Nylet - model sailmakers to the world.

Cotton sails for racing yachts & gaffers, vintage sails, sails for display models, for home & museum.

Pond yacht sails in cotton from 45 pounds. Sails see sections 4 & 5 of our product & price list.
Finely made sails in varnished Terylene for the 1940/50's style yacht. Vintage style sails made in natural or dyed 'Egyptian' cotton, for class and pond yachts, barges, yawls, pilot cutters, schooners etc. Classic Nylet sails made exclusively by us, and also modern racing sails, see racing sails page.

Sail information in summary, with pictures, may be opened by clicking this link about sails

Customer comments -
Got the sails this morning. Brilliant. Thanks very much for a great personal service. I will be recommending you to others. Yorkshire
The suit of sails arrived today in fine order, showing the touch of a professional hand in their cut and sewing. The hooks are precisely positioned. I am delighted to have these made by you, my sincere thanks. Co Meath (Ireland)

There is a lot of interest in pond yachts and particularly Star yachts and we have made sails for these, we do however require templates, or pattern sails to make from since sizes vary. The pic (left) is a Star we have restored and repainted but the sails however were in quite good condition so these were left for authenticity as they were perfectly serviceable. We have made sails made for all types, including the Gamages range of carved yachts.

Any questions, or simply want advice, then email us clicking on the contact details below.

Customer comments - Hi Frank. I think the sails are beautiful. I can readily understand now why you were so pleased with them yourself. They will act as a spur to get on with the rest of the boat. Somerset.

. . . to thank you for the superb sails that you made for my Inga IV, she looked good and sailed perfectly. Staffs

Thank you very much for the beautiful set of (cotton) sails, they are marvellous. Norfolk (12/11/08)

Nylet model sails made using cotton sailcloth.

"Vintage” cotton sails are manufactured to customers special order, in either natural, or dyed to colour. We also undertake model sail work for museums and private collectors.

About our cotton cloth. We use only the very best quality Cambric cotton cloth. Modern cambric cotton is loomed from American, or Egyptian, cotton. It is a good dense cloth, not white but a faint oatmeal, or creamy, colour.

The sail pictured, left, is from a suit of Moonbeam sails, manufactured from cotton and with the "seams" picked out in red thread, and worked with bolt ropes.

A customer comment - The sails for my Moonbeam - are great! Dorset.

A quick note about the 'Moonbeam', this is a kit, with GRP hull, by David Metcalf of Metcalf Mouldings, and over the last couple of years we have made quite a few suits of cotton sails for customers. The kit was reviewed in the November 2008 edition of Marine Modelling.

The more technical stuff on sails for older yachts.
Nylet sails manufactured in cotton sailcloth.
Having manufactured full size sails in cotton between 1932 and 1965 we appreciate how sails were actually cut and finished and can replicate this on model sails to give them an authenticity peculiar to Nylet.
The notes below are to assist you in deciding what you require and how you intend the sails to look when finished.
Vintage model sails in cotton cloth 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 sails for class yachts, 36 inch, Marbleheads, Ten Raters, A-class etc and these sails are manufactured 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 with eyelets to attach to a wire running from the tack to the attachment point on the mast. Sails also made in varnished Terylene; see link above to racing sails page.

A customer comment - Sails received with thanks. You are a true craftsman. Glasgow

For cutters, barges and pond 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. We can add more detail where the “seams” are picked out (a line of stitching is run down) 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. In the old days cotton and jute sailcloth was loomed 18 inches and 2 foot wide as well as a yard.
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! The bonus is, when you make the templates yourself, you can offer them to the spars and check the actual fit.
Fittings and fixings. Please specify, on any templates of the sails, where any eyelets or hooks are to be applied, also reefing points (if you desire these) which we normally pick out with a heavier weight thread.
To see Nylet cotton sails on models were have restored, go to yacht restoration service

A customer comment - Thank you, I am very pleased with the quality, fit, and your thoughtfulness. Plymouth.

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”.
Rigging your cotton 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 to stretch them when rigging to the spars.
Prices of cotton sails. A few designs are priced (in the price list), we will also be pleased to quote for your specific requirements upon receipt of drawings etc. (see link below to print off a drawing).
Delivery times on cotton suits. This is invariably extended in the high season due to work load. The peak time when we receive orders is usually February to June, and as we can have in excess of 3 months work on hand we recommend ordering ahead of your requirements.

As an aside, a suit of 3 or 4 sails for an average sized model gaff rigged ketch, 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!
Making your own cotton sails? Then perhaps our B20 'how to' Sailmaking booklet will help you, 20 pages in full colour, see section 1 in the price list.
We still have in our possession F.Parsons senior's book on Sails and Sailmaking (1898), it is an invaluable source for cutting sails of any size and for any boat, most useful for checking style and appearance for the vintage sail.
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

Photo: 1928 model gaffer with late 1950's cotton sails by F.Parsons snr., and still going strong!

 

Click here to open a printable page on sail sizes. Its a page for a gaff rigged suit that you can fill in with the dimensions you require your sails making to. You can also use it if you only require a price. If you wish simply scan your completed 'form' and email it to us instead of using the post. If you require a bermudan suit then please click here to open.

This is one of several help and advice pages which explain our services. For modern sails please see racing sails & materials

NYLET ~ Fine products ~ finely finished handmade sails.

J.Parsons & Son ~ F.Parsons ~ Nylet. 1842-2010 ~ 5 generations ~ 168 years of manufacturing.
Learn more about our family business and history.

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

email:frank.nylet@ntlworld.com