North Classic
Bud Nalder, North Sails Nelson© NSNZ Throughout his life Bud Nalder has been fortunate to have worked in an environment that he loves.
Sailmaking and classic yachting have given him the opportunity to meet and work with leading shipwrights and riggers whose skills can only be admired.
His seafaring and sailmaking family's passion for "correct" yachts has long been instilled in his everyday thinking. Attention to the smallest detail is, in his mind, what sets apart traditional sails from production sails.
Nothing for him is more satisfying than to watch the sleek lines of a thoroughbred traditional yacht, heeling to the breeze, powered by her authentically cut and finished sails.
15.5m Logan designed cutterToday's classic restoration or replica yacht places greater demand on their spars and sails than in the days when they were first designed.
Modern fabrics and rigging create higher loadings on classic yachts, and sails on classics have therefore lost much of the traditional styling due to current manufacturing techniques.
HandsewingNORTH SAILS "CLASSIC" have taken modern fabrics and, assisted by computer aided design, blended the two with yesterday's traditional finishing systems, creating sails to compliment the finest classics afloat today.
By using the tightest woven dacrons (or Vectrans - where rules allow), the fabric, circa depending, is then cut to produce the narrow panel style. In keeping with the age of each yacht, the sails are then crafted into vertical, crosscut, mitrecut or scotch cut configurations by computer controlled cutters. After assembly to the world's highest standards, each sail is then finished by a craftsman sailmaker, whose training and experience allows for the creation of traditional handwork such as;
- Multi ring corners with full seizing.
- Tapered rat tail hand roping.
- Ornate leather work.
- Leech cord plaited ends.
- Yacht's name embroidered into the clew of each sail.
Traditional hand finishing showing roping and external cringleFinally, having crafted the ultimate classic sail, we offer to fit the sails to your yacht and complete sail trials with each owner. Where this is not possible, we will supply full drawings and instructions on how to bend sails to spars in the traditional manner, to enable your classic to take her place with pride in any fleet, anywhere.