Slieve McGalliard wrote:

Some of the cheaper hot knives are really soldering irons with a chisel shaped or sharp edged end,

And it's much cheaper to buy a cheap soldering iron with a large bit and file it to a knife shape!

Hello Chris, the battens are aluminium tubes 25mm OD and 2mm wall thickness and the length of each batten is 3.86 metres. The yard is again an aluminium tube 75mm OD and 2 mm wall thickness.

I failed to mention that I cut out the poly tarp panels with a soldering iron no need for a expensive hot knife.

Used a 8x4 metre white poly tarp to make a 200sq ft sail at a cost of £38.

I used sail makers double sided tape to join the panels together prior to sewing .

Reinforced the luff, leech, foot and head with 2 inch seat belt webbing.

Batten pocket on the main and jiblets for the aluminium battens.

All sewn on the wife's sewing machine.

Battens spaced at 40 inches.

Attached to the boom and yard with cable ties.

See attached picture in Illustrations 

I have now sailed around 600 miles plus Humber to Brancaster and back,also Humber to Bridlington where I met Robert Burgess of Old man new junk topic.