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The Dorsal Sail Loft is a place
where old world methods meet new world technology. Here, above an
old boat yard on the Sturgeon Bay waterfront, Charlie Klein stands above
an archaic blueprint of a 40-foot sailboat. His mind is calling upon
formulas as he deciphers facts and figures from an age-old era of sail
design. Klein is designing yet another racing sail for a competitive
customer.
Just out of Klein's office
window stretches the Michigan Street Bridge from a vantage point that
makes it look like it may run for miles. Tug boats and the Door
County Maritime Museum frame the remaining view. One can't help but
think that a sail maker may find inspiration in this scene of maritime
structures, curving and bending like the very canvas he will sew to
completion.
Klein first started sewing sails
in his Sturgeon Bay loft in 2000; yet, he is no newcomer to his craft.
A college apprenticeship at a sail loft in Oshkosh, Wisconsin gave Charlie
his start in the business. Since then he has been living and working
in the maritime industry. As a designer for Palmer Johnson, he
created mega-yacht interiors that transformed these behemoths into
floating palaces. The technology is commonly known in the industry
as AUTOCAD, an engineering computer aided design software tool.
Using this engineering medium, Klein was eventually able to incorporate
his experience into the transformation and rehab of the current Dorsal
Sail Loft.
The location was fittingly a
lofting department for large yachts built at Palmer Johnson. On the
walls of this loft are actual drawings or scaled "blue-prints" of yachts
once constructed by the yard - now plying the oceans of the world.
These tidy and meticulous renderings frame out a large floor which is
typically covered with sails and sailcloth. Sunken sewing machine
stations allow sewers to stitch synthetic fabric together while gathering
and moving material on a flat floor, rather than a table.
Far across the room stands a
numerically-controlled cutting machine that stretches along a wall.
Unlike the sewing stations within the floor, this machine is a table
attached to a computer where pieces of material are designed and cut.
This high tech sail-making machine uses six pieces of software in various
ways. Klein broke down the description of the complex system
eloquently and simply. He described one piece of software
specifically as a "patch tool," which designs the reinforced areas on a
sail. A three-dimensional model is displayed on a computer and the
sail is then analyzed for different pressure points, stress and overall
efficiency. This 3-D modeling program allows Klein to virtually
sculpt his sails in three dimensions - old world craft of sail making
meeting new world technology. Klein admits that the complexity of
the software requires complexity in translation. "They don't always
talk to each other that nicely," he says, adding that his previous
experience with AUTOCAD has helped him enormously.
This new technology not only
allows for more accuracy in engineering, but also he says his customers
will save money through reduced labor costs. He went on to add that
"people don't feel comfortable ordering a sail online, they like to go to
a person that can come down to the dock and actually look at the boat and
take the measurements."
Working with a myriad of
materials, Klein is able to stitch together faster performing sails made
of Kevlar, Mylar, and other lighter weight synthetics for the
racing-minded skipper. For those looking for durability and the
traditional look of whiter sails billowing against a blue sea and sky,
Klein suggests the durability of Dacron. He sews exceptional
cruising and lighter weight racing sails at a fraction of what a larger
loft would charge. Low overhead with the same technology as the
large lofts has allowed Dorsal Sails to thrive in a competitive market.
A new set of sails can increase
the speed of a boat up to 20 percent. Obviously this is a necessity
for anyone planning on racing their boat competitively. However,
even for the cruising sailor, moving their craft through the water
with the additional speed adds a satisfying surprise. Jim Rapp, an
owner of a yawl-rigged Tartan 34 was amazed at the added speed that his
new Dorsal sails provided.
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Sailing
comfortably with his family on board, Jim was able to eliminate the need
for a mainsail and sail "jib and jigger" using just a new jib and a
mizzen sail aft. This provided him with a controlled sail that was
astonishingly fast. Jim could give some reluctant family members a
smooth sail without compromising the speed he was after. Kevin
Egan, the owner of Kate, an older
Ranger 28', found success in added speed with light weight Mylar sails.
Competing in Green Bay races, Kate's transparent sails seem to
disappear into the air as she crawls away from the racing fleet.
Some of Dorsal's customers come
in the way of very small racing dinghies. A competitive class comes
together in lower Green Bay racing Lasers, which is also an Olympic-class
boat. Recently an Invitation made by Bombardier was racing against
these quick and responsive boats at Green Bays Windjammer regattas.
After countless spankings out on the race course the owner of this
Invitation came to Dorsal for a consultation. He left with a new
sail and promptly took first place in the very next race, a true
testimonial to sail performance affecting speed.
Whether commissioning a new sail to be sewn or stitching up
that trusty old rag, Charlie treats his customers with gratitude and
respect. His good natured demeanor parlayed with an extensive
knowledge makes clients feel at home in this high-tech loft where an
already confusing nomenclature could spin further into intricacies of sail
making physics.
Knowing
the cut and performance of a sail doesn't start and end on the computer or
in a loft for that matter. In addition to Charlie Klein's
engineering and manufacturing experience, he spends his free time trimming
the very sails he sews on the waters of Green Bay. An avid sailor,
Klein restored his first boat in college, a 19-foot wooden plank on
frame-constructed sailboat. He has since designed and built his own
sailboat, Wavedancer, a 36-foot Sharpie Schooner. His craft
has a centerboard which allows for more up close and personal coastal
cruising on the East Coast. It also opens up many more options for
shallow water anchoring.
Wavedancer was home to Klein, his wife Susan and their son Tristan
as they plied the waters of the East Coast and the Bahamas as well as the
Great Lakes. This time aboard has afforded him countless hours of
trimming and analyzing sails. Charlie's passion for the water
doesn't stop at sailing the family Sharpie, however. An avid board
sailor, he has designed and built his own boards and sails. A
testimonial to an aggressive romp on the waters of Green Bay was a broken
board which hangs above the loft, smashed from the shear force of wind,
wave and pressure on the Green Bay waters; an inventor pushing the limits
of his own design.
Additionally, Klein designs and creates canvas work that is found
throughout the decks of small day sailors and Palmer Johnson mega-yachts
alike. Much of Dorsal's canvas work is completed for the opulent
yachts being built at Palmer Johnson. Still with a hand in this
facet of the industry, Klein completes the covers for all the
finely-crafted deck machinery, right down to the bars and hot tubs that
will be sitting in the Caribbean and Mediterranean sun in the
not-so-distant future. Accounting for roughly 10 percent of his
business, Klein is appreciative of his Palmer Johnson connection.
Great Lakes Yacht Services, upon which the Dorsal Loft is perched, is also
a large customer for Klein. Many of the yachts serviced by Great
lakes are in need of canvas work, sail repair and custom sail making.
Interestingly, canvas making has also led Dorsal into the commercial
awning market. With so many avenues to pursue in the specialty craft
of sail and canvas making, Klein could take on many new pursuits.
Ultimately, however, he would like to see Dorsal grow more in the
direction of sail making than anything else.
When asked about the future of the Dorsal Sail Loft,
Charlie made no hesitation, stating that Dorsal Sails is in it for the
long run. Spending any time at all with Charlie Klein in his loft
stretched with canvas and sail designs, seeing him practicing his craft,
would quickly illustrate his direction. Klein's passion is designing
sails that make his customers' dreams of speed and beauty come alive while
onboard their craft. With Klein at the helm of Dorsal Sails many
more sailors will be able to continue their passion as they sail over
distant horizons. |
