[Rhodes22-list] Tiller Cover

[DCLewis1 at aol.com]

Mark,
 
Ed and Elle are likely right regarding the "sewability" of Sunbrella,  I 
don't know.  Elle's insight re the thread was interesting.   Neither Fran nor I 
have tried sewing Sunbrella, I'm just reporting what I  picked up on the web 
(actually, I can't point you to an explicit address, it's  been a while).  As I 
recall (I don't have the material in front of  me), the material we got did not 
appear to be unusually stiff, so it might sew  easily.
 
Regarding Ed's concerns as to how long the cover will last, again I don't  
know,  but I bought a Sunbrella cover and I expect it to last several  seasons 
(see the Defender catalog, the material is advertised as  Sunbrella).  I opted 
against their cheaper "house brand" tiller covers on  the theory that I'd 
rather not have to worry about this again for several  years.  I figure the 
service life limitation should be the service life of  the material, and Sunbrella 
is supposed to last.  We'll see.
 
Regarding deep pockets to buy a cover vice making it, that may be a matter  
of perspective. As I recall, our cover cost $23-$24, that might be a bogey  to 
price against. Check out what the material (and thread) is  going to cost, and 
the difference is the "trouble factor" in your having to make  it. From my 
perspective buying the cover was not a lot of $ but it did  take a while for the 
vendor to deliver - both are vendor specific  issues. 
 
The above notwithstanding, if Sunbrella sews as easily as Ed  & Elle report, 
you or your wife might get some satisfaction in making  it yourself.  Or maybe 
you'd rather be sailing than sewing.
  
Dave