For an industry steeped in tradition, the changes are hard to overstate.

Besides its Minden plant, North also maintains three other finishing facilities in North America–one in Stevensville, Md., where Cullen works, and others in Milford, Conn., and Toronto, Ontario. It also maintains its own loft in Sri Lanka that primarily builds low–end sails. Sailcloth and materials are stored at the Milford plant and shipped out to the other facilities. North styles itself as the world's largest and "most advanced" sailmaker.

ART PINEJim Cullen calls up design specification on his computer at the North Sails facility in Stevensville, Md.

The two other finishing plants aren't quite as high–tech as the Minden facility, but they're still a long way from what sail lofts used to be. The Stevensville loft is essentially a huge floor on which the sails are placed, ringed by a dozen or so workbenches for specialty operations. While Stevensville doesn't have the state–of–the–art robotics that Minden has, it takes advantage of enough new technology to complete work on all but the top–of–the–line 3DL sails. Like other North plants, it has a full team of designers to handle boaters' requirements.

CHOOSING A SAIL

As Bartlett concedes, most boaters don't need high–end sails. The majority can do well with Dacron, with either cross–cut or radial panels.

What you need depends upon how you sail–how many days a year you go out, and in what kind of seas and weather. The new saail cloths are so well-made that occasional daysailors who get under way only a few times a year can easily get by with lower–end sails, Bartlett says.

North offers its customers five basic grades: a basic model in which boat owners provide the measurements themselves and the sails are made at a North–owned production facility; a higher–grade Dacron in which North staffers measure and design the sails, which are manufactured by the company's plants in North America; and three high–end categories that employ Aramid, Mylar and other laminates. For a mainsail on a 29–foot boat, the cost can range from $2,200 to $3,800, depending on the grade and add–ons.

NORTH SAILSComputer-aided designs allow sailmakers to see how sails will react in varying conditions. If you can, buy your sails in the fall, Bartlett and other sailmakers advise. With most boats out of the water then, that's the slack season for the boating industry, and companies usually are willing to offer discounts so they can keep their factory crews working and avoid a backlog in the spring.

What's important in buying a sail? Here's the advice that Bartlett gives customers at North's Annapolis office:

Know how you intend to use your boat. How often will you sail? In what kind of weather? Will you race or cruise? Will you be sailing with an experienced crew, or primarily with guests who aren't sailors?

Where will your sails be built, and where will the materials come from? Ordering your sails from a foreign country may seem cheaper, but the quality can vary widely (Bartlett says North owns the plant it operates in Sri Lanka and maintains U.S. standards there.)

What's the sailmaker's reputation? Ask around your marina and get other customers' views on everything from the quality of the sails to how the company deals with its customers. There's no reason to deal with sailmakers who are overpriced or difficult to deal with.

Don't overbuy. If you use your boat only occasionally, and as a daysailer, you don't need sailcloth that's heavier than 7.8 ounces per square yard, Bartlett says. For heavier and more–frequent use–such as sailing up the coast or going out into the ocean–go up to 8.8 ounces and stronger construction. Unless you're racing or into heavy cruising, don't bother getting laminated sails.

Don't buy from a sailmaker you don't trust. The sailmaker you choose should be one who not only builds quality sails but listens to your needs, asks questions about how you sail and is willing to explain things. Make sure you get the estimate down on paper–including expected delivery date and cost. At the same time, pay attention to what your sailmaker has–and hasn't–promised. If a company says it can have your sails in six weeks, don't expect to see them in three.