Sailmaking

Nylet - model sailmakers to the world.

Britains longest established professional model sailmakers.

THE sailmakers for over 75 years.
1932 - Commencement of full size sailmaking
1946 - Model sails in Egyptian cotton
1950 - Varnished Terylene sails
1966 - Coloured Terylene sails

Sails, see sections 4-5 of our Product & Price List.
Sail rigs see section 7.
1932 – sails in cotton. And today – finely made up to the minute Racing Sails in Dacron, scrim & film. For the 50’s yachts sails in varnished Terylene. Classic cut Dacron sails manufactured. Sails also made in fine cotton, for class and pond yachts, barges, yawls, pilot cutters, schooners, etc

Racing sails.
Our sailmaking techniques are constantly updated to incorporate the latest thinking, and racing suits are cut for maximum drive. Lightweight luff tapes are used on all but storm suits and sails reflect the need for efficient air flow, and in racing sails the need for minimum all up weight. Racing suits are made using coloured ply edging/corner patches and are complete with battens, eyelets etc. If you require a certain colour scheme (corners/luffs) then please state exactly what you require when ordering. Corners can be made in either red, flo orange, orange, flo yellow, white, blue, grey or black – please state which There is no extra charge for coloured corners unless you select “finger” patches. Lightweight scrim and film suits are edged with leach film tape to maintain stability.

We manufacture sails for A-Class, 6 Metre, Marblehead, 10 Rater, 36 inch and IOM racing yachts. We also make sails for most yachts and in a variety of different materials and colours and we welcome special orders. My late fathers hand-written sail cutting book includes designs from the 1940’s and very early 50’s so we have access to many of the older sail plans such as March Hare, Genie, China Boy, Trapper, Cracker, Highlander, Pacemaker, Mosquito and so forth. We also produce sails for Billings Caroline, the Comtesse, Dolphin, Fairwind, Gosling, Micro Magic, Northwind, Seawind, Starlet, Star Baby and many, many more (and see quick ref sail list).
Upon receipt of your instructions (sizes or templates etc) we shall be most pleased to quote for your specific requirements.

All orders for sails come with a free information leaflet (B10).

Sailcloth, see section 6 of our Product & Price List.
Dacron sailcloth is sold in white and colours. Tan colour is available again, in a 4oz Dacron sailcloth, but this heavier weight of cloth is not suitable for smaller sails. Scrim material is available in different weights. Cotton is sold by the metre, or over a metre length we cut by the half metre.

Materials, see section 5 of our Product & Price List.

This includes various sail 'extras', also numerals & insignias, Polyester patching/decking, double sided self-adhesive tape, luff tape and sewing threads.

Sail rigs, information.

Sail rig kits for the One Metre (IOM) consist of a suit of racing sails, alloy mast & booms plus fittings pack, with assembly drawings booklet.
Rigs for Marblehead, Ten Rater and A-class are all available to order. One off "custom" rigs also made to your order.

Upon receipt of your instructions we shall be most pleased to quote for your requirements.

Nylet sails made using cotton sailcloth.

Vintage” cotton sails have been made by us for many years, indeed, my father started making model sails in cotton long before synthetic materials were even thought of. We use techniques and sewing methods that we used 60 years ago to give our sails a ”period” feel and hopefully a finish that will compliment your model.

“Vintage” class sails in cotton, and in varnished Terylene for class yachts such as Marbleheads, Ten Raters etc are made in one piece, with hemmed tablings, sewn corners and battens and reinforced head tablings (or patches). Luffs may be fitted with hooks to attach to a wire in the case of the mains’l to a jackline on the after face of the mast, and the jib to a wire running from the tack to the attachment point on the mast.

The more technical stuff!

