Tools for Designing a Sail

Sailing is a popular pastime in the coastal areas around the world. It is a skillful hobby where a person controls the motion of a sailboat in a race, on a cruise, or on a day sailing course. Maneuvering the sailboat can be tricky and movement is controlled by arranging sails to catch the force of the wind. Basic sailing techniques include steering and turning, running, reaching, sailing upwind, reducing sail, sail trimming, hull trimming, and heeling. The art of sailmaking adds to the skill of sailing itself since each sail must be properly made so as to maximize the thrust of the wind.

In this free video series, our expert Karl Deardorff will teach you about the tools for making sails and designing sails, measuring the tack cutback, drawing the sail, designing, sewing, taping, and marking the broadseaming, laying out the string, determining the luft curve, and cutting the sail. He'll also talk about the foot of the sail, marking the panels, drawing the camber, taping the foot, prepping and cutting and sewing the window, and drawing the luft curve, the leach curve, and the foot round of the sail. He'll even teach you how to do a hang check, sew the seams, make a head patch and a clue and tack patch, sew the tablings, add rings, install snaps, and add telltales to your sail.

"In this segment we'll be talking about the tools you'll need to loft your sails. We've already taken the measurements off the boat and off the existing sails. So we have the list here, you know, luff, leech, and foot measurements. Then we'll be transferring those measurements to a scale drawing of the sails. To complete your scale drawing, you'll need a scale architect's rule. It's in twenty-fourths scale, fortieth scale, fiftieth scale. You will just use whatever is appropriate. This isn't a necessary tool, but it's handy. It's a flexible curve. You can find most of these things at an architect supply store. This curve is kind of neat and handy. It allows you to kind of repeat funny curves and such. It's handy to have a square. Just a small triangle works well. You want a few sheets of paper and obviously a lot of pencils. That will be all of the tools you'll need to do the paper design of the sail."