11 Must-Have Sailmaking Tools & Supplies
Zigzag Stitch Sewing Machine
Let’s start with the biggest investment in your sailmaking journey: a high-quality sewing machine. To sew sails, you need a sewing machine that’s designed to handle multiple layers of sailcloth, webbing, vinyl window material and more. A sewing machine that can sew zigzag stitches is a must-have for sail construction. Sewing sails with a zigzag stitch is the preferred method as zigzag stitches distribute the strain across standard overlapping sail seams better than straight stitches. Zigzag stitching also contains the raw edge of a seam better given its wider sewing path.
Spur Grommet Installation Tools
Spur grommets are reinforced holes placed in a sail, most often at corners, reef points and fastening attachment points. These reinforced holes are needed for attaching halyards, slugs, lacings, outhauls, sheets, reef points, brailing lines and more. To set a spur grommet in your sail, you need five items: a cutting mat, hole cutter and mallet to first cut the hole. Then you need your spur grommet components and die set to install the grommet.
Hotknife
A hotknife is an essential sailmaking tool. A hotknife cuts and seals synthetic fabric, webbing and rope so your material will never unravel. Hotknives are required for sealing webbing ends, rope, sailcloth corners and more. Using a hotknife at sail corners melts the multiple layers of sailcloth together, keeping the assembly from separating at the edges and becoming ragged.
Cutting Block & Die Holder
When cutting holes for grommets and eyelets, you need to protect your work surface with a cutting block.
Non-Adhesive Backed Tape
Dacron tape is used to finish and protect raw edges of a sail and to repair rips and tears in mainsails, jib sails and genoas. Non-adhesive Dacron tape comes in either non-folded or pre-folded options. The pre-folded tape is folded in half down the length, which makes it easier to use on sailcloth edges. The tape is made from long strips of Dacron sailcloth cut with the grain so that there is very little stretch.
Hand Sewing Needles & Waxed Twine
Hand sewing needles are forged from cast steel and feature triangular tips and sharp edges that cut through thick canvas with ease.
Waxed thread is essential for hand sewing sails. Waxing threads are available in round and flat constructions. The coating of the waxed thread gives the material extra weather resistance, which is an added benefit when making sails. The use of waxed lines (as opposed to unwaxed lines) also reduces abrasion during the sewing process. The flat thread construction fits snugly into the canvas to minimize hooking.
Adjustable Sailmaker’s Palm
Even if you own a sewing machine, there are certain areas on a sail that will require hand sewing. Sailmaker’s palms are often used for rope work and sewing areas on your sail that are too thick for a sewing machine or areas where the machine can’t reach. Another common use for palms is hand sewing a corner ring, which can often involve sewing through multiple layers of sailcloth and webbing.
Scissors
A toolbox basic, every DIYer should have a pair of sharp, high-quality scissors. These are knife-edge scissors that will cut sailcloth like a dream. The sharp, precision-ground blades cut through multiple layers of fabric easily. The bent handle makes cutting on a table or on the ground very easy and comfortable.
Scratch Awl
Think of a scratch awl as an extra hand. You can use a mallet to punch it through fabric on an expendable surface to keep the fabric assembly in place. A scratch awl is also used to pre-punch holes in a thick sail assembly for hand sewing. It’s extremely difficult and possibly dangerous to push a needle through thick sailcloth assemblies without pre-punching holes first. This is necessary for brass ring or eyelet installations in sail corners.
Seam Ripper
Needing to rip out stitches is an inevitable part of the sewing process. Whether you have to correct a mistake, replace a vinyl window, remove a sail patch or more, you’ll need a quality seam ripper.
If you have any questions or need advice about sewing sails, please feel free to contact us. You can comment below, call or email us. We are happy to help fellow sailors!