The Science Behind a Sailor's Tailor


Why Teflon® Thread?

Guess Who's the only sailboat cover manufacturer to use PTFE Teflon® Thread on all seams since 1999 at NO UP-CHARGE? The Sailor's Tailor Inc. is.

Since the thread, not the fabric, is usually the culprit in early cover deterioration, this is the most important, uncompromising feature to look for in a durable boat cover. The Sailor's Tailor has been sewing with PTFE Teflon thread since 1999. Our competitors are STILL using chemically-stripped UVR-treated polyester Dacron thread which boat owners say is lasting only 2 years. If other cover makers use Teflon thread at all, they charge you about 10% more for the cover. When we discovered a problem with the thread stamina in 1999, we immediately researched the problem and upgraded to Teflon thread at NO UP-CHARGE, even though it costs nine times more than UVR-treated polyester Dacron thread. Only PTFE thread is going to last in today's pollution. If a cover supplier tells you they don’t use Teflon thread because their seams aren’t exposed to the elements, watch out! All seams are exposed to acid rain and UV. When UV or acid rain gets onto the thread, it immediately begins the deterioration process and ultimately causes dacron or nylon sewn seams go into an unraveling frenzy!

Gragh of tensile strength between Polyester Tread and Teflon Tread
Graph Source is from thread manufacturer



These sewing threads are specially coated with Teflon®, for excellent chemical and UV resistance.

Uniform Teflon® Coating
Resistance to High Temperature
Chemical Resistant
Abrasion Resistant
Resistant to Fungi, Many Acids and Alkalis

Side by side comparison of Teflon thread next to Polyester Thread

Left is the polyester thread other manufacturers are using
Right is the improved Teflon® thread Sailors' Tailor Inc. uses.

Unique Fabric Sheds Water/Remains Pliable

Our Unique Poly Army Duck Fabric Is Vinyl Coated On Both Sides To Seal 99% Of The Pinholes That Would Otherwise Invite Harmful UV Rays And Acid Rain To Enter

Our unique Poly Army Duck Fabric is double-dipped in Vinyl like and heat-cured. Unlike solid vinyl, Vinyl like keeps your cover feeling pliable and fabric-like, while repelling 99% of UV rays and moisture. Our competitors, on the other hand, use a one-sided laminate that can de-laminate if it flaps in high winds at the mooring, or while traveling. Our Polyester Army Duck and our Napbac Canvas are finished with extra waterproofers and mildew inhibitors and dyed in light colors. Fabrics finished to our stricter specifications are tougher and make a longer lasting boat cover. If you put your Sailor's Tailor cover on so it sheds water and doesn't flap, and give it some occasional maintenance, you should get 7 to 10 years from your cover. The industry norm is only 5 years.

Owner layering and cutting fabric

Durability and Fit are Paramount

Flat Felled seam diagram

You think Levi’s are durable? At Sailor's Tailor, our covers are so durable that our sewing machine manufacturer says, you can't do that! You'll break the machine! Remember the original Levi’s? The ones you outgrew as a kid before they wore out? They were sewn with flat-felled seams…so are our boat covers. In a flat-felled seam, all raw edges are folded into the inside of the seam (not just into the inside of the product) and then stitched with double needles. In a flat-felled seam, the stitching is going through four layers of cloth, not just two layers. Our hems are double rolled and sewn with double needles, too—again, no raw edges to fray out and the stitching goes through three layers, instead of two.

Flat felled seams are the strongest created and leave no raw edges to fray.

Ask Our Highly Skilled Seamstresses What It Takes

No one else does double-rolled hems and flat-felled seams because it takes 50% longer to make a cover—just ask our seamstresses. Only 1 in 10 seamstresses we hire can handle the sophisticated equipment we use. Currently, the ones who make the grade have been with us an average of twelve years.

Covers showing how hem is done
Seamstress sewing on tacker machine

Our already-rugged covers have 75% more reinforcements than our competitors (some competitors’ covers have no reinforcements)

We don't just run a layer of cloth over your boat and call it a cover. We have designed it to fit well and last. We put in the time and effort to reinforce your cover at the back corners, over cleats, fairleads, splashrails, gooseneck, and outhaul, all stress points. Reinforcements are either an extra layer of the cover cloth or truck trap vinyl depending upon how abrasive the area is that we are protecting.We don’t use metal zippers, or cut Velcro in half. (Actually, we don’t use Velcro at all because at the first sign of grass, dirt, bird doo, etc., it’s done)!

Attaching hardware provided

When you receive your cover, you will also receive the necessary hardware to attach it to your boat. Ours is a complete cover...you will not have to run down to the hardware store to buy extras. Most one design class covers will have heavy 5/16' elastic shock cord in the hemline to hug the side of the boat. In addition, there will be webbing loops sewn to the underside of the hemline at intervals all around the cover to tie down to your lift trailer. For other one design class covers, we provide you with not only the cover snaps, but also the hull snaps. In the case of cockpit covers, we provide you with either hooks or snaps, depending upon the style of your rubrail overhang.

Cover attaching hardware

Want Your Boat As Snug As A Bug In A Rug? Get A Cover That Fits Your Boat The Way A Leather Glove Fits Your Hand Guaranteed!

As long as you haven't made changes to your one-design that make it class-illegal, we guarantee your boat cover will fit perfectly! We use 5/16” elastic shock cord that firmly cinches up around the hull, so you don’t have to put snaps into your boat to hold the cover on. We’ve designed our covers so you don’t need leg-scuffing hardware on the deck. We also give you webbing loops with tie cords for tying your cover down. Since attaching hardware is included in a Sailors’ Tailor cover, there’s no more runs to the hardware store after you get to the lake! Plus, there’s a 75% chance that we already have your cover in stock!

Hem showing webbing tie down