Maine Sailing Partners

The exciting world of THREAD!!!

Not exactly thrilling dinner conversation but it is good to consider when shopping around for new canvas! The first thing to go with any canvas item is your thread. The old standard Polyester sewing thread in some cases can begin to show signs of UV damage in as quickly as two years time! Before long the item will need to be restitched or replaced and both aesthetics and strength will be compromised. For this reason we sew all new canvas products at Maine Sailing Partners with PTFE Teflon thread, listed are a few reasons why:

­-Resistant to degradation by the suns harmful UV

-Inert against chemical attacks

-Excellent sewing ability

-Excellent abrasion resistance

Most of our competitors are still using polyester thread or you need to ask for it at a premium!!! Rest assured your new canvas from us will have many many years of life before any service will be needed.

Keeping it simple

I'm a big fan of simple.  After my last Saab, I swore to my wife that my next car would have vinyl seats and hand crank windows.  Well here's a simple solution that I really like:

We've started using Antal Marine's low friction rings in multiple-purchase leech lines and to turn over-the-top leech lines.  No moving parts and virtually unbreakable, low friction rings are the perfect low weight, high strength solution to almost anywhere we need to turn a line or need an extra purchase.  They come in 10,14, 20, and 28mm internal diameters with safe working loads from 800 to 6400kg.  Low friction rings are ideal for leading genoa furling lines, barber haulers, boom vang and cunningham purchase systems.

Canvas Preview

We now offer the ability to view your new canvas ideas or concepts before a stitch is sewn. If you are unsure of the layout or color, seeing it "on" your boat may help. Below is an example of a Bristol 57 where the customer wanted a dramatic change to the layout as well as a possible color change. By setting up the canvas on the computer we were able to make the necessary design decisions. We also were able to see any clearance issues with boom height, vang etc... Give us a call to discuss your upcoming canvas projects and see what we can design for you!

 

Preview

I like to see the previews when I go to the movies.  I think that most people would like to see what their new sails will look like before they're delivered.  Now you can preview your sails in your email in-box.  SailPack Viewer is an interactive program that gives you a 3D preview of your sails. 

Particularly useful is the SailPack Viewer feature that allows you to customize your spinnaker colors and panel layout.

Simply download the free SailPack Viewer software from SailPack and open the sail file.  Next time you're looking for sails, ask for a preview.