Gaff and Square Sails

Overview The design of traditional sails is carried out with our CAD software…but the similarities between modern and traditional quickly end as the finesse and traditional sailmaking skills required to understand and build classic sails comes to the forefront. Neil Pryde is pleased to have on its staff sailmakers with years of ‘on the floor’ experience and who have built classic sails in the traditional format and now with CAD. It is a labor-intensive effort to design classic sails, but one that results in a quality shaped and designed sail. Shown below is an exploded view of a gaff mainsail showing the complexities of design and prior to nesting for cutting on the computer driven cutting machine. and traditional look. Reefs would be ‘banded’ from luff to leech to minimize cloth distortion while in reefed conditions. We can also provide ‘external’ boltropes for those looking to mimic classic sail construction. Gaff mainsails come in two flavors, with or without battens. This decision in large part depends on the final ‘look’ the customer is trying to achieve, with the latter being more traditional in appearance. Panel layouts are crosscut and the panels can be ‘split’ into narrow panels for a more traditional look. In the case of Tanbark or Cream sails, we can offer edge tapes, batten pockets and reefs all in matching color or in natural.
Construction We make use of the best Hemingway Bartlett U.V. resistant thread (V- 138) for longevity and durability. This coupled with traditional finger style patching makes for strong
Gaff Main with associated patches, tapes and reinforcements ready for nesting on the cutter. (Note the traditional narrow panel style) 4