This week’s project for Bev was to make dinghy chaps. This is a tight fitting cover that goes over the pontoons of inflatable dinghy’s to provide protection from the intense sun. Hypalon dinghy’s are susceptible to UV damage and can easily be destroyed by the sun.
Onboard I have my Sailrite sewing machine, 8 yards of Sunbrella fabric, Shelter Rite marine grade vinyl, snaps, grommets and a new hot knife for cutting and searing the edges of the fabric. What I didn’t have was a pattern and canvas shops are unwilling to share their patterns. . . darn! Step 1, make the pattern. I was lucky to have met a fellow sailor on the dock that had worked in a canvas shop and her skills and tricks were amazing!
After 7 days of sewing on my salon table, making several trips up and down the companionway to fit the chaps on the dinghy, and asking Kevin to haul the dinghy out of the water and put it on the dock for me each day, I finally finished my project. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. To make it complete, I sewed an octopus on the bow.
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