The Development
Jeffrey’s journey began when he asked, “Is there a better way to know if my sails are trimmed right?” Throughout the inventor's life he always love sailboats and learned how to sail, but always wanted better feedback for what adjustments lead to the best performance. What started on Lake Michigan led to this patented system.
Out of curiosity and using his engineering background he started measuring the forces on a sailboat and using a data driven approach determined the best trim for his boat....and SailGauge was born.
Through an Agile iterative process, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and Design for Six Sigma(DFSS) techniques the design has evolved from a simple sensor through 3 versions into a highly engineered complete solution.
SailGauge journey doesn't end here. Our vision is to continually enhance and expand this innovation, incorporating AI algorithms for even smarter sail recommendations and fostering partnerships with sailing communities to bring this technology to a broader audience.
The Inventor - Jeffrey Lawrence
Jeffrey grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan and started sailing at age 12 on a little boat he bought for $75 with the money he earned washing cars. He has owned multiple boats throughout his life and has taught many in his life how to sail and has strived to bring the joy of sailing to more people.
• Electrical Engineering Degree from Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Caltech Systems Engineering Certification
• 25 yrs of experience designing electronics for military and construction equipment
• Adjunct professor for electronics at ITT technical institute
• Electrical Engineering manager at John Deere