Experience
To make a new sprayhood you’ll need to
have had some sewing practice,
experience of measuring, estimating
fabric quantities and handling different
materials, as they move and slip against
one another.
YouTube has many tutorials, and
though not necessarily marine-based,
they’re still helpful. There are lots of local
sewing courses available, mainly for
lightweight dress, household items and
quilting, but these are the basic skills
you’ll need for any sewing and are fully
transferable. If you think you can do it,
research it all, ask people for help, take abig breath and go for it!
If you don't want to invest in an
industrial machine, why not start with a
domestic machine and take on some
projects with lighter-weight fabrics. I’ve
successfully made curtains, external
shade and window covers, fender socks,
a windscoop, re-covered the saloon
cushions, and even a dinghy cover
(many of these projects have been
published in PBO over the years).Materials you’ll need
n Double-sided tape
n Edging material
n 2m of rope channeln Pack of chinagraph pencils (I got
through three of them!)
n Length of stainless steel tubing (to
check fit of tubes in sprayhood)
n 6m of lining plastic
n 14m grey canvas (covers bimini,
sprayhood, bridging piece and dodgers)
n 2m clear plastic
n 10 x plastic zips: 4 x 90cm, 2x 180cm,
2 x 45cm and 2 x 20cm
n Velcro: 10m x 2.5cm, loop and hook
separate lengths.
n Metal and plastic fittings: 8 x lift-the-dot
fasteners, 4 x canvas to canvas press
studs, 2 x webbing strap tensioners.
n Polyester cotton: 1 x large spool
5,000m (plenty left for other projects)Suppliers
Josh Brown of Severn Sails (severnsails.
co.uk) is a sailmaker and canvas work
professional. I gave him a list and he
sourced most of my materials. You can
also source these yourself online
(kayospruce.com). Fixtures and fittings
can be bought from chandleries.Time to make
I only work a few hours a day when I am
sewing so I would say it took me about
16 hours (four days) for the bimini from
start to finish and 20 hours (five days) for
the sprayhood. I do spend a lot of time
measuring and checking what I am doing
at every stage so work quite slowly.n Thanks to Josh Brown at Severn Sails
who gave me some useful pointers and
guidance before I started my projects.What else can you make?
The industrial sewing machine has many
advantages over my lighter domestic
machine. The ability to sew heavier,
treated canvas, leather and a wider range
of upholstery fabrics opens up a greater
range of projects. Here’s what else I’ve
made:
n A canvas cover for the forepeak of
Aderyn Glas. We store the dinghy under
here over the winter. A simple project like
that is a good way to become familiar with
the industrial machine.
n New dodgers
n A cover for the solar panels
n Covers for the tail of the sail and
gooseneck
n Padded seat backs for the cockpit (I
plan to make new cockpit seats too)
n A variety of canvas bags, pockets,
winch covers and other things I did not
even know the boat needed until I let my
mind wander while enjoying the sunshine
in the cockpit!
n My husband, David, made a cover for
our wooden garden seat last autumn out
of the spare canvas I’d acquired
Investing in a machine has been very worthwhile, and though I could resell it to recoup
most of the costs, I think I’ll keep it in the short term. I’m having great fun, the boat is
benefiting and I’m enjoying my purchaseZips, edging
tapes, Velcro,
thread and
some of the
other sundries
you’ll need
to make a
sprayhoodEssentials for a canvas sprayhood and bimini project
DIY CANVAS WORK