Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

If youve ever been humbled by a single impossibly stuck fastener, or plan on adding hardware to your spar, running gear, or deck, this report on anti-seize protectants is right up your alley.

This is not a completely new concept. Spool thimbles have long been used on multi-pulley block beckets to increase the pin diameter to better...

You’ve been bitten by the sailing bug and every spare minute is spent searching online for that perfect vessel. You’ve narrowed it down to...

The main traveler is one of those love-hate pieces of gear on a boat. We love that it separates control of twist and angle...

Every rope we have on board has its quirks when you’re trying to form a knot that won’t slip or come untied. Dyneema is a...

Every fall, we sailors living in the colder, wintery parts of the world, must haul out our beloved boats and set them gently onto...

We like nylon for docklines, anchor rode and chain snubbers because it stretches, absorbing jolts that would otherwise be transferred to the boat and...

Standing rigging, stays, and lifelines; these have always been steel cable, terminated with a shackle or ball at one end and a turnbuckle at the other. Steel fittings for steel rigging. For synthetic rigging, lashings seem like the logical replacement. They have a simple ruggedness that we think we understand, and like seems to fit with like.

Polyester sails stretch. Sailmakers add resin to the cloth in order to stabilize the fibers. Sailmakers then cut the sail to arrange the load...

The anchors a sailor chooses to carry onboard are often a compromise between weight and necessity. Since different anchor types are designed to work best in different conditions, it is a good idea to carry several anchors of different designs. So where does a lightweight alloy anchor fit in the hierarchy of cruising anchors? Practical Sailor looked at the weight, performance, design, and price of lightweight, alloy anchors from Spade, Fortress, Manson, and Anchor Right.