Sailmaker's Apprentice(The): A Comprehensive Guide for the Self-Reliant Sailor [Hardcover]

Emiliano Marino (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 1994

With this book, anyone can learn to design, make, repair, improve, and maintain sails. Emphasizing the handwork that distinguishes the highest-quality, most durable sails, Marino tells you how to select a rig, introduces you to sail shape and theory, and then shows you step by step, with the help of 700 detailed illustrations, how to sew patches, hand sew rings, fix tears or frayed edges, and stitch seams, not to mention how to make your own sails, canvas sailcovers, and sailbags from scratch. His bias is toward sturdy sails for daysailing and cruising, built of low-tech materials you can repair with a few simple tools. But this book is more than a comprehensive apprenticeship; it is also an illustrated tour of the world's rig and sail types, both contemporary and historical - a visual feast for the sailor as well as an indispensable guide for the mariner.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... a clearly illustrated, superb step-by-step guide to traditional sailmaking." -- Cruising World

"... not just a new standard reference for designing, making, and using traditional sails, but a virtual epic poem about traditional sailmaking... Safe to say that The Sailmaker's Apprentice will dominate the shelf on books on sails and sailmaking far into the future... The best and most comprehensive book on sailmaking and sail repair to be published in a long time." -- WoodenBoat

"The author's depth of experience is make clear... through the excellent reorganization of the material and the remarkable clarity of the writing. There is also a playfulness about the book that reveals more than a sense of humor; it reveals true mastery... While we can take guidance from others, ultimately we must rely on ourselves for fulfillment. Many roads lead there, and with this book, Marino has surely proven that sailmaking is one of them." -- The Northern Mariner

From the Back Cover

"A clearly illustrated, superb step-by-step guide."--Cruising World

More than a how-to guide to designing, making, repairing, and improving sails, The Sailmaker's Apprentice combines 700 detailed drawings with a witty, wise, and philosophically probing commentary that is as much about living a life of self-reliance and harmony as it is about making sails. Here you will find a visual feast for the sailor as well as an indispensable guide for the mariner.

"The basics of traditional sailmaking . . . are artfully, lavishly, even passionately elaborated and enriched. . . . The author has created not just a new standard reference . . . but a virtual epic poem. . . . The best and most comprehensive book on sailmaking and sail repair to be published in a long time."--WoodenBoat

"Reveals true mastery."--Northern Mariner

"The accepted standard volume on sailmaking."--Ensign --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Intl Marine Pub (October 23, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007157980X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071579803
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.7 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice, well-illustrated history of sailmaking ., February 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sailmaker's Apprentice(The): A Comprehensive Guide for the Self-Reliant Sailor (Hardcover)

This book shows you the way to build sails the old fashioned way, although some of the techniques shown are not really the way they were built in the "old days". It has lovely illustrations and and clear instructions on how to make sails with an eye on the craftsmanship of the past. The modern world of computer-designed and cut sails has no place here! If you are a novice and want this book to learn the art and craft of modern sailmaking, the book is not for you, as the construction details shown are needlessly complicated and redundant. Modern sails are actually easier to build than most of the techniques shown in this book, and most of today's sailmakers do not build sails using the book's methods. There are other books on how to make sails that are better and easier, but this is a great book for those who like the old ways of doing things. Nice photos and instructions on how to repair sails, and good basic advice for sailors who want to try their hand at a bit of palm-and-needle work. The author is holding onto the old way of designing and building sails, but has neglected alot of modern advances in the art of sailmaking.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helping you to be self sufficient, December 4, 2003

By 

Ryan McNabb (Ooltewah, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sailmaker's Apprentice (Paperback)

This wonderful book isn't intended to teach you about modern, complex, computer designed sails, or how to make them. Marino wants you to be able to repair and maintain your sails yourself. He wants you to understand how to sew a flat tabling, how to stick a cringle, how to sew on a boltrope. If you are adventurous, he will tell you how to completely make a sail for your boat, one that will last many, many years, but frankly very few people will ever make their own sails. But starting with a great beginner's project, the ditty bag, he shows you that traditional sailmaking is just a collection of readily understandable tasks, and then the repetition of those tasks, done with care and patience. Highly welcome and recommended in this age of multiple laminate fabrics and computer designed sails cut out by lasers. If that's what sailing is to you, look elsewhere.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read; lots of details, May 19, 2000

By 

Charles W. Thomas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sailmaker's Apprentice(The): A Comprehensive Guide for the Self-Reliant Sailor (Hardcover)

The book seemed quite comprehensive on the subject of sailmaking. A good thing, but it took multiple readings to pick out what I did need vs. what I did not need when I started making my own sail. Having compared the techniques in the book to what I have seen in use among most so-called "production" sails, it was obvious to me this book was written for an audience who appreciates attention to details. It's a book for those serious about their sails, not for those who want to put together a quick and dirty sail that will last them only a couple of seasons, nor is it for those expecting nicely laid out patterns to follow.