sailmaking

Nautical fabric craft

Sailmaking is the craft of designing, cutting, and sewing sails for boats and ships.

Traditional sailmakers work with canvas and hand-stitching; modern sailmaking uses synthetic fabrics and industrial sewing machines.

The trade requires understanding how fabric shape affects wind capture and vessel performance: He learned sailmaking from his grandfather, who'd outfitted fishing boats for forty years.

materials

sailcloth

Heavy fabric for sails

cotton · nylon · kevlar · mylar · polyester · synthetic · ripstop · laminate · waxed · waterproof

components

grommets

Reinforced hole linings

head · luff · leech · foot · tabling · patches · slides · thimbles · rings · corners

techniques

lofting

Full-scale curved drafting

roping · sealing · reinforcing · shaping

sails

mainsail

Principal vessel canvas

staysail · drifter · mizzen · topsail · lateen · spanker

craftsmanship

stitching

Joining with needle, thread

measuring · designing · patternmaking · handwork · artisanship · precision · skill · expertise · tradition · workmanship

vessels

sloop

One-masted fore-and-aft rigger

ketch · barque · dinghy · catamaran · trimaran · cutter · brigantine · windsurfer · iceboat · sailboard

tools

needle

Pointed implement for sewing

  • awlPointed piercing implement
  • fidRope-splicing pin
  • marlinspikePointed tool for splicing

hot-knife · scissors · shears · straightedge · chalk · bench · mallet · pricker

Categories
Opposites
creative vs. destructive activity

sailmakingdemolition

Deliberate structural destruction

dismantling · decommissioning

Family

make, sail, maker, making, sailing, sailed, sails, sailer, sailmaker

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G