Sails+Rigging

ATN Genoa Sleeve

by David Schmidt, Posted April 14, 2009

If you have a roller-furling headsail, the ATN Genoa Sleeve is worth your attention. It’s built of abrasion-resistant, UV-proof material and protects your headsail (racing or cruising) without adding weight to the sail or requiring that it be altered. The sleeve is hoisted on a spare halyard and is laced with adjustable thin-diameter cordage that holds the sleeve snug to the sail when tightened,

Ties That Bind

by Sail Staff, Posted October 9, 2007

If your boat is equipped with Karver blocks, you can now add an additional upgrade by investing in Karver’s rope shackles (compatible with KB6, KB8, KB10, KN12, KB8c, KB10C, and KB12C blocks). The rope shackles are lighter per given strength rating than stainless steel shackles, won’t scratch up your deck, and are noiseless. Moreover, the rope shackles are purported to be easier to open than

Schaefer Marine Aero Tuff Luff

by Sail Staff, Posted February 11, 2008

In 2006, Schaefer Marine released the Aero Tuff Luff (model A-1706) headstay foil, which fit forestays up to 5/16” in diameter. Now Schaefer has introduced a 2.0 version of the Aero Tuff Luff (model A-2506) for boats with headstays up to 3/8” in diameter. The twin-track foil is made from a super-strong polycarbonate material and features a fine surface finish to help mitigate friction between the

Spiked!

by Sail Staff, Posted August 6, 2008

Spinlock’s new Deckware fid is the first piece of gear that the DHS has confiscated from me before I boarded a commercial flight. Luckily, I was flying home from a boat show and not to an ocean race, but the experience solidified the fact that this fid packs some punch. The unit features a long needle end, allowing it to work with snap shackles up to Tylaska size T-20’s. Its

Spun!

by Sail Staff, Posted September 10, 2008

By David SchmidtSeldn Masts, Inc., has a new line of deck hardware to complement its already extensive line of spars. The line currently includes a line of plane-bearing blocks, auto-ratchet blocks, ball-bearing blocks, wire blocks (for adjustable backstays), and cam cleats (some of which are swivel mounted), but Selden plans to expand into genoa tracks and cars, as well as traveler cars

Trim Like a Megayacht

by Adam Cort, Posted August 23, 2011

Cruisers with boats in the 50-60ft range can now enjoy push-button mainsheet trimming, thanks to this Touch Trim system from Harken. With Touch Trim, the mainsheet is no longer in the cockpit, but is self-contained in the boom, where it is controlled by an electric motor turning a ball screw.Two different models are available to accommodate in-mast reefing or a standard mainsail. The

Moorings Made Simple

by Adam Cort, Posted September 27, 2011

There’s nothing like the security of a mooring at the end of a long day afloat—once you’ve managed to grab hold of the thing. Unfortunately, doing so can be tough, especially when sailing shorthanded or on your own in heavy weather. The Mooring Mate solves this problem with an easy-to-connect temporary mooring attachment that lets you then secure the actual mooring pennant at your leisure. The

Top-Down Furlers

by Sail Staff, Posted September 29, 2011

Sailing hardware manufacturer Ronstan has expanded its continuous-line headsail furler range with a new Series 60 furler that can accommodate working loads up 1,430lb for use on sport boats and staysails on cruising boats up to 40 feet. Ronstan has also unveiled a “top down” furling attachment for its Series 100 and Series 130 furlers. Top-down furling is a new approach to headsail

Seamless Carbon Rigging 35

by David Schmidt, Posted June 19, 2009

Over the years, Hall Spars has developed a solid reputation for building high-end performance masts and booms. More recently, it announced its new line of Hall Seamless Carbon Rigging (SCR) 35. As the name implies, this carbon standing rigging is seamless, has the smallest frontal area possible, and has a billiard-ball smooth finish that Hall claims helps to reduce drag. The

Softies

by David Schmidt, Posted June 19, 2009

Adios steel shackles, hello Softies. These soft shackles (they can also do double duty as hanks for headsails) are spliced from a single length of Dyneema SK75 and come in two sizes, the smaller of which has a safe working load of 2,000 pounds, while the larger can handle 4,000 pounds: impressive numbers, given the unit’s light weight. While sailors have been handcrafting soft shackles for