Cyclops Load Sensors: Taking Sailboat Rigging to the Next Generation
Why catamarans benefit from rig-load data: SmartTune turnbuckles, load pins, static tuning, charter-fleet practices, and realistic insurance questions.
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Around the World | Cruisers | Maritime News | Modern Yachts | Multihulls | Rigging | Sailing Stories | The Biz! | The Rigging Company Abroad
Riggers Spotted in Grand Cayman
The Rigging Company was back at it again, but this time enjoying a little slice of paradise. I have to say there are many great things about this line of work, but being able to travel to desirable locations to work on peoples yachts has to top the list. The Cayman Islands has no shortage…
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Around the World | Classic Yachts | Cruisers | Home is where the heart is | Modern Yachts | Multihulls | Rigging | Sailing | Yachting
The Rigging Company in the Virgin Islands
We just finished our first trip to Grand Cayman on Wednesday for a full re-rig of a 45′ catamaran. Currently, we are in Tortola at Nanny Cay spec’ing and measuring for some new masts. Despite all of the beauty, there is still lots of wreckage everywhere, mostly complete write offs. It seems rebuilding has been…
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Annapolis Sailing | Classic Yachts | Cruisers | Modern Yachts | Multihulls | Rigging | Sailing | Tech Tips
Winterize Your Rigging
Winterizing a boat is very important, but most people forget about the rigging. Sometimes even the sails. This is actually not that much work, it’s just that most people don’t know what this might entail. Here is what we riggers consider when the sailing season comes to a close. Remove the Halyards, Attach a messenger…
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The Vang
Wiktionary.org offers this defintion of the word vang. Although the etymology is all very interesting. The latter is the one we are the most interested in. Below is a good video describing the benefits of the boom vang and when to use it. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C31nGzO54O4&w=560&h=315] The Boom Vang, in its simplest form, is a block and…
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Annapolis Sailing | Around the World | Baltimore Sailing | Classic Yachts | Cruisers | Modern Yachts | Multihulls | Racers | Rigging | Tech Tips
Un-stepping the Mast
When un-stepping the mast there are several things that need to happen in preparation for the actual mast removal. The following tips and procedures are in line with the methods we use for boats up to 55′. Small boats or big boats alike, first things must come first. All of the sails and sail covers…
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Classic Yachts | Cruisers | Modern Yachts | Multihulls | Product Review | Rigging | Sailing | Solo Sailing | Tech Tips | Yachting
Which Boom Furler is the Best?
In-boom furling is one option for managing a mainsail. The comparisons below include our experience with legacy ProFurl MKR and Furlboom systems as well as Schaefer and Leisure Furl. Legacy observations are useful to owners of existing equipment, but are not a statement of current availability, pricing or support. Like many other things in sailing,…
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Winches
The three big winch players are Harken, Lewmar, and Andersen. Selden is also trying to make a splash in the production winch market. Almost all of these manufacturers offer different drum finishes from anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and chrome plated bronze (even un-chromed bronze upon special request). So what are some of the other differences? One of the number one companies…
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Americas Cup | Classic Yachts | Cruisers | Modern Yachts | Multihulls | Product Review | Racers | Rigging | Tech Tips | The Biz!
Wire Rigging Vs. Synthetic Rigging Vs. Rod Rigging
Synthetic rigging has been getting more and more common recently. Rod rigging has lost some popularity in the past decade due to parts availability issues from manufacturers. Wire rigging has remained tried and true to the test of time. In looking at each of these stay materials we find some advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look……
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Classic Yachts | Cruisers | Modern Yachts | Multihulls | Product Review | Racers | Rigging | Tech Tips
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,…
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Schaefer Furlers, Quality…..
……and reliability, that has withstood the test of time. Schaefer Headsail Furlers are definitely in a class of their own. Boasting some of the similar features of the Harken units, but to only improve upon them (see our archives). Don’t get me wrong I love Harken furlers, but if you want to spend some extra bucks for heavy…
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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 sell,…
