106 years of experience. Nylet 'vintage' model sails created in quality cotton cloth for exhibition/static & museum models & Private Collectors, working yachts, fishing vessels, cutters, schooners, yawls and barges, class racing yachts, and for classic pond yachts (Star, Alexander, BASSETT LOWKE, etc).
ALL OUR COTTON SAILS ARE hand cut and BEAUTIFULLY SEWN and FINISHED AS REQUIRED TO CUSTOMERS ORDER. At Nylet we don't just 'make' sails, we create sails, we breathe life into the sailcloth in order that they might be shaped by the wind.
Makers of sails to The National Maritime Museum Cornwall.
Working with fine cloths & ALLIED materials since 1772.
Vintage Yacht Restoration.

The finest model sails created individually to the customers specific requirements, with expertise handed down over eight generations, and our selection of 80 year old threads and specialist line used for hand stitching work, all combine to bring our customers a unique experience when they purchase our hand cut Heritage & Vintage cotton sails. Having been Master Sailmakers making traditional full size sails in cotton cloths since 1932 we have that knowledge of how sails were made for working boats and yachts as well as Ocean Racers 90 years ago. We will make model sails for you in cotton material employing correct methods of making that full size sails demanded. Whether we use tablings or false tablings when making you can be sure that your model sails will be correct down to the smallest detail. Everything is custom made as you require. For guide prices please see section F8 & F9 of our price list. Often our customers will send a photo of their yacht, this is helpful but photos need to be accompanied by sail dimensions (fleshed out with any specific detail required). Without sail sizes we are obviously unable to quote you. Also useful to know if the sails are for display only. How to make paper templates for making (often required), click on 'help' on top toolbar.
Having manufactured full size sails in cotton (and jute) for barges and working vessels as well as pleasure yachts and ocean racers from 1932 until 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; importantly full size sailmaking practise is employed in the construction of our model sails. Each racing 'class' suit of cotton sails now carry our makers mark, an authentic 'facsimile' of my late father's makers stamp (from the 1940's and 50's). Sails made for display models and other sails carry a discreet mark sewn inside the mains'l foot tabling.
Our 'Vintage' sails can be made in natural finish cotton, or dyed cotton, with or without bolt ropes applied to the edges, all as requested by the customer. We can add more detail where the parallel seams are picked out (a line of stitching being run down) to indicate where the separate pieces of canvas were stitched together along the selvedges. We can sew these "seams" in a choice of coloured thread, or in white, as you may wish. In days past cotton and jute sailcloth was marked in the weave by a blue thread an inch from the selvedge edge (I sewed thousands of yards of the cloth before the 1980's), the cloth being loomed 18 inches and 2 foot wide as well as a yard width at various times. �Vintage� style cotton sails have been made by us for many years, indeed, my father started making full size sails and model sails in cotton, in the 1930's, long before synthetic materials were even thought of. We employ techniques and sewing methods that we have used since the 1930's to give our sails a �period� feel and hopefully a finish that will compliment your model. We also employ correct sailmaking techniques as used on full size sails, i.e. luffs receive false tablings in exactly the same way as large sails must to enable the sail to set correctly. All work on sails are carried out sewn port side uppermost as are full size sails and have been thus for many hundreds of years. Detail such as reefing points can be sewn/added. We work with care to create finely finished sails that you may be proud of. We have undertaken model sail work for museums, such as The National Maritime Museum Cornwall, and many private collectors in the UK and overseas. If the model is for display only then please tell us.
Scroll down for customers comments.
About our cotton cloth. We use only the very best quality cambric cotton cloth, which is loomed from Egyptian (otherwise American) cotton. It is a good dense cloth, not white but a light oatmeal/very pale creamy colour (please note that exact 'colour' of cloth loomed will often vary a little from batch to batch). All our sailcloths are A1 quality, we do not purchase cheaper seconds materials.
