May 22, 2025 Last issue Part 1 looked at the initial stages of developing a sail. Next time, choosing cloth, finishing the design getting ready to cut panels. The structural meshing begins and cloth is chosen to be tested for how much load deformation should be expected. FEA is commonly used in industries where physical…
May 8, 2025 By Keven Piper There are as many ways to design a sail as there are sail designers in the world. In the old days, sailmakers would start either with the measurements of an existing sail that worked on the boat or a blueprint of the sailplan of the boat. These 2D methods…
Apr 24, 2025 On Tuesday, Earth Day, Sail Canada announced a new partnership with LI/NE, a Canadian company that recycles old sails and turns them into bags. Canadian LI/NE is reimagining waste by collecting, cleaning and repurposing old sails into one-of-a-kind bags that are skillfully handcrafted in small batches in Toronto. As part of its…
Feb 27, 2025 By Keven Piper, Bay Sails Introduction The Lake Ontario Short Handed Racing Series (LOSHRS) is a very well attended series for single and double handed crews, and the Great Lakes Single Handed Society promotes other similar series all over the Great Lakes. The challenge of longer navigation style races and less crew…
Sept 12, 2024 By Keven Piper News of NTG (North Technology Group) buying Quantum Sails and Doyle Sails has lots of sailors talking about sail lofts lately. Talking with some colleagues in the industry even those working under those banners were surprised, but not really surprised by the news. Some commented that they haven’t had…
Apr 3, 2024 Awlgrip®, the renowned yacht brand under AkzoNobel, introduces a revolutionary 3D Colour Visualizer on its website https://www.awlgrip.com/colors. The innovative and industry leading tool is designed to empower boaters and applicators by simplifying their journey to find the perfect colour for their boat. Boat owners, applicators, boatyards and builders now have at their…
Mar 20, 2024 Hempel, the Denmark-based worldwide coatings company, announced its innovative, high-performance, copper-free, and biocide-free antifouling coating – Silic One will be available in the United States and Canada. Sold exclusively in North America by SeaWide Distribution, Hempel’s Silic One is a revolutionary bottom coating that is environmentally friendly while reducing time spent cleaning…
Mar 20, 2024 By Keven Piper, Bay Sails Part 1 takes a look at triradial vs crosscut mains. Part 2 considers speed, longevity and cost. In most one design classes like Stars or Etchells, where intense effort is made by sail designers to make the fastest sails, a very high proportion of the sail shape…
Mar 6, 2024 AIRMAR’s DST810 Smart™ Multisensor (depth/speed/water temperature), featuring Gen2 paddlewheel, excels at low speeds, delivering an ultra-responsive start-up speed at only 0.3 knots. Speed-thru-water readings from the DST810 become linear at 0.6 knots, and as the boat accelerates, readings remain accurate, smooth, and steady due to a 5.7 Hz (5X per second) speed…
Feb 14, 2024 The Catalina 425 is an all-new design that replaces the Catalina 42. Embracing a contemporary aesthetic, it is designed to endure in function and aesthetics in the Catalina tradition. Burlington, ON- based MarsKeel’s in-house Keel Technologist, Bill Souter, collaborated with Catalina Yachts to design and produce the first few of these keels for the new 425. The…
Jan 31, 2024 Sailors replacing transom-mounted propulsion are increasingly opting for clean, quiet, eco-friendly Elco EP-series outboards. Providing the horsepower comparable to a 2- or 4-stroke gasoline engine, they can extend the serenity of sailing to even motoring in and out of a harbour. Having sufficient power to get back to the dock when becalmed…
Jan 17, 2024 By Morten Fogh After reading Interlux’s statement on the discontinued VC17 antifouling paint, we have prepared some of our recommendations: Bottomkote-CA Pros: Least expensive of the three available antifouling paints. Ablative paint (wears off as it loses its effectiveness), so minimal layer build up over time. Cons: Not as effective as the other two…
Jan 3, 2024 As a pleasure boater with a vessel that is over 6m in length and operating over a mile from shore I am required to carry distress signalling devices. For years this has been satisfied by pyrotechnic flares. These flares are only certified for four years from date of manufacture and are difficult to…
Dec 13, 2023 Part 1 here: sailingincanada.ca/tech/guide-to-keel-maintenance-part-1/ By William Souter, Custom Keel Sales & Design, MarsKeel Technology Keel maintenance is like any other maintenance on the boat; it is a matter of keeping an eye out for any tell-tale signs of water, or corrosion or wear. If you can stay ahead of it, it is extremely…
Nov 29, 2023 With two variable speeds, SailForce offers precise control for manoeuvres, while a super sensitive tension limiter ensures unmatched safety. It reduces energy consumption by 50%, and allows one-handed control of all onboard electric winches. The Ewincher Team is proud to announce that their new electric winch, SailForce, was nominated for the DAME Award at the…
Nov 29, 2023 By William Souter, Custom Keel Sales & Design, MarsKeel Technology Keel maintenance is like any other maintenance on the boat; it is a matter of keeping an eye out for any tell-tale signs of water, or corrosion or wear. If you can stay ahead of it, it is extremely unlikely that major…
