Shoppers have several options when it comes to purchasing chafe gear for marine use. Knowing the differences between styles and types is the first step to making a purchase that fits your exact needs. Making purchases haphazardly might leave you with rigging supplies that look good, but in actuality, they perform poorly.
It is essential to care about chafe gear even though it does not garnish much attention. It helps to keep boats protected, so people should care. In terms of importance for boat safety, it goes ground tackle first and then chafe gear. No matter how you look at it, purchasing and using chafe gear is one of the best investments people can make for their boat.
We want to spend some time going over the four most important consideration for purchasing chafe gear for marine use and boating.
Do not be fooled into buying a product because it looks good or has interesting sounding characteristics. Ultra-chafe gear sounds good because of the name, but for many people, the equipment is too rigid and still, making it challenging to work with. It does not even fit with all chocks. Depending on what you are working with a different chafe gear needs to be used.
Before making a purchase, inspect your boat and note all places that lines could potentially rub. Chafe gear can be used on anything that has a high probability of rubbing. After doing this, measure the size of lines in each place. You will also want to answer what size fittings the rope will be going through (if any). A great example would be a chock.
Before making a purchase, make sure to answer these four questions:
- Are the rigging supplies I’m buying strong enough to handle the rubbing it will most likely encounter?
- Is the gear long enough to protect lines while things are in motion?
- Will the gear fit what I’m trying to protect?
- How do I keep the chafe gear in one place?
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