[C38] Sailrite sewing machine

[Max Soto]

Thanks a lot for all the comments!

It might not be an industrial machine, and suitable for heavy work, but as
George stated, "it might work for personal work", this is exactly what I
need it for... Just for the kind of projects that Don, Craig and Peggy use
it....
Also, the options, the bunch of online "how to" videos that they have will
help a lot ,  and the best thing is that I have heard that they have great
support over their products....
Old Singers are a very good machines, they will be a lot cheaper and I'll be
able to find one and the  spares here in Costa Rica, but I'm not sure if
they have walking foot, or if I'll be able to handle it because they do
require some experience and are not as user friendly as the Sailrite
machines... If I buy one here, I'll save around $200 in shipping and taxes,
but I'll never find a Sailrite here.......
so I'm going to give it some thoughts and check if I can get a good deal
somewhere for a Sailrite...

Thank again,
Max

2011/1/20 Peggy Droesch <saintpeg at earthlink.net>

> Max,
>
> As a recent (3 yrs) owner of a C38 I don't usually have much to contribute
> in the way of technical info -- but as a lifelong sewer I can confidently
> chime in on this one!!
>
> I bought a Sailrite machine (the LSZ-1, the one that does straight & zigzag
> stitches) -- an older version that Sailrite has since made a number of
> technical improvements to. Got it used from a dock friend, another home
> sewer, who hated it & was happy to unload it. Her problem with it was its
> fussiness, it is a machine that demands careful adjustment of the thread
> tension before it will sew properly. I put a little time into fiddling with
> it during a 'test drive', learned its quirks & figured out how to work with
> it. I think I got a deal & would gladly recommend it.
>
> It works well with up to nine layers of Sunbrella (though it needs a little
> manual assistance getting through that much fabric -- more below). You
> definitely need the walking foot for the kind of sewing we do for our boats
> -- my German home machine could manage most of the canvaswork except for
> the fact that it doesn't have a walking foot. When I finally get around to
> ordering a cruising spinnaker kit, I know this machine will have no problem
> helping me crank it out. Rory & I are still chewing over the idea of a
> stackpack, but it won't have any problem sewing that either.
>
> One upgrade that I plan to buy for my machine is the 'Monster Wheel' - a
> heavyweight balance wheel that helps drive the needle through multiple
> layers of fabric, or through heavy material like sailcloth (it also helps
> you sew when you can't plug in to shore power). I have to help my machine
> along with manual turning of the original-equipment balance wheel when I
> try to sew through many layers of canvas. I made an anchor riding sail from
> one of Sailrite's kits, easy project, the LSZ-1 breezed right through it.
> But when I tried a bit of repair work on our genoa it gagged on the heavy
> Dacron sailcloth, couldn't put a needle through it. So you do need the
> extra weight behind the drive mechanism if you plan to do your own
> sailwork.
>
> Good luck --
>
> Peggy
> No Name Yet, #231
> San Francisc
>
>
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-- 
Max Soto
C38 #198 ESTANCIA
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
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