[Paddlewise] working neoprene - hatch cover - sprayskirts

> In the case of a neoprene cover, you'd have to attach a bungy to the
> neoprene. That can't be done on a household sewing machine, at least not
on
> mine. I make a lot of my own clothes, including paddling clothes, but a
> hatch cover I would get from the store.

Not me!
I fI need a hatch cover (without the necessarity to be waterproof), I put
the stuff over the bungee and sew it behind, so the bungee runs free inside
the tube (?). Thats enough and works quite well.
I sew my own sprayskirts also. Then I HAVE to sew a bungee to the stuff and
thats a little bit more complicate, for sure.
But after some thinking, it´s no problem at all.
Sew it by hand!
I take a 8mm bungee and fix the one end, stretch it to the strength I like
to have for my sprayskirt (an da little bit more) and fix it also. Then I
start sewing the sprayskirt to the bungee with a hand sewing awl (comes from
the US) you can get by sailors equipment. The hand sewing thread is a very
durable waxed nylon thread, which holds a lot. The needle is a special
salimaking needle. The thread runs from inside the wal throught the head and
along the needle and at the top through itself.
Start at the middle back part of the sprayskirt, stitch quite normal in
about 5mm wide stitches. With the hand sewing awl you can make the SAME
stitch pattern like by an sewing machine, don´t pull to much, when the
bungee will be re-stretched the seam wil be strong enough.
Only problem are the round areas on the sprayskirt. The bungee is stretched
in a line and within the round parts you can´t gon on with sewing. So on
every sprayskirt I have to re-stretch the bungee about 5-9 times and have to
stretch it again, but th enew end for the bungee fixed to something is the
point 2cm where you had sewed yet, then you can sew the bungee for a while
(depends on the roundness/pattern of the sprayskirt) until you have to
re-stretch again aso...

This System is also easy to repair sprayskirts where the bungee had gone of.
You only have to stretch the bungee until the sprayskirt stuff is running a
line, fix it and sew the bungee. You don´t have to buy a new one.
I´ve used my canoe-polo sprayskirt quite a long time, but I´ve never got
problems with the bungee, it always fits 100 per cent on the cockpit.

It´s a little bit hard for me to explain it in english, normally its hard
enough in german. :-)))
On every new hand sewing awl is a well understandable instruction how to
use. But I´ve seen a friend who was unable to understand it, so if there are
some questions left, ask me and I will do my very best :-))

best regards
Jochen

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