Oriental North Carolina Ullman SailsBen Chapin joins Ullman GroupThu, 2nd Dec 2010By Ben Chapin  Ben Chapin working in Oriental Born into a family with two prior generations of sailmaking and canvas work, I was often told not to go into this field. That wasn't what I wanted to hear, nor was I willing to follow. Working with my father, I learned the basics of sail design and building, along with production of canvas at an early age. Around that time, I had started to follow the other half of sailing, pursuing one design racing Sunfish and crewing on any PHRF racer or distance racer I could be offered to board. I moved to Wilmington, NC and tried a hand at yacht building with KCS International: Rampage Sportfishing Yachts/Cruisers Yachts. After over a year of working in deck & deck hardware installation, I was transferred to the canvas shop. While in Wilmington, I wasn't active in sailboat racing, but turned to surfing to stay on the water. Four years after leaving Oriental, I returned with new drive. Working with my father once again, I built a stronger connection to the business, the work, and our customers. After a while of working with my father, we both began to notice that our directions of business were different. Today, I'm working along side Custom Canvas, Inc to provide North Carolina with sails, canvas, tee-tops, and interiors. Not only offering new, custom quality items, but also to give quality repair. With a canvas shop in New Bern and Sail/Canvas Shop in Oriental we're able to serve our customers more directly. Located back in Oriental, I've been getting reacquainted with the PHRF racing scene and purchased a 1975 Ranger 23 with plans to race with Oriental Dinghy Club in PHRF racing and crew when possible on one of the classes of one design. Ben can be reached at Benjamin.chapin@gmail.com or (252)772-5559 This article was posted on Thu, 2nd Dec 2010 |
