splashing the cockpit.
> Hard alee is a barely perceptible turn or tack~~~!~~~


??????????


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

> Do you need special needles for the sewing machine?


Buy the largest dia needles available for your machine. That will reduce skipped stitches. Increase the down pressure of your foot if using a home machine. Use upholstery thread if you can't get V92 thread locally. Or use sailrite.com. Note that sailcloth is generally heavy and while the tote bags don't have a lot of layers, adding the binding tape does add bulk and you would benefit from a walking foot machine.

Having made many totes on a Sailrite LSZ-1 machine, I believe that they are within the capability of most home machines too.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

My wife made this great little day bag for me 8 years ago on our Sailrite machine. Was made out of the carbon fiber jib of Dennis Conners Stars and Stripes (USA 11).










If you ever get to San Diego for a day the trip on this boat is awesome. Both my wife and I had the helm for over 15 minutes each.

http://sailusa11.com/


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## nolatom (Jun 29, 2005)

Manly shower curtain?


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

Woot, I just made a ditty bag using my home sewing machine. Pics forthcoming!


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

> Both my wife and I had the helm for over 15 minutes each.


She's way cuter than you, Dave. I'm just sayin' :laugher

I'll be in SD in late April and May working on a destroyer and this ride is definitely on my list. It isn't even that expensive.


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## PaulinVictoria (Aug 23, 2009)

You could make a hat, or a broach, or a pterodactyl.


One for Airplane fans there


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Sabreman said:


> She's way cuter than you, Dave. I'm just sayin' :laugher
> 
> I'll be in SD in late April and May working on a destroyer and this ride is definitely on my list. It isn't even that expensive.


Mark she is way better looking

Its a great afternoon. They also sell bags made out of the sails there, but we bought some sail to make stuff out of ourselves.

We ran the harbor and also went out about 5 miles

The ride is amazing. The captain is a great guy too and they limit the number of people on the boat so the experience is A1. The small crew on her are volunteer and race her in the afternoons still. price is great. They also take pictures and post them online for you to download free. Couldnt beleive doing 10 knotts in 11 knotts of wind and perfectly flat. Is a thing to not miss doing.

If you can get the time go north the Long Beach or Dana Point and charter a sailboat for a few days and go over tho Catalina. We did that also was a blast. We joined a sailclub out there for fairly cheap and the charter was not bad.

http://www.harboryc.com/

http://www.marinasailing.com/

http://www.pacificsailing.net/

Havent heard from Tom ( Tomperenteu) lately he sails in that area,


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

So I make a ditty bag with a simple drawstring top for toys, and then this fits inside a larger bag for clothes.. I think this first attempt had the bag too fat and not tall enough.










Not sure how to close off the duffel-type bag, probably use some old sheet rope through some grommets. I also plan to waterproof the sewing with backpacking tent seam sealer.

I need to figure out an better way to close the top of the duffel so its vaguely waterproof and easy to make.


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## vtsailguy (Aug 4, 2010)

Thanks everyone, I gave a shout out to y'all on my blog!

Bags from Old Sails | Sailing With Kids

Matching bags!


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