We saw an episode of “How It’s Made” that featured sails made by
North Sails. It was a great episode, and showed the entire process from computer
conception, to computer cut panels, to laying it up on a huge, 3D positive
“mold”, with a guy in a hang gliding harness “flying” over the entire assembly
to install various panels and reinforcing strips, to covering the sail with a
membrane and vacuum bagging it to bond it, then sewing it afterwards.
It was a real cool episode and I have been scanning the program guide as far as
it goes looking for a repeat of that episode so I can record it. It was
scheduled once as a repeat, but when that date came, the program had changed to
a completely different program, Myth Busters! But I continue to look for it, but
apparently they like to show how tortillas, wax figurines, cheese, candles and
heather gems are made. Eventually I hope they replay it, and that I can record
it, because it was a very good example of how 3D sails are made.
