Adding a Solent Stay
Whether you view it from the top down or the bottom up, a Solent rig needs to be carefully thought out, well-engineered, and strategically...
Going Soft on Shackles
Fiber shackles have been in use for centuries-the simple knotted toggles provided all manner of service on square-riggers and even older craft. When made...
Sherardizing Alternative
In order to impart corrosion resistance to steel, the items are commonly galvanized, immersed in a bath of molten zinc. Hot-dip galvanizing is well...
Top Whipping Twines
How we testedTo determine strength, each twine was pulled to failure by wrapping it around a 1-inch drum and pulling four to 16 strands...
Tylaska Tops in Snap Shackles
What we testedAll of the tested snap shackles were fabricated from stainless steel. Some of the parts were investment cast, while others were machined...
Testers Compare Swivels, Look for Pin Creep
A hard-to-release snap shackle is both good news and bad news, it all depends on how the hardware will be used. In the case...
Stainless Steel: Advantages and Ailments
When the raw castings arrive at the hardware manufacturing facility, the first step is often to tumble them in a heavy-duty drum to remove...
Testing Top-Down Furlers
Seldn GX15Seldns GX15 handled furling tasks quite nicely. Its a good combination of materials and engineering, carrying on the companys sensible commitment to investment-cast...
Reader Experiences with Top-down Furlers
Following the publication of Part 1 of this report, we heard from several readers about their experiences with top-down furlers. Here are a few...
Keeping Canvas in Tip-top Shape
NikWax TX-Direct Spray-onA general-purpose product from perhaps the best known producer of aftermarket waterproofing treatments for outdoor clothing and gear, the NikWax TX-Direct spray...
Buying A Sailboat Is Scary! Yacht Broker Interview
Today we're chatting with Patrick from RCR Yachts and asking questions about buying and selling a sailboat, boat insurance, surveys, boat loans, interest rates,...
