Make Your Own Sunfish / Lateen Rig Sailboat Cover

X-HT-200568

Did you know that the Sunfish is the most popular sailboat ever built? A great boat to race or casually sail, the Sunfish can be seen on bodies of water across the globe. After a great day of sailing, treat your Sunfish right and protect it with a weather-resistant, breathable cover. We've come up with a great cover design that you can make yourself.
Video Chapters:
  • Taking Measurements & Patterning – 14:47 min.
  • Basting & Sewing Panels – 7:49 min.
  • Marking Chafe & Mast Locations – 10:56 min.
  • Measuring Yard Pocket (Transom) – 14:00 min.
  • Creating Mast Boot Collar – 16:13 min.
  • Sewing Chafe Patches – 39:12 min.
  • Sewing Yard Pocket (Transom) – 44:02 min.
  • Sewing Shock Cord Sleeve – 51:40 min.
  • Making Belly Straps & Webbing Tie – 1:00:21 min.
  • Fitting Cover – 1:04:57 min.
  • Materials List – 1:10:33 min.
Materials List:
  • Sunbrella® Marine Grade Ocean Blue 60" Fabric – #6079-0000
  • Lenzip® #10 Black Separating Molded Tooth Zipper (Metal Single Pull Slider) – #124304
  • Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape for Canvas – #129
  • Tex 90 Polyester or Lifetime Thread
  • YKK® Side Release Heavy Duty Buckle Black – #125370
  • Black Polyester Webbing – #PLLWBK
  • Leech Line Dacron® 1/8" White – #21209
  • #1 Spur Grommet 5/16" (Nickel-Plated Brass) – #26315
  • Shock Bungee Cord White With Black Marker – #29303
  • Shock Cord Hook Self Locking Black 3/16" - 1/4" – #369011
Tools List:
  • Sailrite® Ultrafeed®  LS Walking Foot Sewing Machine – #311502
  • Sailrite® Edge Hotknife Package – #103800
  • Tape Measure 120" – #102986
  • Spring Clamp – #50211
  • Soapstone Fabric Marking Pencil White – #102766
  • #1 Spur Grommet Die Set 5/16" – #18202
  • Sailrite® #1 Hole Cutter 5/16" – #18210
  • Sailrite® Poly Cutting Board – #123694
  • Scissors, Compass, Yardstick, T-Square

Create a sleek fitted cover

Make Your Own Sunfish Lateen Rig Sailboat Cover 2

With our detailed video instructions, you can create a sleek, fitted cover for your lateen rig sailboat. Our cover features a zippered boot to allow the mast to come through the cover and a pocket at the transom to accommodate the spars, which are typically laid on the deck when stored. The cover also has shock cord around the perimeter to keep it close to the boat and belly straps that can be secured underneath the boat for a tight and secure fit.

We made our cover from Sunbrella® Marine Grade Fabric, which we like for its weather resistance and colorfastness. Since Sunbrella has a tendency to abrade over time, we added chafe protection patches in high-chafe areas of the cover. For a more inherently abrasion-resistant cover, you could use a vinyl like Stamoid™ or Weblon Regatta®. Other good cover cloth options include, SeaMark®, SureRite®, Marine Treated Cotton Duck, and Top Gun®.

In the video, we pattern our cover on a Sunfish sailboat, but the techniques are the same for covering any lateen rig sailboat like the Snark, Minifish, Phantom, Sailfish, and Glen L. Buckboard, to name a few.

Are you a Sunfish sailor? Leave us a comment and tell us why you love your Sunfish!

Materials List:

Sunbrella Marine Grade 6079-0000 Ocean Blue 60" Fabric

#6079-0000

Sunbrella® Marine Grade 6079-0000 Ocean Blue 60" Fabric

Lenzip #10 Black Separating Molded Tooth Zipper (Metal Single Pull Slider)

#124304

Lenzip® #10 Black Separating Molded Tooth Zipper (Metal Single Pull Slider)

Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape for Canvas (50 yds.)

#129

Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape for Canvas (50 yds.)

PremoBond Tex 90 (V-92) White UV Bonded Polyester Thread 4 oz. (1,350 yds.)

#123337

PremoBond® Tex 90 (V-92) White UV Bonded Polyester Thread 4 oz. (1,350 yds.)

Sailrite Tex 92 Clear PTFE Lifetime Thread 4 oz. (825 yds.)

#107128

Sailrite® Tex 92 Clear PTFE Lifetime Thread 4 oz. (825 yds.)

YKK Side Release Heavy Duty Buckle Black

#125370

YKK® Side Release Heavy Duty Buckle Black

Black Polyester Webbing

#PLLWBK

Black Polyester Webbing

Leech Line Dacron 1/8" White

#21209

Leech Line Dacron® 1/8" White

#1 Spur Grommet 5/16" (Nickel-Plated Brass)

#26315

#1 Spur Grommet 5/16" (Nickel-Plated Brass)

Shock Bungee Cord White With Black Marker

#29303

Shock Bungee Cord White With Black Marker

Shock Cord Hook Self Locking Black 3/16" - 1/4" (10 pack)

#369011

Shock Cord Hook Self Locking Black 3/16" - 1/4" (10 pack)

Tools List:

Sailrite Ultrafeed LS Walking Foot Sewing Machine (110V)

#311502

Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LS Walking Foot Sewing Machine (110V)

Sailrite Edge Hotknife Package (110V)

#103800

Sailrite® Edge Hotknife Package (110V)

Tape Measure 120"

#102986

Tape Measure 120"

Spring Clamp

#50211

Spring Clamp

Soapstone Fabric Marking Pencil White

#102766

Soapstone Fabric Marking Pencil White

#1 Spur Grommet Die Set 5/16"

#18202

#1 Spur Grommet Die Set 5/16"

Sailrite #1 Hole Cutter 5/16"

#125480

Sailrite® #1 Hole Cutter 5/16"

Sailrite Rubber Poundo Board 12" x 12"

#123962

Sailrite® Rubber Poundo Board 12" x 12"

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