Antal V-Grip Clutches

Antal's line of V-Grip rope clutches is an excellent option for line management on your sailboat. Clutch selection has become critical as today's high-tech lines are capable of carrying much higher loads in smaller diameters than what was previously available. As running rigging gets upgraded, a review of your clutches is also recommended. The high load-capacity-to-diameter ratio of Dyneema, Vectran and Technora cored lines reduces the amount of surface area available to hold the line, meaning a rough holding surface has a higher likelihood of damaging the cover of the line. Antal's V-Grip clutches seek to reduce the damage to your line without sacrificing holding power by increasing the surface area of the cam itself, so it can spread the holding load over more of the line cover. Check out the video below for a more detailed explanation of Antal's clutch options and manufacturing process.

Order your Antal rope clutches online, view all Antal sailboat hardware or contact Mauri Pro Sailing for more information on upgrading your running rigging and rope clutches.

Jonathan McMillan, Technology and Technical Assistance

Continuing with our 20th Anniversary, we would like to highlight one of our most knowledgeable tech's, Jonathan. He can help you with just about any technical difficulty. whether its quoting and installing a switch-battcar system on an 80' yacht or doing an entire electronics and navigation overhaul on your boat, this is the man you need to talk to!

Jonathan was born in the maritime provinces of Canada with the sea in his blood. A descendant of captains and fisherman Jonathan discovered his love of the sea first by roaming the beaches, wharves and waterways of Nova Scotia, and later by venturing out in the boats he once only admired from a distance. His first coastal trip was on a wooden double-ender returning to Halifax from the Mahone Bay wooden boat festival when he was eleven. "I remember  sitting out on the long bowsprit looking down at porpoises breaching. That became my favourite place on board a sailboat." Summer day cruises and occasional overnighters remained an important part of Jonathan's life for many years after that.

Never expecting to turn his passion into his living, Jonathan studied Math and Engineering in college and eventually found himself far from the sea in Fort Worth, Texas. It took some time, but a return to the water was inevitable, this time on the many inland lakes that dot Texas. As a way to sail he decided to try racing, and fell into his second love.  Making up for lost time, Jonathan quickly found himself engrossed in racing multiple times a week for most of the year and has since gained extensive experience from the bow to the traveller and at the nav station during distance races. His history includes a wide range of keelboats including J/22, J/80, Hobie 33, Beneteau 36.7, Farr 39ML and most recently a trans-superior regatta on board a Joubert-Nivelt IOR 50.

Sailing experience aside, it was Jonathan's technical skills that brought him to Mauri Pro Sailing where he can now live sailing full time. Web development, analysis and optimization are important to help customers find what they're looking for within our store, and to provide the information they need to make a selection. When questions arise Jonathan is the go-to guy for sailing instruments, autopilots, electric winches and windlasses.

Harken Ratchet Blocks Q&A Session

If you ever have any questions about the Harken ratchet blocks, this is a great opportunity to see some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Harken ratchets.

General Information

Harken Ratchamatic®, Carbo Ratchet, and Hexaratchet® blocks are lightweight, strong, and run exclusively on ball bearings for fast trimming under any load.

What are Harken ratchet blocks?

Harken ratchet blocks hold part of the sheet’s load, let you trim and ease with complete control, and enable higher trimming speeds. Ratchets make it much easier to hand-hold higher loads by only allowing the sheave to turn in the trimming direction. When you are holding or releasing the load, the faceted sheave grips the line to reduce fatigue and give you more control. Also, ratchets make faster trimming possible because you don’t have to hold the full force of the sheet while shifting your grip.

Options include ratchet blocks with beckets, adjustable cams, multiple sheaves, adjustable automatic load-sensing mechanisms, and footblock and fiddle configurations. Harken offers ratchet blocks in sizes between 40 and 75 mm (1 9/16"–3").

Where should I use ratchet blocks?

Ratchet blocks are great for any system that is normally adjusted by hand, including mainsheets, jib sheets, spinnakers, vangs, and backstays on everything from dinghies to large keelboats. In addition to increasing the loads you can manage without a winch, they reduce shock loading on your hands and your equipment—for example, a ratchet block can stop an unanticipated gust from yanking the line through your hands or from putting too much load on your cam cleats. 

