Combining and updating the renowned Rigger's Apprentice and Rigger's Locker, meets the changing face of modern materials and technology while remaining true to rigging's best traditional principles and practices. It's much more than a knot book, though the knots a sailor needs are all here. It's a book for sailors who want the satisfaction and hard-cash savings of stepping their own masts, inspecting and maintaining their own rigs, and turning their own tailsplices and wire eyesplices. It is for boatowners who want to replace an entire gang of rigging themselves--measuring, choosing appropriate wire, turning soft eyes, leathering, and serving. It is for bluewater voyagers who want to feel secure in the knowledge that, should a shroud carry away far at sea, they will be able to repair it. The Complete Rigger's Apprentice is also a free-roaming collection of useful ideas and tips on everything from supplementing winches with block and tackle, to rigging snubbers at anchor, to using pantyhose for an emergency fanbelt. In short, it's the definitive book on the art of rigging, written by its most entertaining practitioner.

The Rigger's Apprentice is not just another knot book, even though the knots a sailor needs are all here. Nor is it a survey of rigs, for the subject is rigging itself: its principles and procedures. Seizings, lashings, double sheet bends, grommets, wire splices, handybillies--all these are traditional techniques whose usefulness is valid even on modern, high-tech boats. Toss tells how to replace an entire gang of rigging--measuring, choosing appropriate wire, turning soft eyes, leathering, and serving. And if you are a bluewater voyager, you'll feel secure in the knowledge that, should a shroud carry away far at sea, you'll be able to repair it.

The time when every vessel going to sea made use of 3-strand rope has gone. Splicing that type of rope and cord is relatively straightforward. Nowadays the most common type of rope used on board yachts, dinghies, motorboats, working boats and ferries is braided rope. Few people have the knowledge to splice it, or even where to start. Splicing Modern Ropes is the first guide to this essential skill. It explains why splices are better – and stronger – than knots or shackles for joining or shortening rope, and how to go about it. With this skill, yachtsmen can customise their ropes, optimise their deck layout, taper their sheets for ease of handling, and splice an extra cover on their ropes to give better grip, avoid chafe and make them last longer. Using clear, step-by-step photography and detailed instructions, this book will guide readers through all the stages required to make strong, reliable splices.

The historical development & practical application of this traditional rig are thoroughly covered.

A guide to tuning the sails and rigs of yachts and small keelboats, featuring step-by-step instructions and more than 150 illustrations.

Learn how to design, make, repair, improve, and maintain sails If you want to produce sturdy sails for daysailing and cruising, built of low-tech materials you can repair with a few simple tools, The Sailmaker's Apprentice can show you how. Emphasizing the handwork that distinguishes the highest-quality, most durable sails, sail pro Emiliano Marino tells you how to select a rig, introduces you to sail shape and theory, and then shows you -- step by step, with the help of over 700 detailed illustrations -- how to sew patches, hand sew rings, fix tears or frayed edges, and stitch seams, not to mention how to make your own sails, canvas sailcovers, and sailbags from scratch. A visual feast for the sailor as well as an indispensable guide for the mariner comprehensive apprenticeship, this hands-on reference is an illustrated tour of the world's rig and sail types, contemporary and historical.

Combining and updating the Rigger's Apprentice and Rigger's Locker, this book addresses modern materials and technology while remaining true to rigging's best traditional principles and practices. It is a book which should appeal to anyone who wants the satisfaction and cash savings of stepping their own mast, inspecting and maintaining their own rig and tuning their own tailsplices and wire eyesplices.