Dyed cloth. We can dye the cloth before making if required, usually a red colour. Dyed patterns of fabric are not normally sampled as colour can vary with each dyed batch due to quantity dyed. Hand dyed cloth has a "texture" unlike factory dyeing. I recall my father relating how, before the war, all sailcloth (for full size sails) was produced 'natural' finish and it had to be proofed in the sail loft on the floor and in some cases proofed as well as dyed. It entailed mixing the solution in buckets, rolling out some 30 odd feet of cloth and applying the proofer with a yard brush, and when the length was thus treated and dry the cloth was then turned over and the whole processs repeated on the other face.
TEMPLATES. When we make sails for working vessels (gaffers etc) we prefer to work to full size templates provided by you, measurements can sometimes conflict, one finds that out when we lay them out on the cutting table. Your original sails, however, may well be perfectly servicable and can act as templates for making. Making templates: I have mentioned about this on other sail pages, and please read this and follow the intructions on the"making templates" page; we expect to receive ALL paper templates clearly marked with named edges, and they MUST be made/drawn by you PORT SIDE UPPERMOST and marked PORT. We don't want to be returning templates for clarification, it wastes our time and delays your order. See the page/file on how to make templates, its there to help you, read it first and then make your templates.
We make vintage style cotton sails for class yachts, 36 inch, Marbleheads, Ten Raters, 6 Metres etc and these sails are manufactured in one piece, with sewn tablings, sewn corners and sewn batten pockets with reinforced head tablings & corner patches. Mains'l luffs may as required be fitted with hooks (to attach to a wire jackline). For guide prices see the price list.
There is a lot of interest in pond yachts and particularly the Star and Alexander yachts for which we have made sails; we do however require dimensions, or pattern sails to make from since sizes vary. Other types we have made sails for include Gamages and Bassett Lowke yachts. We also require to know if the sails are for display purposes only, there are subtle manufacturing details which we employ that might go unnoticed by the customer. Please dip into our price list and look at guide prices for cotton sails to give you an idea of cost. Of course prices will vary depending upon size but especially relating to the detail required and more intricate sails for Museums and Collectors will consume more work time.
Cotton cloth (natural finish) is available to buy, sold by the metre, or more than a metre by the quarter metre pro rata; see price list.
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 over stretch them when rigging to the spars since distortion/damage will result. Care of your new sails. I can do no better than quote Terence North in his book "Yacht Sails", which dated 1938. "Most experienced yachtsmen know that a new suit of sails may easily be ruined and rendered almost useless by a few minutes carelessness. When a new sail leaves the loft it should be perfect and it is then up to the owner himself, or his skipper, to make sure it remains so".
Guide prices of cotton sails. A few designs are priced (in the price list), we will of course be pleased to quote for your exact requirements upon receipt of drawings etc. Prices start at around a hundred pounds and of course special order sails will cost more.
Cotton sails cannot be put into a run, it is a very specialised craft and they are cut by hand (by me, Frank Parsons) to the customers special order and the timescale reflects this; we usually have several months work on the books, and this varies widely month by month. Sailmaking isn't a race, we take care with our work and customers should plan ahead.
When you order. A tip - double check your order and give us all the information we require initially, altering or adding requirements later can lead to errors and waste time.
Most class sails we manufacture in cotton cloth come with our makers stamp, replicating the mark my father applied to his model sails made in the 1930's and right through until cotton work ceased in 1965. All other sails (including those purely for display) will not be so marked but carry a discreet mark sewn inside a foot tabling (very small sails may be too tiny to have our makers mark).
An average suit of gaff sails parallel 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! On another "note", to aid my concentration and immerse myself in the task completely I sometimes have either J.S.Bach or Beethoven playing. Beethoven's Piano Concerto 1 in C Major Op. 15 certainly is a favourite. So, if you happen to telephone while I am busy sewing, you might find the call unanswered (just leave a message).
Nylet cotton sails were featured in two articles in The Turning Pole (the Journal of The Vintage Model Yacht Group) Edition No.33 Summer 2016. Our sails appear firstly in Michael Hayward's article on his yacht "ATHENE". The second article entitled "Just Passing Through VII" by Chris Hayward on the restoration he carried out on a yacht, a gaffer, described as a "semi-derelict family treasure".
NYLET - Makers of model sails to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