Some dinghies and sportboats even use two Ratchamatics® in series for turns less than 90 degrees per ratchet block.

What are Harken Hexaratchets® and Carbo Ratchets?

Hexaratchets® and Carbo Ratchets have sheaves that turn only in the trimming direction when the ratchet is turned on. Carbo Ratchets are built with the same lightweight and strong materials as other Harken Carbo blocks, while Hexaratchets® come in the stainless steel-reinforced Classic style. Hexaratchets® and Carbo Ratchets increase holding power by as much as 15:1.

What is a Carbo Ratchamatic®?

The load-sensing Carbo Ratchamatic® has a ratchet that instantly engages when a predetermined load is reached. When unloaded, the ratchet pawl seamlessly disengages to allow the sheet to run out instantly during mark roundings and jibes. The Ratchamatic allows lightly-loaded sheets to run freely in both directions for fingertip control. The preset load threshold can be fine-tuned with an Allen wrench to suit different applications, sailing styles, and body types.

How do I adjust a Carbo Ratchamatic to engage the ratchet at a higher or lower load?

To increase or decrease the load at which the ratchet engages, first, move the sheave so the hole in the sheave’s groove is at the bottom of the block. Insert a 2.5 mm Allen wrench and turn clockwise to engage at higher loads and counterclockwise for lighter loads. You will need to remove the becket before adjusting if it is a becket block.

Maia Caffelli, our Director of Global Operations

Today, we would like to introduce you to one of the key members on the Mauri Pro Sailing team, Maia Caffelli, our Director of Global Operations:

When asked about her time at the company, Maia commented: “I have been sailing with Juan since we were both in our 20’s, (a looooong time a ago).  And I even endured a great deal of bruises thanks to all of that J24 roll tacking. I'm SURE there will be more bruises and great memories to come!”

Moving forward, Juan started the business and within a couple of weeks asked Maia to join as co-founder and to manage the daily operations of the new company. As the company grew, her position and role within the company evolved into a much larger position of responsibility she became the Director of Global Operations.

Maia was born in Peru to an Italian family, and grew up speaking Italian and Castilian (Peruvian Spanish, which is like Spanish, but sounds nothing like Spanish!). When the company was started, Maia put in an immense amount of effort just to learn English. She worked full time, attended night classes, AND raised two kids, Ale and Giacomo (since both of the kids loved to scuba dive and cruise, it seemed that salt water ran through their veins!) All in all, it presented an interesting and exciting challenge for Maia, as she worked day and night with a rapidly growing internet company.

We sat down with Maia and asked her a few questions on her role and how the company is going:

What challenges do you have today?

Today, with all the tools and connections we have learned and developed as the company has grown, my biggest and most enjoyable challenge is to get the Best Customer Service to our loyal customers around the world. Every day presents a challenge, but most importantly, every day brings a new experience that I can bring back to my team to help them improve our business each day.

How do you see the company moving forward?

Our background comes from different continents and that makes us unique. It helps us to understand the culture, necessities, and requirements of all types of sailors throughout the world. We understand that your boat is your home, your hobby, and your passion. We ourselves are passionate sailors that love to compete and innovate every minute. We can assure you that we will never stop finding new options and solutions that will better serve you, the sailor. We will continue to commit ourselves to making Mauri Pro Sailing the top Online Sailing Store.

Spinlock Eye Candy

Its really a pleasure to be able to view some of the technical capabilities of Spinlock. Seen on the new Gunboat 66 and new Alegre are thesenew carbon padeyes PD6/C, PD8/C, PD10/C and PD12/C.

Constructed from a single loop of 17-4PH stainless steel with no welds, giving excellent strength to weight ratio, Spinlock PD/C Pad Eyes use a stainless steel collar in the laminate area to increase the bearing area  helping minimise the tearing effect suffered by standard pad eyes in cored decks, as well as improved shock loading resistance. This increase in diameter through the collars also reduces the requirement for local reinforcement in the deck area, furthering weight reduction. With their one piece design, the PD/C are able to work efficiently with horizontal loadings, with SWL load 20% above other designs.

To view all Spinlock products go to: http://www.mauriprosailing.com/us/category/2-Spinlock.html