Spray Hood and Dodgers

Dodgers

My Dodgers suffered major "flogging" damage last year. Close inspection indicated they were beyond repair; the canvas was failing along he seams so new dodgers seemed like the only way forward.

After some research it seemed like it was possible to use our old "Jones CB" sewing machine to make some new ones. In fact, on further reading, older sewing machines like the Jones and Singer seemed preferable to more modern kit that used plastic gears and lacked the "oomph" of the older machines.

The Material

Acrylic canvas is the best material. I bought PU coated acrylic canvas (coated with Polyurethane) which was a mistake; uncoated would have been better and slightly cheaper. But having got it I decided to proceed. My original dodgers also had pieces of vinyl located where the dodger would rub against the steel uprights of the pushpit. There was also vinyl re-inforcing wherever an eyelet went through the material; this seemed a good idea and worth replicating.

Needles and Thread

There are two weights of threads that you can use V69 and V92 polyester threads. These are generally used with a size 16 and 18 needle respectively. I decided for the heavier weight (V92) for strength. I just bought 1oz of the thread initially to see how I got on. One of the characteristics of this thread is that it needs to be pulled of the top of the reel unlike a conventional cotton thread that feeds at right angles. To facilitate this I made a feeder out of piece and wood and a coat hanger to allow the thread to be pulled off the top of the reel.

Brass Eyelets

There are two types of eyelet available, with and without "spurs". The spurs engage with the material and provide a more secure fixing. The other type are not worth bothering with. I bought a steel die here SDProducts and 100 3/8" spur eyelets.

Tension Headaches: Setting up the Sewing Machine

If you don't use the sewing machine very often it really is worth making sure that you've got everything set up correctly. It's so easy to misthread the machine or bobbin or even put the needle in the wrong way round in which case nothing will work.

Take your time on this and don't lose heart. If you need to make an adjustment on the tension, just do a quarter turn at a time, sew a few stitches and review the outcome. It really is a process of trial and error but eventually you will find the setting that works.

Once you think you have it, double over the material and sew again. Still good? Double again and sew some more. If you can sew through 4 thicknesses of canvass, you're there. Lastly, if you're using vinyl as well take an offcut of that and sew to the canvas. Still all good? I think we're done....

References

Don Casey "This Old boat"