Hey There All,
I'm in the process of deciding what to use to cover my 24' dome. We know we don't want anything like a parachute that's all one piece, but we don't want to cover the whole thing with a bunch of tarps either.
I read something somewhere about used sail cloth from sailboats being strong and water resistant.
My thought was to get one or two sails to cover most of the dome in two big triangle, use a few silver tarps near the top, and then use a few bed sheets here and there to cover the extra space left.
I like the idea of my cover being modular. It'll let the air through, the tarp portion will have complete shade and rain cover, and the sails are strong and brightly colored and circus-y. We can also adjust individual pieces as we see how it reacts to conditions. It might be kinda motley and weird looking, but hey, so am i. Hehe.
Does anyone have any experience with sails? They should have plenty of grommets on them already, and if we secure then well, and batton them down with rope, it seems like that should be pretty secure. We're of course going to secure our dome to the playa with plenty of rebar to avoid it becoming a big scary kite. :)
Feedback? Suggestions? Advice?
Thank you!
Miss Faith Dangers of
The Bad Vibes Circus!
used boat sails as dome cover?
One Way to Make Dome Panels
I made panels for my 24' dome with heavy duty silver tarps from Harborfreight.com
Each panel covers several triangles and grommets onto bolts ends which stick outward from my dome. I also sewed velcro onto the edges so adjoining panels will stick together and make it more weather tight.
To determine the exact placement of each gromet, I constructed the dome section to be covered, and used it to mark the grommet locations on the tarp material before cutting and sewing.
I like this design because the panels go on simply, they are fairly tight so they don't flap in the wind, and I can take panels on and off as needed for the weather. I've put the dome up 12 times so far, and this will be luck 13 this year on the playa!
Good luck
Each panel covers several triangles and grommets onto bolts ends which stick outward from my dome. I also sewed velcro onto the edges so adjoining panels will stick together and make it more weather tight.
To determine the exact placement of each gromet, I constructed the dome section to be covered, and used it to mark the grommet locations on the tarp material before cutting and sewing.
I like this design because the panels go on simply, they are fairly tight so they don't flap in the wind, and I can take panels on and off as needed for the weather. I've put the dome up 12 times so far, and this will be luck 13 this year on the playa!
Good luck
am i too late
it might be too late as time goes.....too much time till we get there, not enough time untill we get there?
boat sails are designed to hold wind. if you use sails, we do, they have to be anchored like a mother. gromets are good. we actually attach the sails to superstructures like buses and rv's to get the results were looking for.
if your going to use it for a dome, secure the three coners with heavy duty line, and make sure its taught, or tight if you will. rebar anchors for the dome. 3', with a hook. hook made with heat and bending.
you will proli be layering the sails as they are triangular in nature and dont fit circles. gromet the seams to keep from making wind pockets. rinse and repeat.
actually im starting to get wordy. if you haven't resorted to other means and still wanna do the sail thing, email me off eplaya and we'll rap.
sails catch wind and are really waterproof, (depending on what kind of sail it is).
bd
boat sails are designed to hold wind. if you use sails, we do, they have to be anchored like a mother. gromets are good. we actually attach the sails to superstructures like buses and rv's to get the results were looking for.
if your going to use it for a dome, secure the three coners with heavy duty line, and make sure its taught, or tight if you will. rebar anchors for the dome. 3', with a hook. hook made with heat and bending.
you will proli be layering the sails as they are triangular in nature and dont fit circles. gromet the seams to keep from making wind pockets. rinse and repeat.
actually im starting to get wordy. if you haven't resorted to other means and still wanna do the sail thing, email me off eplaya and we'll rap.
sails catch wind and are really waterproof, (depending on what kind of sail it is).
bd
am i too late
it might be too late as time goes.....too much time till we get there, not enough time untill we get there?
boat sails are designed to hold wind. if you use sails, we do, they have to be anchored like a mother. gromets are good. we actually attach the sails to superstructures like buses and rv's to get the results were looking for.
if your going to use it for a dome, secure the three coners with heavy duty line, and make sure its taught, or tight if you will. rebar anchors for the dome. 3', with a hook. hook made with heat and bending.
you will proli be layering the sails as they are triangular in nature and dont fit circles. gromet the seams to keep from making wind pockets. rinse and repeat.
actually im starting to get wordy. if you haven't resorted to other means and still wanna do the sail thing, email me off eplaya and we'll rap.
sails catch wind and are really waterproof, (depending on what kind of sail it is).
bd
boat sails are designed to hold wind. if you use sails, we do, they have to be anchored like a mother. gromets are good. we actually attach the sails to superstructures like buses and rv's to get the results were looking for.
if your going to use it for a dome, secure the three coners with heavy duty line, and make sure its taught, or tight if you will. rebar anchors for the dome. 3', with a hook. hook made with heat and bending.
you will proli be layering the sails as they are triangular in nature and dont fit circles. gromet the seams to keep from making wind pockets. rinse and repeat.
actually im starting to get wordy. if you haven't resorted to other means and still wanna do the sail thing, email me off eplaya and we'll rap.
sails catch wind and are really waterproof, (depending on what kind of sail it is).
bd
Well there's late and there's late.
We put up my geoframe a month ago and I just yesterday came home with covering materials. Boy was I thrilled when I unrolled the vinyl from a used billboard and saw a HUGE raphael cherub , handpainted angel with her chin on her arms. Now how to cut and gromet shingles...
Boy I've got a lot of work ahead of me.
Boy I've got a lot of work ahead of me.