Sailboats USA 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

Wire Rigging Suppliers & Fabricators

• Rig Rite — custom wire rigging, swaged fittings, terminals; order measured and ready to install
• Navtec — rod rigging, turnbuckles, hydraulic backstay adjusters; the standard for performance and racing boats
• Suncor Stainless — Canton, MA — 316 SS wire, swage fittings, rigging hardware; good bulk pricing
• Hayn Marine — swage fittings, made in USA; strong reputation for dimensional accuracy
• Rigging Only — custom orders; fast turnaround; popular online shop
• Portsmouth Rigging — East Coast; custom wire rigging, mast work
• Navarre Marine — rigging hardware; turnbuckles, toggles, chainplates

Wire Types

• 1×19 wire: Standard for standing rigging on boats under 50 ft; low stretch; rigid; difficult to form eye splices; must use swaged, Sta-Lok, or Norseman terminals
• 7×7 wire: More flexible; used for running backstays, checkstays, and intermediate stays where some flex is needed
• 7×19 wire: Most flexible wire; used for control lines and where bending over sheaves is required
• 316 stainless: Standard for marine use; good corrosion resistance
• Nitronic 50 (XM): Higher strength and better corrosion resistance; used on performance boats and in highly corrosive environments

Terminal Types

• Swaged terminals: Hydraulic press forms a cold weld around the wire; low profile; cannot be field-serviced; industry standard for production boats; failure can be sudden with little warning (internal crevice corrosion)
• Sta-Lok terminals: Mechanical; can be assembled and disassembled with standard tools; fieldreplaceable; inspectable; excellent for offshore cruisers; slight weight penalty
• Norseman / Gibb terminals: Mechanical; same concept as Sta-Lok; trusted by offshore sailors; compatible with most wire types; can be removed and reused
• Toggle fittings: Required on all standing rigging; allows the rigging to flex slightly without inducing bending loads on terminal; DO NOT omit toggles — it drastically reduces terminal fatigue life

Turnbuckles & Adjusters

• Navtec — closed-body, open-body, hydraulic adjusters; high quality
• Ronstan — turnbuckles and rigging screws; clean designs
• Wichard — French; excellent quality; marine-grade stainless throughout
• Lock turnbuckles with cotter pins or split rings after tuning — they WILL back off under load without locking

Suppliers & Systems

• Colligo Marine — US-based leader in Dyneema standing rigging; design support, kits, and terminals; excellent resources on their website
• Samson Rope — US manufacturer; Dyneema SK75 and SK99 products; technical support
• Marlow Ropes — Dyneema rigging products; popular offshore and racing

Advantages of Synthetic Rigging

• Weight: Significantly lighter than wire at equivalent strength — reduces pitching momentum and weight aloft
• Corrosion: Does not corrode; no internal crevice corrosion; ideal for tropical and highly corrosive environments
• Inspectability: You can see all fibers; no hidden internal corrosion
• No wire hazing: No broken strands to snag sails or crew
• Field repairability: Can be spliced at sea with standard splicing tools

Limitations & Considerations

• UV degradation: Must be covered or replaced every 3–5 years depending on sun exposure; UV is the primary enemy of Dyneema
• Creep: Dyneema stretches slightly over time under sustained load; requires periodic re-tensioning; pre-stretch before installation is critical
• Heat: Avoid contact with hot surfaces (exhaust, cooking surfaces); Dyneema's strength drops significantly above 150°F
• Chafe: More susceptible to chafe damage than wire; use thimbles and guards at contact points
• Reefing hook compatibility: Check that your mast fittings (chainplates, toggles) are compatible with synthetic terminals before ordering

Rope Manufacturers

• Samson Rope — Ferndale, WA — made in USA; full line of running rigging from basic to high-tech; outstanding technical support
• New England Ropes — Fall River, MA — made in USA; halyards, sheets, dock lines; excellent quality; Sta-Set, VPC, Endura-Braid
• Marlow Ropes — UK; popular in US racing market; Excel line well-regarded
• APS — Running Rigging — pre-made halyards and sheets; order by boat model; fast delivery
• Defender — line by the foot; wide selection; Connecticut
• West Marine — convenient; full line; premium pricing

Line Construction Guide

• Double-braid polyester: Standard halyards and sheets; good strength; low stretch; easy to splice; durable; the right choice for most cruisers
• Single-braid Dyneema/HMPE: Ultra-low stretch; very lightweight; slippery — use with care in clutches; best for performance halyards
• 3-strand twisted polyester: Dock lines, mooring lines, anchor snubbers; excellent shock absorption; easy to splice
• Nylon 3-strand: Best for anchor snubbers and dock lines — high stretch absorbs shock; NOT suitable for halyards or sheets
• Vectran: High strength, low stretch, better UV resistance than Dyneema; popular for halyards on performance cruisers

Sizing Guide for Running Rigging

• Boats under 30 ft: Halyards 7/16″; sheets 7/16–1/2″
• Boats 30–38 ft: Halyards 1/2″; sheets 1/2–9/16″
• Boats 38–50 ft: Halyards 9/16″; sheets 9/16–5/8″
• Upsizing for grip: consider 1/16″ larger than minimum for lines that are frequently adjusted by hand
• Outsized lines on small boat clutches cause more problems than undersized — match your clutch manufacturer's rated range

