How Sails are Made - A visit to the Elvstrom Sails Loft

Our brand new EPEX laminated sails by Elvstrøm Sails were shipped from the sails loft in Denmark this week and will soon adorn our new Southerly 480 sailboat! Tour the sail loft and see how laminated sails are made. We decided to go with these laminated sails after trying them out on the Bluewater 50 catamaran that we sailed transatlantic last December plus they were recommended for best performance with our new Seldén mast with in-mast furling. Laminated sails hold their shape well.
We’ll get to try them out when we fly to the UK to move aboard our new sailboat in a week’s time...
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Principal photography by Paul Shard. Additional photography courtesy of Elvstrøm Sails
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About
Paul and Sheryl Shard are award-winning travel documentary filmmakers and videographers and have been cruising internationally since 1989 documenting their global adventures for television, in books and sailing publications. They are the producers and presenters of the Distant Shores sailing adventure TV series which is broadcast to 42 million households in 24 languages around the world. Through their TV programs, KZbin videos, articles/blogs and popular cruising seminars the Shards help anyone dreaming of setting sail to get out on the water and experience their own adventure safely and comfortably.
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Featured in this video:
Elvstrøm Sails: www.elvstromsails.com/
Seldén Mast: www.seldenmast.com/
Spencer Rigging: www.spencerrigging.co.uk/
Discovery Yachts Group / Southerly Yachts: discoveryyachtsgroup.com/
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Get an introduction to the cruising life and join us on a leg of our upcoming Around the World voyage. Learn more about our Sail Away Weeks here:
distantshores.ca/sail-away/sa...
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Own the whole Distant Shores collection:
All 130 full half-hour episodes of the Distant Shores Sailing Adventure TV series are available as a collectors set as HD downloads and also on DVD through the Distant Shores website. The Distant Shores DVD Super Pack box set is perfect for binge-watching and makes a great gift for the sailor in your life! Info and order here:
distantshores.ca/sailingdvds/...
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You can also connect with us on:
FACEBOOK: / distantshorestv
INSTAGRAM: / distantshorestv
TWITTER: / distantshorestv
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: [e-mail]
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Check out these other videos:
LAUNCHING IN THE SNOW!
• Launching in the Snow
GOODBYE DISTANT SHORES II
• Goodbye Distant Shores II
SAILING TRANSATLANTIC ON A CATAMARAN
• Sailing Transatlantic ...
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THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING!
/ distantshores1
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Thank you for watching!
Sheryl and Paul

[@MsRandiCook]

Amazing craftsmanship! Thank you for sharing!

[@Duncanj29]

Great, cannot wait for delivery,and new adventures, thank you

[@TrailerYacht]

What a fascinating video. Thanks for sharing.

[@lydiaajohnson]

Thanks for sharing that fascinating sail-making video.

[@oldtimergoalie1]

Thank you Paul for sharing the sail making video. As being a machinist for 40 years I enjoy all aspects of hand work. Can’t wait to see your shake down videos coming soon!

[@davidclifton8160]

So looking forward to seeing the new sails on the new boat and watching it all come together. Your in depth videos are making me want to sail across the ocean. Thanks for all you do.

[@DistantShoresTV]

Thanks David! We'll report back as soon as we get aboard her in a few mores days!

[@SailBeforeSunset]

Thanks for keeping us up to date! Interesting how they made the sales.

[@pmthomas3]

This is so exciting!

[@peterwendland7105]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing the manufacturer’s video, too!

[@aquasurfer9]

Great to see you picking up on youtube. I think that is where the future of video is. Keep on sailing. love the vid. Cheers

[@chukwow5738]

Thanx for charing. This is nothing like the sewing factories I've seen in Cambodia. I do hope this manufacturing stays in Europe to sustain the quality. Yes, it'l cost "a bit" more, but it's worth it. It's impressive how much manual labour it takes to make a sail. Keep on sharing;)

[@sailingxtremeadventures542]

Beautiful sails - Thumbs up

[@DistantShoresTV]

Thanks 🙏.

[@AmeriMutt76]

Can't wait to see the new boat on the water. I remember watching you two way back in the early Nineties on PBS. I found "cruising in Seraffyn" around the same time. The seeds of a dream. Have fun out there.

[@DistantShoresTV]

Thanks for coming along on our journeys with us 🎥

[@patricklaine6958]

Great video. It will be interesting to see how these high performance sails without battens hold up under the conditions of long distance cruising like you do. Looking forward to following your adventure.

[@SK22000]

This was very interesting to see how sails are made . My first job in the Navy was making awnings, this seems similar, except they seem to have adequate room to sew, where as we did not. We had a 10 x 15 table and it would take 6 of us turn the awning when we got to a corner. We would fold up the awning to make room. It was tons of fun to make an 80 ft awning 😂 and quite a workout

[@sailingterrapin]

Great video and so cool Elvstrom created that video for you guys! Maybe see you around the UK south coast this spring! 🌬⛵️🇬🇧

[@kevin3434343434]

Pretty badass sail

[@DistantShoresTV]

That’s what I thought too 😀

[@SuperFebras]

Fascinating stuff. Thanks for showing us. Greetings from a Portuguese living close to the waters of Simcoe Lake. Boa Pascoa.

