Sail Making Taking Advantages Of The Best Technology Has To Offer

The stages of making this important aspect of being on the water are below:

Modeling

Sail making is geometry. The dimensions of the boat need measuring. This is usually done using a scaled plan. Key measurements include: height of mast, length of forestay, distance to shrouds and length of spreaders.

As you can appreciate, this data is paramount to the operation. The calculations are put into a 3D modeling program. The shape described is a reflection of the measurements typed in. The model allows visualization of the shape of the sail. Once this step is complete there four factors which need assessing:

* Chord depth %

* Maximium draft position

* Wind entry & exit angle

* Percentage twist of sail from clew to head

As most boats are designed before the sails, this means that an optimum shape is rarely achieved.Here are two examples: The Genoa track is pleasing to the eye, but not the wind. Spreaders can also be too long, interrupting the curve of the sail. The implications of this lack of foresight tends to be a drop in speed as the angle of exit is too broad in the sail. Generally speaking the narrower the angle of exit, the better.

Wind Tunnel & Pressure Distribution

The prototype now goes to the next stage. The objectives are to determine the lift and the drag effects of the boat. Again what suits one scenario, may not suit all. So several initations can follow. The make of the cloth and the load distribution on the sail are looked at next.

Essentially the cloth is chosen for it's properties including strength in all directions, weight and ability to be pre "moulded". graphs are generated to demonstrate the stress and strains on the cloth in different directions. The result is a prediction of the optimum shape. The shape is tested through a range of wind speeds and directions.

Laser Cutting

By now you will appreciate the precision and intricate nature of sail making. The 3D model is split into 2D sections, which are then cut using laser. The process involves a technique called geodesics. Essentially the curved distance between two points is measured and then cut to simulate the 3D model depicted on the computer screen. The finished product is a "pre" curved 2 dimension copy of the computer generated image.

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