Maine Maritime Industry Tours: Sails, Lines, and Paddles

TUESDAYS, JULY 7 & 21, AUGUST 18 & 25, 1PM

Members $15/Non-members $20

Maine Maritime Museum offers a new series of behind-the-scenes tours of distinctive maritime support industries that have established Maine as a leader in custom upgrades, restorations, and outfitting. Advanced registration is required and directions to Boatbuilder locations will be provided. Register early as these tours will sell out.

Nathaniel Wilson, Sailmaker Inc.

East Boothbay, Maine

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 1 PM

Nat Wilson is generally considered to be the finest traditional sailmaker in the country. He has been called on to craft sails for many of our most impressive sailing ships, including the Coast Guard's Eagle, the U.S.S. Constitution, Pride of Baltimore and, more recently, the Godspeed and Discovery for the Jamestown Settlement. In addition, Nat has built sails for hundreds of traditional yachts. Nathaniel Wilson Sailmaker, Inc. had been an East Boothbay establishment since 1975, employing sailmaking techniques that have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. A visit to Nat's loft is a step back in history and a glimpse at the kind of craftsmanship rarely seen today.

Maine Sailing Partners

Freeport, Maine

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 1PM

Visit Maine's largest sailmaker Maine Sailing Partners. Founded in 1983, Maine Sailing Partners has grown into a respected name in the worldwide sailing community. The craftsman of Maine Sailing Partners are constantly developing new products, testing new materials and techniques, and reinforcing the traditional craftsmanship that is the foundation of a great sail. See how custom racing sails, cruising sails, one-design sails and multihull sails are designed and built at one of Maine’s premier sail lofts.

Yale Cordage

Saco, Maine

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1PM

At Yale Cordage, sailing is more than a pastime; it's an obsession. Yale Cordage develops and manufactures the best, most advanced ropes in the industry. Ropes so advanced they're found at every level of the sailing spectrum, from pond-skimming dinghies to globe-circumnavigating trimarans. Tour this state of the art facility and see how cutting-edge fibers like Kevlar, Spectra, Vectran and Zylon PBO are used to produce lightweight, high-performance ropes. 

Shaw & Tenney

Orono, Maine

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1PM

In 1858, the first trans-Atlantic cable was laid; Minnesota was still a frontier state, and Shaw& Tenney began making high quality paddles and oars at a shop on the Stillwater River in Orono, Maine. The most important element in the manufacture of their wooden oars and paddles has always been the hand eye coordination of the craftsmen who make them.  Shaw & Tenney is the third oldest manufacturer of marine products in America, manufacturing the same high quality products, using virtually unchanged design.

Members $15/Non-members $20

Maine Maritime Industry Tour series:

Tuesday, July 7:   Nathanial Wilson, Sailmaker Inc.

Tuesday, July 21: Maine Sailing Partners

Tuesday, August 18: Yale Cordage

Tuesday, August 25:  Shaw & Tenney