Bespoke Dacron Banners for Tall Ships Youth Trust

At GP Sails, not every project starts with a request for a new sail. Sometimes customers need something completely different — but something that still needs to be designed, constructed and finished with the same attention to detail as a sail.

We’ve been working with Tall Ships Youth Trust for a long time, supplying and producing a range of bespoke sailmaking and canvas projects for their vessels. So when they came to us with a requirement for some large promotional banners, we were pleased to take on the challenge.

Large Dacron banners built for life at sea

The brief was to produce a set of large black Dacron banners that could be hoisted high on the yacht and provide a strong, highly visible display while in port or underway.

The banners were designed specifically around the yacht's rigging arrangement. They are hoisted using the genoa halyard, with the lower section stabilised against the staysail luff wire.

This meant the banners needed to be strong, stable and capable of handling the loads and movement associated with being flown from a yacht's rig.

And while they aren't technically sails, this is exactly where our sailmaking experience comes in.

We used black Dacron sailcloth, with appropriate reinforcement and construction techniques to create a durable finished product capable of standing up to the marine environment.

Working with Ocean Art on the artwork

The visual side of the project was just as important as the construction.

We worked alongside Ocean Art to produce the artwork for the banners, transforming the Tall Ships Youth Trust branding into large-scale graphics suitable for application to the sailcloth.

The finished banners feature a striking black background with the Trust's branding and messaging clearly visible high above the deck.

Working with Ocean Art allowed us to combine their expertise in marine graphics with our own experience in sailmaking and sailcloth construction — resulting in a finished product that looks the part while also being designed specifically for use on the yacht.

Bespoke storage bags

Of course, when you're not flying a pair of large banners from the rig, you need somewhere sensible to put them!

As part of the project, we also designed and made custom storage bags for the banners.

The bags are made specifically to accommodate the banners when they're packed away, providing a practical way to keep everything together, protected and ready for the next event.

They're built with robust materials and handles to make moving the banners around the boat and ashore much easier.

Sailmaking skills beyond sails

Projects like this are a great example of how the skills involved in sailmaking can be applied to all sorts of marine projects.

At GP Sails, we regularly work with Dacron, sailcloth and technical fabrics, creating everything from racing sails and cruising sails to covers, bags and bespoke canvas work.

Because we've worked with Tall Ships Youth Trust for many years, we understand the sort of environment their equipment needs to operate in. That knowledge helps us design practical solutions rather than simply producing something that looks good.

For this project, that meant creating banners that could be hoisted securely, stabilised on the rig and stored safely when not in use.

A long-standing relationship

We're proud to have worked with Tall Ships Youth Trust over many years, and projects like this are a great reminder that sailmaking isn't just about making sails.

From supporting their vessels with practical sail and canvas solutions to creating completely bespoke projects like these banners, it's always good to see our work being put to use on the water.

And with the banners flying high above the yacht, there's certainly no mistaking who they belong to!

Got a bespoke project?

If you have a project that doesn't quite fit into the usual sailmaking catalogue, talk to GP Sails.

Whether it's a bespoke banner, sail bag, cover, equipment bag or something completely different, our sailmaking and canvas team can work with you to develop a practical solution.

Have an unusual marine project? Get in touch with GP Sails and let's see what we can make.