Carver Owners Forum

Well, we got the bimini up (mostly) on Saturday and it is in a little rougher shape than I thought . There are also a couple of pieces that will need reworking after changing the ladder to the stairs and changing marina's! The dinnette also needs to be reupholstered. So now after this long preamble, what sewing machine should I be looking at? I have a Janome that would do the lighter weight stuff. Already restitched some of the bimini top but will definately need a heavy duty one for other work. Considering doing the whole enclosure ourselves during the off season. Someone mentioned Husqvarna in an earlier thread. Any other suggestions? I know that I want a "walking foot" but that looks like a separate attachment for any machine. I have been watching the Sailrite videos for inspiration!! Also, other than zippers and snaps are there alternative ways to attached the bimini. We found the zippers and snaps very hard to use. Maybe our old hands or maybe shrunk canvas!

I'm trying to find his thread, but there's an older project that was posted from a name like <forgot> where he redid all the bridge canvas on his 3207 aft cabin. He bought a "walking foot" sewing machine for much less money than the Sailrite, and it was virtually identical to it. He was very impressed with how well it worked.

EDIT: Did several searches on here and couldn't find his old post, but he also posted it in a different forum and I found it there.

This was the unit he bought:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H2DG6YG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_E009AbRNMR76V

You might be able to find it cheaper than from Amazon, so check around.

Yes, the canvas/sunbrella, will shrink during storage. If you can muscle it around, it should stretch again. Get some zipper lubrication sticks to apply to those zippers. Shurhold makes a stick that runs nicely between the seams. er

Also, on the zippers... if they are extremely tight, or when you need to close them early or late in the season when it's cold and the canvas doesn't stretch, you can make a "zipper extension" by just buying a zipper and sewing it back-to-back. (take the new one apart, then just sew the two fabric sides together, so the two halves of the zipper are on the 'outside'). It gives you about another 1/2". Just get the right length and size to match your existing zipper that's hard to close.

They also make similar things for snaps that are too hard to stretch to snap down. It's basically a little piece of fabric with a female snap on one end and a male snap about 1/2" away.

The cheapest way to go is to buy a used Viking Husqvarna 60xx walking foot portable machine. We did most of our 3697 project with one. Not fast, not powerful, but it can sew through 2-3 layers of sunbrella and thick vinyl. Pick one up for a few hundred. You can sell it when you are done for about what you pay for it. So, free.
Next best deal would be a Sailrite machine. I think built in China. And I think about 800 bucks
We just bought a Juki 1541S with servo drive and redid the clear vinyl bridge windows because they were showing their age. What a machine. The whole machine, table, servo motor, light, and a bunch of different welt and zipper feet cost about $1900. Of the three choices, this is the way to go.

I'll recommend the Sairite sewing machines. I've done quite a bit with mine over my 15 years with it. Never a problem. You can check around on the web other places do have them new for sale you don't have to buy directly unless they have a good sale or other offers.

I'd bite the bullet and get a sailrite machine also. I bought one when I got this boat three years ago and it's paid for itself 10x over.
I redid all my aft canvas, remade parts of the bridge canvas, made a windshield cover, side window covers, curtains, reupholstered the dinette seating, reupholstered the v-berth and bunk cushions, cut, bound and installed flybridge and aft cabin vinyl flooring, made a bimini for my neighbor and got a fishing boat in return, made a windshield cover for a neighbor, made some tool bags, made a tool wrench roll, etc... (I love the sailrite videos)
I could quit my job and be buried in canvas work tomorrow if I wanted. ( I don't... maybe when I retire)
I'm sure you could save money with a Rex or Juki, but the support you get from sailrite is amazing. Over the phone questions about materials and how to use the machine are easily answered. It's really not that much more for the real deal. I would suggest the zig zag machine also. I didn't think I'd use it, but I've found it's great for reinforcing stitches.

I would recommend the Sailrite also.I bought mine back in April and have used it for vinyl bolsters,some seats,some repairs for some people at our marina,did a cover for my little bowrider crabbing boat and am starting on a partial cover on my Shamrock.I did a bridge cover on my Carver last year with my old singer and it came out ok,but that was one of the reasons I bought the Sailrite.It's a beast.

Thanks for all the suggestions. One "issue" with the Sailrite is the exchange rate. I am looking on Kijiji (Craiglist equivilant) and have found an industiral unit. Haven't looked at it yet.

I bought a second hand Brother commercial walking foot machine for $500 and have done thousands of dollars worth of work so far on it.