A note on the weave 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 the weft. Look up more sailmaking terms, click on useful terms via the drop down list.
Making your own sails? Then perhaps our B20 'how to' Sailmaking booklet will help you, as a pdf file its in full colour, see section A in the price list.
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.
On a personal note, a milestone - in 2022 I celebrate 56 years of model sailmaking, and am pleased to say that I take great pleasure in my work, every sail I make is given equal attention to detail. That is also over one hundred years of sailmaking experience when taken together with my late father, who taught me most of what I know. It might actually be over 111 years if I reckon his early years working for his father and making sails for his own dinghy (which he built) in the mid 1920's before he made sails commercially.
We often refer to older sailmaking books and in particular a book of my fathers by Terence North (dated 1938) has particularly useful information and also having notes on the back page written in by my late Father; as these may be interest I append those in a small file (go to top links, see Info pages/help/photos) and click on sailmaking terms. Another book by Robert Kipping (1898) is handy to refer to, it has more technical notes on weights of sailcloth use for certain sizes of sails, hardly applicable to model sails but interesting all the same.

 A brief note on our early cotton model sails made in the 1930's. My father's Brighton firm manufactured model sails in cotton material, and full size sails, from the early 1930's onward. Some of the first model sails to be manufacturered (before the War) were sewn by my mother who was a skilled sewing machinist in her own right. Richard Howard's boat & yacht musuem in Pangbourne has some of our sails rigged on models on display and dating from the war years and up to the mid 1970's; sadly Richard has passed away and his collection has now been dispersed. My grandfather sailed and raced his yachts off Brighton beach (Sussex) one hundred and twenty plus years ago; his favourite yacht was "WISP" a 33 foot Isle of Wight built lugger (she carried 385 sq feet of sail). In the 1920's my father built his own dinghy naming her WISP (after his father's yacht) and making the sails for her. Another of his hobbies was making marine models. In the 1980's I produced a Nylet plan for a chine built 36 inch yacht, also naming her WISP.

We use the finest materials, equipment, and tools to bring you the best quality sails. We use sewing machines that are renowned for their durability and fine running. Our newest acquisition (in 2019) to our bank of specialist tools is a fine pair of Heritage scissors, replicating the type of shears that my 4th great grandfather would doubtless have used in his work as a Silk Mercer from his shop firstly in Bond Street and then in High Holborn, London in the last quarter of the 1700s and being manufactured by the same makers. The makers state - "Wilkinsons classic iteration of the EXO, made of 100% surgical-grade stainless steel with a striking matte finish, state-of-the-art investment-cast handles, industrial grade precision ground blades and a CNC machined screw, or bolt, all assembled by their master scissors craftsmen in Sheffield, using techniques and skills developed over 257 years". They are simply beautiful to use, have an edge as sharp as a sword, and are a delight to the eye. Manufactured by Whiteley's and who were founded in 1760 and incorporating the firm of Thomas Wilkinson & Son in 1875. Now the last industrial scissor-makers left in the UK and the oldest scissorsmiths in the western world, Whiteley's is a leading producer of industrial and professional scissors and shears.

In my family we can draw on expertise handed down over eight generations, and our selection of 80 year old threads and line used for hand stitching and detail work all combine to bring our customers a unique experience when they purchase our hand cut Heritage & Vintage cotton sails.

Frank Parsons.

This is just one of some 35 pages on our website. 

