I’ve placed an order for 9m of the CTK1.08 (.51 oz/sq. yd.) Cuben Fiber with Cubic Technology and am planning on sewing a 2 person tarp. It’ll be approximately 8’10 x 10’ in dimensions. With a Hysol-LV (or FL) bonded ridgeline(with strips to look like -=-). Is the 10’ length worth it?
I’ve done plenty of reading from the other MYOG tarps, so I’m well versed in the different methods used to put these together.
I do have a few questions, and I’m mostly looking for opinions or experiential input on some of these tie-out options. Obviously I’m looking for the lightest option that is least likely to fail or be damaged with use.
Reinforcement patches: Made with .51 Cuben or heavier (CTK5.18)? It seems to me that failures occur in the main tarp, so the weight/strength of the patches wouldn’t matter. I’ll be using circular patches.
Tie-outs: Grosgrain vs. Cuben?
Grosgrain is the most popular tie-out on Cuben tarps. The downside is the need to sew and any weak points that would add.
Cuben seems light, strong and efficient, but I don’t want this this to happen. It has happened to a couple people. It seems if the tie out is glued all the way to the end it would minimize any peel effects. I might do something like Dan did with his tent fly here to make sure the 1.25mm cord load is spread over the whole tie-out point. It also seems that the Cuben peel failures happen at the peak/ridgeline tie-outs. I could use grosgrain for these tie-outs to avoid the peel problem.
Which tie-outs receive the most stress? I’m considering changing reinforcement size to correspond to the force placed on each area.
Being a large tarp, should I add extra tie-outs besides the usual 8?
Finally, if sewing, what size needle and thread? Tim Marshall uses a size 6 needle (or did in 2010). What are the advantages / disadvantages I should consider when considering needle / thread size for high stress areas on sewn Cuben? Do ‘ball point’ needles matter? X-Box or two tight zigzag lines?
I realize that many of these will result in strong tie-outs, but any opinions or detailed experiential info regarding the production process or field use would be appreciated.
