An interesting sleep regime, some timely history, and in the “well, of course he does” department…
I’m a huge fans of friction rings and their multitude of uses aboard a boat. They’re simple, bombproof, and they used to be affordable.
Well, sadly, they became popular and before you could say…
“We could really gouge with these!“
It was a done deal.
So, these days, I spend a lot of time looking for affordable reasonable facsimiles. It has not been a very productive search as the popularity of friction rings has risen the price of said facsimiles to the point where they cost just about as much as a proper friction ring.
For instance, this sort of thimble makes an excellent stand-in for a similar sized friction ring…
While maybe not quite as slick as a hard anodized friction ring, I doubt you’d be able to tell the difference blindfolded. Providing you don’t buy such a beast from a marine purveyor. You can find these thimbles in 316 stainless for a few bucks. My experience is to buy such things by the dozen or so when I find them at a fair price. Having a bunch of thimbles of various sizes is a must for anyone’s rigging bag.
Then there’s this…
Another facsimile of the friction ring that I’d love to stock up on as they’re an improvement by being more adaptable, is the NUB. Of course, while it should be less expensive than friction rings, they’re a ‘marine’ product so a bit too expensive for me. I keep waiting for someone to have them on sale at a deep discount but I’ve yet to see them at what I consider a fair price.
If you have a different alternative drop us a line in the comments…
Cut the pressed rings out of old sails with a hot knife/soldering iron. They are heavy but free. I have a small sail loft and people give me old sails all the time.