Tarp Help

**lattie11581** · 01-04-2011, 14:24

I have been picking through the forums and thanks to headchange4u i have been bitten by the DIY bug!

I put together a HH clone by HC4U's instructions but i made it 130 X 72. Very comfy. (thankyou headChange). Now I have ordered some silnylon for a tarp. I messed up though

didnt really put a lot of thought into it and i only ordered 6 yards. I need at least 10' to cover the hammock plus woopie slings.

My question is: Instead of sewing together two 10'x5' pieces would it greatly affect the strenght of the tarp if I use one 10x5 piece in the middle and add an 8' x 2&1/2' piece on each side to get the coverage i need? (only have 18' of sil)

here is a pic of my hammock

**sclittlefield** · 01-04-2011, 16:43

You could cut it in half, build a rectangle 9x10. If you have the seam perpendicular to the ridgeline, it'll be 10' long and 9' wide. Many tarp manufacturers do this to save material.

Or, what you suggested would work fine as well. Especially if you're making a hex tarp, sew the panels as you outlined, and then draw your curves, hem, add tie-outs, and wala!

**lattie11581** · 01-04-2011, 17:08

i was thinking hex. As long as i can sew the seam straight it might not look too bad. Straight is my only issue! Thanks!
sclittlefield, have also been following the thread on the IX UQ... Very interesting.. And thankyou for imparting your experience. I dont know if I will be able to finish all of these projects by spring!

**BrianWillan** · 01-04-2011, 17:54

Originally Posted by lattie11581

My question is: Instead of sewing together two 10'x5' pieces would it greatly affect the strenght of the tarp if I use one 10x5 piece in the middle and add an 8' x 2&1/2' piece on each side to get the coverage i need? (only have 18' of sil)

Your proposed method is exactly how the GargoyleGear Ogee tarp is constructed. Although the add on pieces are triangles. This is a great method in that it has no seam along the length of the ridge line to leak. If the tarp is to leak at a seam it will be away from the hammock. The one disadvantage is that you have to sew an additional seam, however I think the benefits outweigh this.

Cheers

Brian