sewing machines

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BrentB

New member
We have a few sewing projects (boat bags, OB and grill covers, curtains, davit motor covers) using Sunbrella and UV resistant thread and looking at new walking foot sewing machines but dont plan to buy a high end unit. We have one older heavy duty machine that is well used which we are cleaning and oiling and curious what others are using in case we need to buy one.

Any recommendations?
 
http://www.sewingmachineoutlet.com/sailtn.htm

Check out the above link and decide if you are in the market for new..or used. There are a lot of good equipment out there and the ebay and craigs list can save you some boat bucks.

PS: Tip of the Day

In order to sew Sunbrella on a home style machine, it is best to run the Sunbrella fabric thru a wash cycle in the ole Maytag. It will soften it and allow you to handle it with a lot more ease.
 
I have one of those China nock- offs of the Sailrite LSZ-1's. I was told they come out of the same factory as the Sailrite's. Probably true since every part from Sailrite fits great. Really tough with the addition of the power pin wheel, will sew 10 layers of sunbrella forward and reverse, but it seems to get out of time a lot ...........(probably from some idiot trying to sew 10 layers of sunbrella or something!)

Chris
 
I've been using the walking-foot unit that Harbor Freight sells for a few years now, and I've been very happy with it. It's a Yamata FY 5318, which is a knock-off of a Brother 797. It's a strait-stitch, (not zig-zag), but It'll sew through anything up to 3/8" including actual fire hose. I got it on sale for about $500 with the stand and a clutch motor. The parts are all generic industrial stuff.

A friend has the Sailrite Ultrafeed, and I'm not favorably impressed by it. The machining and tolerances didn't seem up to par, especially for the price. It just didn't sound like it was running as "smooth as sewing machine". We had a lot of trouble with the Tenara thread on his, and none on mine.

You will probably find that your old machine is good enough for most canvas work, especially for the small pieces. If it can handle v69 thread and a 16 needle, you should be good-to-go. If an 18 needle and v92, even better.

For large pieces, friends feeding and guiding the fabric will be very helpful, as the non-walking-foot machine does not grab and control the fabric as well.
I just completed a 8' X 32' awning for our yacht club, and it took 5 people to make it. Two on the in-feed roll, one sewing, and two on the out-feed roll. While this could have been done on a heavy home machine, I bet the stitching wouldn't have been as strait.
 
I have an old heavy duty Brother, with a single (bottom) walking foot--no puller or double walker. I use the #18 Schmetz needles and V 92 thread (I have a 16 oz spindle, which still has lots left after many years use. The only pain is winding a bunch of bobins. I have a close friend who has a heavy duty Consew sail making machine--I think the throat is about 26" and it is foot clutch operated--2 hp with double walking foot and puller--sews at about 50 feet a minute--hang on! Way overkill for C Dory canvas work.

I have never washed the Sunbrella before working it--but it is rare than I sew more than 4 layers--and usually only 2 or three or bindings/dacroon patches, with one or two layers. The old Brother does fine. I do mostly straight stritch, but it is capable of multiple width Zig Zag.
 
I have a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Walking Foot machine works great. It will sew through 11 layers easy. I figure what it has saved me on building canvas pieces it has paid for itself. It will probably outlast me. When I die Pat and Patty can have it.
 
Jody - we don't want you to die, but we DO want your sewing machine! A dilemma for sure!

jkidd":2ur35btv said:
I have a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Walking Foot machine works great. It will sew through 11 layers easy. I figure what it has saved me on building canvas pieces it has paid for itself. It will probably outlast me. When I die Pat and Patty can have it.
Click to expand...
 
I used a friend's Sailrite once and then bought one. They're great, including the instructions and support you get from that company. A clone could be OK, depending on how much you know or who you know for help in setup and learning. I've used a home machine with care and patience, but the walking foot machines make a HUGE difference.

-Jeff
 
I'll say a little more about the clones. Mine is a Reliable Barracuda. $499

First, it is the worst operating manual I have ever seen. pictures were less than a first grader would draw, and you couldn't even understand how to correctly mount or thread the needles.

Second, there is virtually no support.

Third, by the time you get the stuff (you really need) like the Power Pin option you are virtually up to the price of a Sailrite w/o the resale value.

As I previously stated mine goes out of time all the time, and the zig zag misses stitches alot. I have seen some as low as $299 since.

I have no previous sewing experience but if doing it over I'd pay up for the Sailrite service.

Chris
 
I don't think there is such a thing as a "China knock-off of a Sailrite". The Sailrite units themselves are China-made knock-offs of other machines.
Make a comparison of the Sailrite 111 to a Singer 111.

What you gain from Sailrite, as noted before, is great set-up, manuals, videos, and customer support, not a better machine.
 
It's kind of like power wood tools. They are all made in the same plant and painted different colors. The ones that have quality issues get label Central Machinery and go to Harbor Freight and the one that meet other manufactures specs get their label. I saw this with my horizontal band saw. Jet and Delta had better tolerances than Central Machinery. So Sailrite might get first pick of the machines and the rest go somewhere else. I do agree that Sailrite has great support, manuals and videos. If you are willing to pay 3000 to 4000 then there are better machines to be found.
 
The Admiral just rebuilt boat chairs (Wise, new covers, high grade foam and 1/2" ext plywood) using existing sewing machine.

I moved on from Sailrite to floor models or Juki 1541 or Consew 265 - new models have R5 suffix.


Anyone have one?
 
jkidd":3oq10ckj said:
I have a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Walking Foot machine works great. It will sew through 11 layers easy. I figure what it has saved me on building canvas pieces it has paid for itself. It will probably outlast me. When I die Pat and Patty can have it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Jody, that is sweet, but a year or two ago I bought Patty an LSZ-1 for her birthday. She used it today stitching up our saddlebags for our scooters (made from insulated beverage coolers).

Patty%20with%20Scooters.jpg

The great thing about Sailrite is their support. Patty was having an issue about something today and they did online chat to resolve her questions! Try that with a Harbor Freight knock-off! She has a fifty year old Pfaff, an amazing machine, but it is just not a heavy duty machine! Her go-to for normal sewing, but the Sailrite is the RIGHT machine for the tough jobs your ordinary sewing machine can't handle! You can get it cheaper maybe, but Sailrite is the complete package!

 
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