Information on “Classic cut” Nylet Dacron sails.
Classic cut is generally suited to yachts built around, and before, 1965 (as an arbitrary point). Sails manufactured in "synthetic" cloth (Dacron) are made with all edges hemmed and with sewn corner patches, sewn battens (where necessary) and, in the case of “class” yacht sails an aluminium headboard, or stiffening, is usually fitted to the mainsail head. Corner eyelets will be inserted and the finish of the mainsail luff will be as chosen by you. In fact as they would have been done in my father’s time 45 odd years ago. In other words, classic cut sails are entirely sewn! They are usually made in one piece, that is to say, not made with panels. Sails were made in this manner out of a single piece of material. Only after the late 60’s, as Terylene became more widely used, did the advantages of panelling become recognised. Naturally, all “shape” for air flow is worked into the luff of the sail so that you will enjoy the advantages of classic style and have sails that “fill” correctly and perform nicely. However, if you wish then we will make the sails with panels.

Upon receipt of your instructions we shall be most pleased to quote for your requirements.

Nylet sails manufactured in cotton sailcloth.
The notes below are to assist you in deciding what you require and how you intend the sails to look when finished.
Sails for fishing vessels, working yachts, cutters and barges etc.
“Vintage” cotton sails have been made by us for many years, indeed, my father started making model sails in cotton long before synthetic materials were even thought of! We use techniques and sewing methods that we used 60 years ago to give our sails a ”period” feel and hopefully a finish that will compliment your model.
We make “vintage” cotton class sails for 36 inch, Marbleheads, Ten Raters etc and these sails are made in one piece, with hemmed tablings, sewn corners and battens and reinforced head tablings (patches). Luffs may be fitted with hooks to attach to a wire, in the case of the mains’l to a jackline on the after face of the mast, and the jib to a wire running from the tack to the attachment point on the mast. We can also make in varnished Terylene if you wish, and will be pleased to quote for this material made up.
For cutters, barges and working yachts of various types, sizes and designs then sails can be made in natural finish cotton, or dyed cotton, with or without bolt ropes applied to the edges as requested by the customer, and more detailed work where the “seams” are picked out to indicate where the pieces of canvas were stitched together along the selvedge edge. The “edge” of an piece of loomed cloth is termed the selvedge incidentally. On model sails we run one line of straight stitching down to indicate each join. Cloth was, and still is, in the main, loomed a yard wide, so you will need to work out 3 foot widths to the right scale on the sails. If you are working with a commercial kit then the sail plan should be ready marked out. All “vintage” stitching is straight, only on modern synthetic racing sails do we employ a zig-zag stitch (except for where we stitch on the bolt ropes).
Templates. When we make sails for working vessels we prefer to work to full size templates provided by you, measurements can sometimes conflict, one finds that out when you lay them out on the table, and bearing in mind we will have to firstly make brown paper templates from your sizes, you are in fact paying us to make something which we ultimately have to throw away!
Fittings and fixings. Please specify, on any templates of the sails, where any eyelets or hooks are to be applied, also reefing points which we normally pick out with a heavier weight thread need to be shown if you desire these.
A note on ‘weft’ and ‘warp’ of cloth.
The threads used to make any cloth are termed the weft and the warp. If you look up “warp” in the dictionary it gives – “threads stretched lengthwise in loom to be crossed by weft”.
Finished sails. Cotton cloth is not ‘stable’ as a synthetic material is, nor does it lay flat when sewn, and in making it gets to ironed by us at least three times! During making the shape and size will change, we understand this and can make allowances but cotton sails cannot be made to precise size and may vary by small amounts.
Rigging your sails. Cotton sails require a different approach to Dacron (synthetic) sails. Cotton has a little ‘stretch’ in the cloth, and you should take care not stretch them when rigging to the spars. Once made up, cotton does not lay as ‘flat’ as synthetic cloths.
As an aside, a suit of 3 or 4 sails for an average sized model gaff rigged fishing vessel, fully “seamed” and with bolt ropes applied will consume a yard and a quarter of sailcloth, 20 feet of bolt rope and more than 400 feet (120 metres) of sewing thread!
Hopefully the foregoing will give you an insight into the care and attention we give our work, and the service and finishes we offer. Should you require advice or further assistance or information then please ask.
Frank Parsons