The No-sew Webbing Strap with Link Buckle
Weve sewn our fair share of eyes in nylon webbing, but heres an easy no-sew alternative for creating a webbing strap with a buckle...
A Quest for Keel Integrity
Over the past few years, weve noticed a worldwide uptick in keel failures. The problem has yet to reach epidemic proportions, but we are...
Hitches to Grip Anchor Chain
When researching Changing Views on Chain Hooks (see PS, March 2016 online), we were surprised to discover that some chain hooks greatly reduced the...
Mechanical Terminal Pull Test
Swageless wire-rope terminals have long been a favorite piece of rigging kit among all kinds of sailors. These terminals are inspectable, reusable, and can...
Swage Fitting Breaks Surprise PS Testers
During the first round of mechanical terminal testing, testers were surprised to see that wire failures were occurring at loads that were at least...
Poured-Socket Assembly Requires Special Care
The most common error with poured sockets is insufficient cleaning of the wire, and/or using the wrong solvent to clean it. Even dry, stainless...
The Pros and Cons of Mechanical Terminals
Mechanical terminals more expensive than the usual alternative-swages-but they also have many advantages that swages do not.Mechanical Terminal Pros They are as strong or...
Methods to Mess Up Your Screw-on Terminals
All of the mechanical terminals we tested are based on the same assembly concept: The rigger opens the cover yarns, and then slides a...
New Mantus Swivel
In our article on anchor swivels (see "Anchor Swivels: Caution Required"), we reiterated our view that swivels are unnecessary in most anchoring situations. For...
How Well Do Swivels Reduce Twist?
We know the theory behind using anchor swivels: The swivel releases any twists in the chain when an anchored boat swings through 360 degrees...