How to Make a Lifesling Cover From Sunbrella® Fabric

X-HT-200648

A Lifesling is a very valuable piece of safety equipment to keep on board your boat at all times. This man-overboard recovery system makes it easier than other recovery methods to hoist crew members back on board. However, the number one complaint of sailors is that the deployment bag that stores the Lifesling doesn't hold up to UV rays and chafing.

Video Chapters:

NOTE: This video has a sequence order issue. Please follow these steps: At 6:05 min, STOP and skip ahead to 11:21 min. Then at 15:07 min, STOP and go back to 6:51 min.

Patterning Panels – 0:29 min.
Sewing Back Panel – 3:15 min.
Sewing Font and Side Panels – 6:49 min.
Adding Back Flap – 8:39 min.
Creating Inside Rope Pocket – 11:19 min.
Assembling the Cover – 15:06 min.
Closing Top Envelope Openings – 18:27 min.
Creating Cover Top – 19:50 min.
Material List – 26:05 min.

Materials List:

Sunbrella^® Marine Grade Linen Tweed 60" Fabric – #6054-0000
Phifertex^® Plus Vinyl Mesh Sand 54" Fabric – #124311
PremoBond^® Tex 90 (V-92) White UV Bonded Polyester Thread – #123337
Polyester White Hook – #105034
Polyester White Loop – #105033
White Polyester Webbing – #PLLWWH

Tools List:

Soapstone Fabric Marking Pencil White – #102766
Sailrite^® Edge Hotknife Package – #103800
Sailrite^® Ultrafeed^® LS Walking Foot Sewing Machine – #311502
Seam Ripper Deluxe – #18104
Scissors, Yardstick, Tape Measure

We’ve received many requests for instructions on how to make a sturdier Lifesling cover. We listened to those requests and created a how-to video that will detail how to sew your own Lifesling cover with marine grade fabric.

How to Make a Lifesling Cover From Sunbrella Fabric Video 2 — How to Make a Lifesling Cover From Sunbrella Fabric - Video 2

We modeled our cover off of the original pouch that comes with the Lifesling. To give our cover better UV protection, we used a Sunbrella® Marine Grade Fabric. Many sailors like to use a Sunbrella that matches the rest of their boat canvas for a cohesive look. We also added a chafe protection patch of Phifertex^® Plus Mesh to the back of the cover where it will rest against the stanchion. We also added Phifertex Mesh to the bottom of the cover to help promote drainage and airflow.

To give the cover a sturdy shape, we created internal pockets to house plastic stiffeners. You can buy thin sheets of plastic at a hardware store to insert in your cover, or repurpose the sheets from your existing Lifesling cover. Although we do not show this in the video, it is also a good idea to cut out the instructions from the original Lifesling bag and sew them to your new bag so they can be easily seen.

In this video you will learn how to pattern the panels, create the inside pockets, attach a back flap and assemble the cover.

NOTE: This video has a sequence order issue. Please follow the steps below: