Rope manufacture is described as changing over the centuries between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, while cloth types and treatment also varied. Earlier textile production depended on hand spinning, and weavers repeatedly repaired broken threads. Arkwright's water-frame machinery in the 1760s is credited with producing stronger thread and helping make powered weaving possible. Viking longships provide a separate example of woollen sails. Cotton, linen or flax, and hemp also appear in the discussion of changing sail materials. These developments are described as improvements accumulated over generations, sometimes through useful mistakes.
Notable Point · 3:20:20-3:23:32
Stronger thread, changing fibres, and sailcloth manufacture
Stronger thread and powered textile machinery helped change how sailcloth was made over successive generations.