Splicing vs. Knots

• A well-made eye splice retains 90–95% of line strength; a bowline retains 65–75%
• Learn to splice — it is not difficult, the tools are inexpensive, and the results are more professional and longer-lasting
• Samson Rope Splicing Instructions — free PDF guides for every splice type
• YouTube: Double Braid Eye Splice — many excellent tutorials; practice on old line before cutting your halyards

Blocks & Deck Hardware

• Harken — Pewaukee, WI — the industry standard for blocks, cars, and deck hardware; excellent load ratings; made in USA
• Lewmar — good quality; competitive pricing; winches, hatches, windlasses, clutches
• Ronstan — excellent blocks and shackles; popular in racing and offshore markets; Australian brand, widely distributed in US
• Schaefer Marine — Wareham, MA — made in USA; mid-boom sheeting systems, traveler cars, deck hardware
• Antal — Italian; excellent quality; ball bearing blocks; lower profile

Rope Clutches & Jammers

• Spinlock — UK brand widely used in US racing; excellent cam action; XCS, XTS, and XAS series for different line sizes
• Harken Cam Cleats & Clutches — reliable; well-matched to Harken blocks
• Lewmar Clutches — popular on production boats; good service life
• Match clutch size exactly to your line diameter — an undersized clutch won't hold; oversized won't grip properly

Winches

• Lewmar Winches — the most common brand on US production sailboats; easy to service; parts available everywhere
• Harken Winches — lighter; superior materials; higher price; popular on performance boats
• Andersen Winches — Danish; self-tailing, self-jibing; excellent build quality; lifetime warranty on many models
• Lewmar EVO — self-tailing aluminum; popular upgrade for production boats

Winch Maintenance

• Inspect and grease every season — annual service takes 30 minutes per winch
• Use Lewmar or Harken winch grease; do NOT use WD-40 (it washes out the grease)
• Check pawls: they must click firmly; a sticky pawl will let the winch spin backwards under load
• Inspect pawl springs: most winch failures trace back to a broken pawl spring
• Remove drum and inspect the gear train for cracks or corrosion annually
• Never exceed the manufacturer's line size rating — oversizing damages the self-tailing arm

Spar Manufacturers

• Selden Mast — Swedish; the most common OEM mast on production sailboats; good extrusion quality; excellent parts availability
• Sparcraft — custom masts and spars; popular on European performance boats; US distribution available
• Kenyon Marine — Guilford, CT — custom aluminum spars; American manufacturer; good reputation for cruising boats
• Dwyer Mast & Rigging — Branford, CT — aluminum spars, booms, custom work
• Carbon Spar Store — carbon fiber masts and spars for performance boats

Mast Inspection & Annual Checklist

• Go up the mast annually — most sailors avoid this, to their eventual regret. Take a camera and photo everything
• Inspect masthead sheaves: check for groove wear, sheave cracks, pin corrosion
• Check all clevis pins and cotter pins: replace any that show wear or corrosion
• Inspect spreader boots and tape: chafed or missing tape damages sails and hides corrosion
• Check the gooseneck fitting: cracks and corrosion here cause boom failures
• Inspect the base of the mast at the partners (deck level) — this is where the aluminum corrodes from inside due to trapped moisture
• Look for corrosion at the base of all swaged fittings — red/brown staining is a warning sign
• Inspect the forestay and backstay anchors at both ends annually

When to Replace

• 10-year rule: Replace all standing rigging every 10 years on a boat used in salt water, regardless of apparent condition
• Offshore/bluewater: Replace every 50,000–80,000 nautical miles OR 10 years, whichever comes first
• Racing boats: More frequently — some race programs replace every 5 years
• Great Lakes / fresh water: The 10-year rule can be extended; inspect annually and look for the warning signs below

Warning Signs — Replace Immediately

• "Fishhooks" — broken strands on wire; they snag sails and hands but more importantly indicate internal fatigue
• Red/brown staining at swaged terminals — internal corrosion; the terminal must be replaced
• Any visible cracks in swage fittings
• Bent, twisted, or kinked wire anywhere in a stay
• Pitting corrosion on the wire surface
• Loose or sloppy toggles — the pin hole is worn

How to Inspect

• Run a rag along each stay — broken strands catch the rag; do this from the deck and up the mast
• Use a magnifying glass at each swaged terminal; look for cracks at the base of the fitting and inside the cup
• Inspect under spreader boots — remove and reinstall boots annually so you can actually see the spreader tips and shroud connections
• Pull on each clevis pin with pliers — should be tight with no play
• Have a rigger inspect when you haul the boat — they see things you miss

Getting New Rigging Measured & Made

• Most riggers will come to the boat to measure; alternatively measure yourself (mast to chainplate with wire taut; record all end fittings)
• Order through a local rigger, Rig Rite, Rigging Only, or Portsmouth Rigging
• Have the rigger tune after installation — proper shroud tension is essential for mast bend and sail shape
• Budget $500–$2,500 for a complete rerigging depending on boat size and materials