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NYLET. About us

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1712 AND ALL THAT! Four centuries of history, and how we came to be making model sails.

My family's long and varied association with "boating" commenced in the 18th century. An ancestor, David Compigné, plied his trade between Dieppe and the English south coast ports in the mid 1700's. His uncle, Michael (born 1712), was a goldsmith and silversmith in London trading at the sign of the Five Bells, and he was what is known in the trade as a 'toy maker' - that is to say he only made small items such as condiment sets, snuff boxes etc. He was probably a model maker at heart, as all my family were (and I am), and so the die was set linking modelmaking and the interest in the sea and yachts. In 1842 my great-great grandfather, Joseph (portrait right) started the firm, J.Parsons, manufacturing flour and seed bags, coal bags and tarpaulins for hauliers, merchants and farmers. His grandson Frank born in 1873 (portrait left) was to grow up obessed with sailing and the sea.

Frank, my grandfather, was a keen yachtsman and sailed off Brighton beach in Victorian and Edwardian days, his favourite yacht being 'Wisp' (see photo left), a heavy and old fashioned Isle of Wight built 33 foot lugger which was great in heavy weather. A plan (about 1910) shows a proposed rig which had an increased sail area of 382 sq ft., doubtless an attempt to give her more speed! My father (who was also a keen modelmaker) built his own dinghy in the early 30's (making his own sails) and also called her Wisp. I perpetuated the name in a model yacht in the 80's, a 36 inch restricted plan with ply chine hull. Another 36 inch design, which we sold as a plan incidently, was the 'Djinn Fizz' and was produced in collaboration with Vic Smeed.

My father's firm (F.Parsons, Sailmakers, Duke Street, Brighton) commenced making full size sails in 1932, and for many an ocean racer in the 50's. We also started making cotton model sails for the Brighton & Hove Model Yacht Club about the war years. He made my first yacht in bread & butter construction with Egyptian cotton sails and I sailed her on the Hove boating lake in the 1950's at the age of 8. "Nylet" came into being in 1958, my father then running two businesses. I took his interest in model sailmaking and joined "the firm" at the age of 19. Our first coloured Terylene sails were made in 1966 priced at under 40 shillings and in the early 1970's a Marblehead yacht was kitted at around £35; I don't believe there were any complete yacht kits manufactured at that time in the UK, we must have been the first. The GRP hulls were made by the late Tony Abel and commenced with the M-class "Moonraker". There were a series of articles in Model Boats during 1974 on building this yacht. The picture below left is of myself and my father, dated to the mid 70's, with a Moonraker hull. The Moonracer and Challenger followed later. We had a very fruitful business relationship with Tony for 30 years and became firm friends. Tony operated out of his home near Salisbury. Today our yacht hulls are made by the foremost moulder in the UK.

There are quite a few yachts on display, with early Nylet sails, at Richard Howard's yacht & boat museum at Beale Park, Pangbourne (Berkshire).

Between 1966 and 1991 we operated from Fordingbridge, firstly from a small workshop in Park Road, then at larger premises at 118-122 Station Road. Many of my older customers remember us from those days. Until 2001 we operated from our Bournemouth shop, but now we are purely mail order orientated.
The price list below right dates to 1966 and all prices are in shillings! Click on it for a larger picture.

Our machine shop turned out thousands of fittings for racing yachts from 1967 onwards. Today much is made by automated CNC machines. We also marketed our own sailwinches in the 70's, they were somewhat larger than those available today! Our old Singer sewing machine, and our later Berninas are all so much history now and we currently use modern machines giving absolute accuracy, which, coupled with the finest materials and a keen eye for detail make our sails known the world over for the very highest quality.

Model yachting embraces many diverse types of yachts, from timber constructed pre-war racing vane boats, models of fishing vessels, luggers, and gaffers etc. There are modern racing yachts which are about as hi-tech as you can get, yachts such as the popular Moonbeam which is a traditional style pond yacht in kit form, and there are many other kits from which to choose as well as plans for the scratch builder. My name is Frank Parsons, my father commenced making full size sails in 1932 and I have been making model sails now for forty three years and I am lucky enough to have enjoyed immensely every single minute of that time. I hope you too will enjoy this wonderful hobby (and sport) as much as I have!

Frank Parsons

Nylet

Nylet
PO Box 5416
Bournemouth
Dorset
BH6 5XT
UK
tel: 01202 420370 - International +44 1202 420370

nylet@ntlworld.com