How to Build an Asymmetrical (Cruising) Spinnaker Sail Kit
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- State-of-the-Art Computer Plotting
- Data Booklet "Road Map"
- Basting Sail Panels
- Sewing Sail Panels
- Assembling Patches
- Gluing Patches Together
- Basting Webbing & Ring
- Sewing Webbing & Ring
- Basting Nylon to Patch Assembly
- Gluing Patch to Sail
- Sewing Patch to Sail
- Sewing Stay Tapes to Edge
- Hand Sewing Corner Rings Webbing
- Hand Sewing Leather at Corners
The first step is to order your custom sail. Head over to our Sailmaking page to learn more about our custom sail kits and request a quote for your very own DIY Sail Kit. When you select a sail kit, our sail designer Jeff Frank aids in every step of the process before it arrives at your door. Not only is Jeff an avid sailor, but he has been designing sails for over 27 years and has been our lead sail designer since 1991. Each sail kit is custom-designed for maximum performance. Jeff oversees every part of your sail kit creation so that there’s no guesswork involved on your end.
At Sailrite, you can choose from our selection of popular, standard sail kits as well as custom sail kits that we will design to fit your boat’s specific dimensions. Once your asymmetrical sail kit has arrived, watch this video series to find out how easy it is to put it together and sew your own sail!
Video Series Overview
In this video series, we’ll be building our asymmetrical spinnaker in four parts. Follow along with our videos to see how to put yours together. Our sail plotter draws the center lines right on the sail material for you. All you have to do is align all the individual panels, baste them together using Seamstick Basting Tape for Sailmaking & Vinyl (#659), and then sew the panels together using a zigzag stitch sewing machine.
Part 1: Sewing the Panels
In our first video, we’re using the Sailrite® Professional 4-Point Sewing Machine to sew our spinnaker sail. We’re sewing one row of 4-point zigzag stitches per sail panel. The Professional is an industrial, full-size sewing machine that can sew 2-point zigzag, 4-point zigzag, and straight stitch for the most versatile sewing experience. You don’t have to own the Professional in order to sew your own spinnaker. You can also use the Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ Walking Foot Sewing Machine to sew sails with excellent results. Since the Ultrafeed is only a 2-point zigzag stitch machine, you will need to sew two rows of zigzag stitches on each panel seam overlap. Next, we’ll show you how to assemble the Dacron® reinforcement patches and install the corner ring with webbing strips.
Part 2: Patch Assembly and Stay Tapes
In the second video, we start by gluing and sewing the entire patch assembly with the corner into the sail. We also install stay tapes to the sail. Again, you’ll want to use a zigzag stitch to sew the patch to the top of the sail. Watch the video to see how this is done in full detail.
Part 3: Hand Sewing Corner Rings
In the last part of this asymmetrical spinnaker series, we hand sew the corner rings to the sail. We’re using leather patches for reinforcement and an adjustable sailmaker's palm to do the hand sewing. It involves using an awl to pre-punch holes through the many layers of leather and sailcloth to get the needle through the thick assembly. Watch this video for the last part of sewing your own spinnaker.