Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

It was snowing and I needed a project. Ever since the article on cross sheeting, “Where Winches Dare Go,” I’ve been wanting to add...

I can’t leave a boat that’s yawing. I can’t sleep. Each time I’ve had an anchor fail suddenly it was caused by excessive yawing....

Sailboat cockpits will happily collect spaghetti if we let them, each sheet, halyard, and new control line adding to the confusion. The chaos is...

If a line does not approach a cam cleat close to level, the line may slip out or be hard to cleat or release....

Self-adhesive hardware-store hooks don’t stick well to bare fiberglass. Just last week we had one wash into the bilge-pump strainer on our test boat....

In the early 2000s, Dyneema was a breakthrough lifeline material. It is as strong as steel and much lighter, inexpensive, simple to install (at...

So, you’re in the market for your first boat. Having just purchased my own vessel, the thrill and anxiety of the process are both...

In the past, a snubber was simply a device incorporated into the anchor rode to take the load off the windlass. We recently tested different types of snubber material, including nylon octoplait, rock-climbing rope, and rubber. Our tests were conducted as part of a long-term project on anchor-snubber selection, deployment, and care. Although there are some pre-fabricated snubbers on the market, most cruisers make their own, so this initial comparison was more generic in scope, focusing on common materials and designs.

Splicing is king in any discussion of line termination. By carefully tucking cover and core back into the line, or weaving strands in laid line, and using patterns that have been perfected over time, we can create virtually full-strength terminations that will last the life of the line without maintenance.

A smooth tack can be a thing of beauty, until a sheet hangs up and ruins it. A crew member must run forward to...