In this publication10 photos
Almost as soon as I bought the boat, I wanted a lazy bag, to end the daily dance with the sail cover. Alexei, who helped inspect her, said: ‘Perhaps the one thing really worth investing in.’
A lazy bag is a cover fixed beneath the sail. Lower the main, zip it up: neatly stowed and protected. Otherwise, a separate cover to wrestle on each time. This way, one movement and tidy.
A ready-made one for my boat from Resen Sails costs almost €350 delivered. I took a chance on making it. Six times cheaper and fitting as though tailor-made.
Materials: discoveries and doubts
• Fabric. Strong, treated and UV-resistant. By chance, on temu.com I found a ready-made Oxford 420D cover for €24, sized 275–305cm. Perfect. That find set the project’s direction.
• Zip. Amazon, 290cm, two sliders, €17. Not cheapest, but I was itching to start rather than wait for China.
• Strip for the boom groove. My main’s foot slides into the boom groove; would fabric fit beside it? Thin waterproof ripstop, 100 × 150cm, €8, became the bridge between fabric and metal.
• Assembly. Double-sided fibreglass mesh tape, €2, kept everything aligned. A great help with hems.
• Needles and thread: leather needles, €4, and a hundred metres of 1mm waxed polyester thread, €5. Just right.
Total: €60. AliExpress would have been cheaper. But the excitement mattered more: would it work?
Three days and fifty metres of thread
All by hand. Cut the old cover, assembled the sides, taped them. Zip taped on first, carefully aligned, then sewed on the ripstop strip for the groove.
Hand-stitched out and back through the same holes. Slow, but strong. No machine: hands, needle, patience. Three days overall, working for pleasure without pressure.
Testing afloat
Fitted it at the weekend. Getting fabric and sail into the groove together took about ten minutes. Lazyjacks already installed; everything fitted naturally.
Sail drops in easily, zip runs smoothly, fabric stays waterproof. A sail with a colleague: nothing failed. Neighbours gave it a thumbs-up.
Conclusion
Making your own lazy bag is entirely possible: save a little, build skills and enjoy the making. Every use reminds me how much aboard can be made with your own hands.
#maintenance
A lazy bag is a cover fixed beneath the sail. Lower the main, zip it up: neatly stowed and protected. Otherwise, a separate cover to wrestle on each time. This way, one movement and tidy.
A ready-made one for my boat from Resen Sails costs almost €350 delivered. I took a chance on making it. Six times cheaper and fitting as though tailor-made.
Materials: discoveries and doubts
• Fabric. Strong, treated and UV-resistant. By chance, on temu.com I found a ready-made Oxford 420D cover for €24, sized 275–305cm. Perfect. That find set the project’s direction.
• Zip. Amazon, 290cm, two sliders, €17. Not cheapest, but I was itching to start rather than wait for China.
• Strip for the boom groove. My main’s foot slides into the boom groove; would fabric fit beside it? Thin waterproof ripstop, 100 × 150cm, €8, became the bridge between fabric and metal.
• Assembly. Double-sided fibreglass mesh tape, €2, kept everything aligned. A great help with hems.
• Needles and thread: leather needles, €4, and a hundred metres of 1mm waxed polyester thread, €5. Just right.
Total: €60. AliExpress would have been cheaper. But the excitement mattered more: would it work?
Three days and fifty metres of thread
All by hand. Cut the old cover, assembled the sides, taped them. Zip taped on first, carefully aligned, then sewed on the ripstop strip for the groove.
Hand-stitched out and back through the same holes. Slow, but strong. No machine: hands, needle, patience. Three days overall, working for pleasure without pressure.
Testing afloat
Fitted it at the weekend. Getting fabric and sail into the groove together took about ten minutes. Lazyjacks already installed; everything fitted naturally.
Sail drops in easily, zip runs smoothly, fabric stays waterproof. A sail with a colleague: nothing failed. Neighbours gave it a thumbs-up.
Conclusion
Making your own lazy bag is entirely possible: save a little, build skills and enjoy the making. Every use reminds me how much aboard can be made with your own hands.
#maintenance
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