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Elliott / Pattison Sailmakers has been serving the sailing community since 1971.
We base our success on the belief of commitment to our customers and to excellence
in our
industry. By the mid 1970's, we had grown into a respected all around sail loft. Our sails became quite well known in many one design classes, the smaller PHRF fleets, and of course much of the multi-hull world. During that time period we also established ourselves as one of the leaders in building sails for many of the larger traditional ketches, yawls, and schooners. We were already selling sails around the world in the several International classes. Our 505 sails dominated U.S. events, and placed 2nd in the Worlds on three different occasions, and in the Tornado Class our sails won the National Championship twice in a row. Harry won the first of 5 Santana 20 National Championships in 1980, and our sails started an incredible streak of winning 8 out of the next 9 championships. The early 1980's also saw the start of the computer revolution in our industry. Elliott / Pattison Sailmakers made a commitment at that time that has kept us firmly established in our market, and we still keep it today. "We will be at the front of technology in sail design and manufacturing." We believe in technology. We believe it applies to day sailors, world cruisers, club races, or anything else that sails; it is not limited just to grand prix racers. Skip and I have been using computers to assist in designing sails since 1981. We have worked closely with John Palmer of AutoMetrix and served as one of his main test customers in developing one of the most accepted world wide sail design programs "Sail Making SoftWare". In 1987 we were the first loft anywhere to install a Carlson SP 100 Sail Plotter, and in 1991 were the first loft to install the new Autometrix AutoCut 4000 computer driven cutter. This cutter has again been upgraded to the state of the art model 7000. The increased accuracy, speed, and repeatability of each of these advancements directly benefits our customers. Technology also spills over into the day to day operation of our business. We use an integrated accounting package to keep the office running smoothly, and various CAD, Graphic Arts, and Publishing programs for designing the various parts, accessories, logos, and printed material. Our sail pricing, rig specs database and customer files are handled with the "Loft Manager" program which I developed and wrote. It has become one of the industry standards and is used by over 30 saillofts around the world. In addition to building sails, the cutter has opened up a whole new area of computerized graphics for sail logos, banners, and signs. During the 80's we continued to expand our capabilities and our markets. As our business and customer base matured, so did our product line. We became actively involved in MORC racing, where in the last 10 years our sails have won more Southern California events than any other sailmaker. This experience and commitment led to winning the MORC International Championships in 1994, 1996, and 1997. We continue to work in that venue because we feel it offers the best test bed sailing available. Our market grew to include both race and cruise boats of all sizes. We have been actively involved in many large yacht programs including the Santa Cruz 70 "Holua", Vicki and Al Schultz's Andrews turbo 70 "Vicki", the famous Spencer 65 "Ragtime" the Windship 91 "Monique"and others. Skip and I share the common goal of bringing our customers the finest level of quality and personal attention in the sailmaking industry. It is our belief that this can only be found with a strong, growing, independent sailloft. A loft where you can always talk directly to one of the owners about your specific needs and sailing style. Where one of us will always have time to obtain proper measurements of your boat, personally design the sails, and oversee their construction. Remember, it's our names that are on every sail we build, and that is your guarantee of our personal commitment to you. |
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