Some customer comments regarding our cotton sails -
Just received my glorious suit! Magnificent! The tablings..... marvellous!!!... the stitching lines, the overall shape, every detail, all very beautiful indeed! I can't tell you how delighted I am. You must understand, the wind has always held a magical place in my heart and the thin membrane with which we apply our feeble human attempts to have it do our way over an equally mysterious sea..... alchemy indeed. I hold this suit in my hands and it all comes alive again. It occurred to me as I relished your suit the day later that one of the things I really appreciated, was that in your masterly execution, despite many years of hard learned science, though perhaps exactly because of them, you approached the design not with a mindless machine but more the inquiring instrument. You took onboard where I'd too easily lined the impossible and wasn't having any of it, discovering a way to play your sound, practical requirements for the well-made, proper sail whilst accommodating the draw perfectly. The narrow tablings, the nicely snug but slidable foot sleeves, even seeing to better sized eyelets where they would best serve tacks and clews. Thank you for your brilliant work, I raise a glass to you Sir. Roger, USA.
Sails just arrived, WOW. Mike, West Country.
Here is a photograph of my newly rigged Star yacht, ready for its first voyage in nearly 60 years. Many thanks for the beautiful new sails, I'm delighted with them. Philip, Bristol.
Sails have arrived safely. But what a superb job, my old girl will be the best dressed yacht at any of our VMYG meetings. Wonderful work of the very highest standard as always from you, I cannot thank you enough. With all good wishes. Richard Howard, Norfolk.
. . . to say thank you for the beautiful suit of Heritage cotton sails which you made for Wren. She was re-launched on the boating pond on Saturday and sailed beautifully even in the light winds. The locals proclaimed, At last, a proper yacht!. This was her shakedown and the sails take a beautiful shape. Nick, Norfolk.
The (cotton) sails arrived safely, they're beautiful. Bob, Surrey.
Hello Frank, the cotton sails arrived yesterday without any damages. They are much better than I even expected, really extraordinary, perfect!!! Again (as your last sails) you made me happy. I will send you pictures from the maiden voyage. Klaus, Germany
The sails arrived as promised and I am over the moon with the end result, they are fantastic. Michael, Buckinghamshire.
Hi Frank, sails just arrived, they are stunning! Thanks. Ron, Nottinghamshire.
Good afternoon Frank, the sails arrived this morning. They are excellent! Nick, Lincolnshire.
Absolutely magnificent (cotton) sails! Everyone seeing Columbia and her sails are very impressed with the quality of your workmanship and I cannot thank you enough; the boat sails far better than expected. Bernard, Suffolk.
The sails are 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. I am delighted to have these made by you, my sincere thanks. Co Meath. Ireland.
Looking forwards to receiving the (Mascotte) sails, your workmanship always gives me pleasure. Bill from Plymouth.
Your workmanship and accuracy are superb and one could not wish for better at this small scale. The bolt rope stitching is particularly impressive, as is the accuracy of the parallel stitching. All in all, simply excellent; although I have said this before, it has been a great pleasure to do business with you and to have had the opportunity to work with you to acheive the desired result. I have the greatest respect for your workmanship. I will not hesitate to use your services again and would recommend your company to anyone. Frank from York.
Sails arrived this morning, as promised; they are a work of art - the real thing! Whatever else people say about the barge, they will say "who made her sails?" Mike. Cambridgeshire.
Many thanks for the sails, they fitted perfectly and really improved the look of the yacht. Thanks for a great job and all the help. Chris, Wiltshire.
Thank you for the sails, they are a lovely suit, your craftsmanship really shows. I have hung them up for the present, I have a few more little jobs on the lugger before I lift them on the masts. Nigel, Bromsgrove.
The sails arrived safely and I spent yesterday afternoon fitting them to the Bassett Lowke yacht. The sails are superb and the yacht looks fabulous; thank you very much. Mike from Hertfordshire.
Sails received with thanks. You are a true craftsman. John, Glasgow.
Thank you very much for the beautiful set of (cotton) sails, they are marvellous. Richard, Norfolk.
Thank you, I am very pleased with the quality, fit, and your thoughtfulness. Plymouth.
Yesterday I opened a tube with wonderful new sails for my Colin Archer; great job, better than I could expect, you do great work! Bernt. Norway.
Thanks again for the super 6M sails which now complete the yacht. Mike, Somerset.
Your sails looked great, the guys were mighty pleased. Chris, Hampshire.
The sails for my Moonbeam are great! Peter, Dorset.
My Moonbeam sails arrived safely this morning. They are superb and well worth the wait - thank you so much. Andy. Benfleet, Essex.
Moonbeam sails received in good order. They look beautiful, many thanks. Malcolm, Cheshire.
Sails received, super job. Many thanks. Nick, Cornwall.
Sails safely arrived. Thank you so much, they look great. Tim, Northampton.
Hello Frank. Just to let you know my sails arrived today, I am thrilled with them is an understatement, the stitching is superb & the patience required must have been enormous. Thank you again for your wonderful friendly service + your skills. Paul, Devon.
The sails arrived and are wonderful - many thanks for all your help! Alex, London.
I received the sails yesterday and am very pleased with them, rest assured the workmanship has not gone unnoticed by me, I have got the main and staysail up and it really looks the part. Michael, Mddx.
The cotton sails you made for my Moonbeam are a work of art! I am delighted, thank you. Elwin, Lincs.
The sails safely arrived and look just great. Very professional service from Nylet. George, Hampshire.
Hi Frank, thanks for your email AND the BEAUTIFUL SAILS which arrived today. What fantastic work. Amazing. Well worth the wait! I'm so grateful to you, and I'll be coming back for more! I've fitted the sails to the spars. Fantastic. My goodness you are a skilled and talented man. I saw the shape you'd made before fitting and understood why you did so, but only when rigged did it all make sense. Amazing. And those tiny brass eyelets... I took the yacht back round to my sister this morning. What a thing of beauty, was the unanimous cry. Forgot to get a picture for you in all the excitement... watch this space. Jasper. Buckinghamshire.
Hi Frank, (cotton) sails have arrived, they are perfect, you did a lovely job, will send you a pic when on the boat. Julian, Scotland.
Some few years ago I had a phone call from the wife of a customer. All her working life she had been a seamstress and dressmaker. She told me that on seeing my (cotton) sails she told her husband, Do you know what you are looking at here? You will never, ever, see anything like this again, not as long as you live. Her husband brought me back down to earth saying, "Your workmanship hasn't gone unnoticed by me." A Yorkshireman, he was sparing with his praise!
Sails (for Katie) arrived today - they look great, much appreciated. Andy, Lancs.
Every letter, email and phone call from our customers is very much appreciated; we can't possibly post every single one on our website but I thank everyone for their kindness in writing to us and for their appeciative comments.
Frank Parsons.

NYLET ~ Fine products ~ Finely finished handmade sails in A1 quality sailcloths ~ Quality First ~ 90 years.
J.Parsons & Son ~ F.Parsons ~ Nylet. 1834-2022 ~ 5 generations ~ 188 years of manufacturing.
Silk Mercers, established in High Holborn, London 1772 ~ 250 years of working with fine cloths ~ 8 generations.
1620. Clockmakers, Goldsmiths. 402 years of Artisans. 402 years of tradition.
An example of our very early 18th century work is held in the British Museum, London.
Makers of model sails to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.