[@DistantShoresTV]

Obrigado and boas festas 👍🐣

[@robertskinner1799]

Can't wait for you to get back to cruising. I love watching your adventures. Are those sails the same ones they use on the oyster $10 million dollar yachts? I especially love the features you do on winches, masts etc. The behind the scenes stuff is what makes your channel one if not the most informative channel out there. Again, THANK YOU!

[@billfournier1043]

That was interesting, I bet it can get a bit more technical as well. Thanks for sharing!

[@onthebeaches]

Now that's the way to make a sail! WOW!! THANKS! PEACE OUT! Ü

[@blakeleonardo2790]

Pro trick : watch series at Flixzone. I've been using it for watching loads of movies recently.

[@aydenjackson8328]

@Blake Leonardo yup, I've been watching on flixzone} for months myself :D

[@jaysparc]

8 days!! I can't wait that long (I have no idea how you're able to endure). There is nothing sweeter than new boat.

[@DistantShoresTV]

Yeah Jay! It’s gonna be great and we’ll get something up on KZbin right away 😅🎥

[@jaysparc]

Fellow Canadian Sailor (though it's on Lake Champlain these days). Have watched many of your videos, going back to the pre-internet days. I tend to only watch channels of actual sailors (not those who think it would be cool to be one, and are clueless).

[@simonhantler8062]

great new boat in a lot of respects but still think the social area in the saloon is to low, sitting you still dont have view forward. thats why people prefer to hangout in the cockpit. i wish more manufacturers would look at this issue like moody have. anyway your new boat is still awsome.

[@flyingdutchman6984]

Beautiful sails. As a single-handed sailor I have dreams of having an in-mast roller furling mainsail. I am sure you will enjoy it very much, especially when sailing solo.

[@bowwave59]

Nice looking set of sails.Will complement the look of the boat. More importantly will be very lightweight. Great balance for a lifting keel boat. Laminate sails won’t last as long a Dacron but they will hold their shape for life. Very Interesting video to see how elvstrom build in strength with layers and twine. 👍👍👍

[@DistantShoresTV]

Good points Paul. I'm hoping the taffeta coverings will protect from the UV so we will get reasonable life. We will report back!

[@bowwave59]

Distant Shores TV iam sure evlstrom know what they’re doing. I know myself I would rather have a sail that makes the boat perform rather than sailing in custard. Looking forward to seeing your testing.

[@Whitemoon548]

These sails look fantastic.... can’t wait to see you soon again on water. We are now in contact with Mr. James Hart from Discovery yacht to see a new Southerly 540.... Ciao from Italy 👍

[@DistantShoresTV]

Sounds good Elisa :-) yes they have a new 540 in build right now so it will be the first built by Discovery since they took over the model from Southerly.

[@captainmarkgray8856]

Very cool footage! Odd seeing someone move an entire sail under the machine. It might be easier to move the machine around and leave the sail in place :-) My sailmaker (Bill Paxson of Santa Barbara CA USA) had a hole in the floor to stand in as they move the sail around. Very creative people! I like the Code Zero sail - sounds cool

[@RichardEricCollins]

I hope to see you out on the Solent testing her out on my way to and from work. :)

[@SVImpavidus]

Great to see the new boat taking shape. Any chance you will be doing a meet up for all those of us you have inspired to sell up and sail? We love the way you guys pass on knowledge , we are hoping to do the same in a much smaller way , hints and tips, how to's . Inspire others to ditch the rat race..... Fair winds, looking forward to watching the unfolding story. Ant & Cid x

[@DistantShoresTV]

Yes we were going to get something sorted in the Southampton area in the spring or in London early May. Where are you🇬🇧?

[@SVImpavidus]

Just out side Portsmouth. But moving aboard our boat end of April, then heading to the Med end of May.

[@thesailingkiwi]

In mast furling certainly seems safer and easier for two handed sailing, looking forward to hearing about your adventures with the new sails and your ability to safely and quickly lessen or increase your sail area from the cockpit. Would be good to see average daily kts for the Atlantic crossing verse previous years on Distant Shore 1 & 2. As you said, previously you may have left in a 1st or 2nd reef. Fairwinds. Regards Pete

[@henrikgormsen1020]

Elvstrøm Sails,- thats just outside my door ;-) Very interested in how they will perform.

[@bobbob6472]

In mast furling will sure help you reef easier, but kiss your sail shape (esp the leech) away unless you have full vertical batons. Also, when it is really blowing and something goes wrong and it jams and you have to go aloft to fix it will make you wish you had gone with a traditional main with lazy jacks.

[@edrosenberger6947]

I abhor waiting ;). I believe a laminated sail is two or more sheets bonded together but I can't tell if those black lines (I assume Spectra or Kevlar strands) being placed by that machine-head is either heat bonding or sewing them to the sail. At first I thought of carbon but it doesn't flex very far before breaking. As your usual videos, I found this very interesting.....thank you Paul !

