| | | | | | |

Swageless Mechanical Fittings or Swage Terminals…

…Which do you prefer? When talking about wire standing rigging for sailboats, there are two primary ways to secure a fitting to the end of the cable, the swage fitting and the mechanical fitting. One requires a specialized, expensive machine (pictured below) that is used to essentially squeeze or hammer the fitting onto the wire,…

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Authorized Harken Hydraulics Service Center

Back in April 2016, The Rigging Company attended a week long certification to become an Authorized Harken Hydraulics Service Center. WE PASSED!!! You can now bring your Harken hydraulic units or systems to The Rigging Company (or we can bring The Rigging Company to you) to have them serviced, repaired, and even replaced. We not…

| | | | | | | | | |

A Deeper Look at Top Down/ Spinnaker Furlers

Top down furling is the new revolution that makes flying the big sails a much more achievable task. However, nothing is just push a button and ‘bang’ there’s your spinnaker. Although this system makes it much more viable to fly a spinnaker there is still a learning curve. This system is all about set up…

| | | | | | | | | | |

The Integral Backstay Adjuster

Integral backstay adjusters can play a big role in how a boat sails. Being able to adjust the backstay tension from the pump of a handle can be useful on cruisers just as much as racers. We all need to make general changes to the boats trim depending on wind and wave conditions in order…

| | | | | |

Reeving Halyards

Some people are daunted by the task of attempting to run-in or reeve new lines which run internally or cannot be easily accessed. Halyards for instance present the problem of, “how do I get the old one out and the new one in?”. Let’s address some technicalities first… ~Not all eye splices are created equally….

| | | | | | | | | |

It’s a New Year…

at … …and we have recently moved to a new location!! That’s right, we’ve moved, but don’t worry, we’re not far. Actually, we are now even closer to you than before ;-0). The new location is still within the same complex as always, BUT you can now see us from the road (Edgewood Rd.). The Annapolis Maritime…

| | | | |

Inspecting Your Mast and Rigging

Your sailboat rigging should be thoroughly checked once a season. The best way to do this is by pulling the mast or masts out of the boat and running down a check list. One can also spot most major problems from a bosun’s chair, and if done regularly, is generally more cost effective. It is…

| | | | | |

Spar Finishes

Today’s spars are usually made of composite carbon fiber or aluminum extrusions. Both of these mast materials, just like old wooden masts, require a finish. Whereas wooden masts were typically coated with a clear varnish, they could also be found painted. These more traditional finishes were typically brush applied or rolled and tipped. Spray finishes became…

| | | | | | | |

Which Radar Reflector?

A radar reflector is used to help make your vessel more identifiable by other boats and ships that use radar to scan for vessels as well as other obstructions. In the world of radar reflectors there are many, many options. For sailboats the options are narrowed down a bit, but there is still much controversy over…

| | | | | | |

Servicing The Chain Plates

The chainplate is typically a metal plate used to fasten a stay to the boat. One end of the chainplate has a hole for the pin of the turnbuckle, the remainder of the chainplate is used to attach the plate to the boat  via a bulkhead, knee, tie rod or the hull itself. Chainplates get their name…