[@DistantShoresTV]

Haha Ed yes I also anxiously await😀 the fibres are vacuum bonded with heat and taffeta added for protection but no stitching except the additional sides etc.

[@edrosenberger6947]

Oh, vacuum bonded.....thanks Paul, now I can sleep easier.....

[@dougmarder]

... 8 ... 7 ... 6 ... Looking forward to watching you fit-out the new boat and following your next voyage! If you get the chance, we would really like to hear why you selected the Elvstrom sails (v. other options from N/S, Quantum, Doyle, etc.). I understand that you got to see them in action on the BW50, but are there other benefits/advantages over the competition?

[@DistantShoresTV]

Thanks Doug 👍 we had Elvstrøm recommended by our good friend and Selden dealer Anthony who sailed with us Transat in 2015. He felt the Elvstrøm EPEX sail was particularly good to work with the in mast system and he had sailed many miles on his own 50 foot monohull with that’s setup 😅

[@Jakfilm]

Those vertical battens must be about 50 feet long! How do you deal with them?

[@suzannemccarty6057]

Everything about a sailing vessel is highly technical. Could you address some of the cost aspects of ownership and marina costs when you visit foreign shores?

[@DistantShoresTV]

Thanks Suzanne that’s a good idea for future vids. 👍 will do

[@Thomas_Speck]

Hello! First Time that I comment on one of your Episodes. I am really excited about the ease so many Informations come along. No begging for Patreons, no marketing based Drama - just Information, Story and Livestyle. Thank you. Can I shoot you a Question? (That already is one ... ) What has happend to the Science of Wing Sails - are they an Alternative or is it not for Cruising or still in Development? (hm, that makes more than one Question ... i cant find one Live-Aboard-Boat with these Kind of Sails). Thanks in Advance ...

[@rws210]

I want to anther tour of the boat , very detailed , inside and out. . when its completely finished.,. High light any special touch's you specialty requested unique to your boat....Please? Thank You.,..

[@glevumconsulting146]

Very Nice Sails but what struck me was that its Men doing all the work ! Here in Thailand we have Rolly Tasker's big loft where the workforce appears to be far more diverse (i.e. mostly ladies)

[@alextodd5487]

Did you consider going with solar cloth sails by UK sails?

[@Duncanj29]

Hi again , just been watching back issues where you said the passage was 6 days but you Provision for 12 days, I don’t recall you filming the provisioning process, it must be quite a task and would be interested in the buying, transporting ,loading the boat and stowing such a large amount of “stuff’

[@DistantShoresTV]

Good suggestion Duncan. We did film it for one of our television episodes a few years ago but not for KZbin I think. We'll definitely do that for the upcoming passages south from England and into the Mediterranean. On our last passage across the Atlantic on the Catamaran Craig filmed the provisioning quite well for his +CruisingOffDuty channel.

[@Oxnate]

You'll have to do an update in 5 years to see if you're happy with laminated sails. Sailing Zingaro HATES his laminated sails because they're falling apart. Don't know how old his sails are, though.

[@dedensaepudin6007]

What is the name of the textile material?

[@simonhantler8062]

i thought boom furling was more reliable, easier to get at if problem and improves performance with battened main.whats your thoughts?

[@DistantShoresTV]

Hi Simon, in our experience there are many more boats out cruising with "in-mast" than in-boom systems, and they are quite reliable. In-boom is certainly an appealing idea as you say, but I am not so sure about the reliability for world cruising... we will certainly report back :-)

[@oday3514]

In mast furling makes sail handling (furling/unfurling/reefing) easier - as long as it works. If the sail gets blown out (old) it tends to jam. If it jams then someone gets to go up the mast. In mast furling dictates a loose footed main, which gives more sail power in the lower third of the sail. You can see that Distant Shores III's sail will have vertical battens which will make the sail last longer, but vertical battens still require a compromise in sail shape. In mast furling also requires a larger diameter and heavier mast in order to accommodate the foil, which puts more weight aloft (higher CG - bad), and negatively affects sail performance. In-boom furling makes deploying the sail a little more challenging (I is greater than J) and you are fighting gravity. In-boom furling precludes having a loose footed main, so sail shape for the lower part of the sail can be less optimal. However, it allows you to use horizontal battens (which are better than vertical, or no battens at all). If the furler jams with in-boom furling, the sail can still be handled as traditional slab reefing. In boom furling does not require the larger diameter and heavy mast. In boom furling, however, tends to cost more.

[@oday3514]

Reliability of in-boom vs in-mast roller furling should be the same.

[@gkarjala]

If you took a sailor from the 15k's to today, he'd/she'd shit bricks with whats become of sailing. Prolly use the Iron Genny as an anchor.

[@thotparraka6690]

I take factory.

[@CaptMarkSVAlcina]

With those new sails ,you will go to fast. LOL

[@johnnybarbar7435]

Laminates are OK for wealthy racers but lifespan and repairability vs cost is a put off for most cruisers.

[@user-kq3xu6oh4j]

Perhaps in Europe the worker gets his rights, but in Africa the workers are afflicted as “slaves.” I work in it

[@user-kq3xu6oh4j]

We make a billion and take $200 a month