Customer Reviews

The Complete Rigger's Apprentice: Tools and Techniques for Modern and Traditional Rigging

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Brion Toss is a demi-god among modern riggers -- not only a master rigger but someone who, judging by his TV appearances and classes, can also teach and explain. I bought this book expecting it to be a lucid compendium of everything one might want to know about rigging. It falls short.

1. Many of the illustrations and explanations are difficult to understand. There's a difference between artistic illustration (which is used in the book) and good technical illustration (which it should have). There's also a looseness with written explanation, eg, "bring it up even with the mark" where it's not clear which "it" is meant.

2. The book is fraught with typos. For example, Fig 4-15C shows a braided core buried for "4 rope diameters" when it should be 14 (the text has it right). Someone who has done eye splices in braid (like myself) and is using the book as a refresher would probably follow the figures rather than the text -- and get hurt. In another place, 8mm line is referred to as "1/16 inch" when it should be 5/16.

3. The eye splice for standard braid can be done as described only by using Brion's proprietary Splicing Wand. Not only is this a $50 item, but it can't be used with 1/4" or smaller braid (which I do have some of on my boat). I would have expected someone of Brion's stature to tell how to do a splice using a Uni-fid (or regular Samson fids) and then "here's how it's easier with my wand if you want to buy one."

4. Tables for things like sheet and halyard loadings are published without comment (and, in fact, contradictory data is given between Fig 2-1 and the Lewmar data in the Appendix -- almost a 2:1 difference in mainsheet loading for a 35' boat!). I would certainly thing someone of the author's experience would have his own opinions about these vital numbers.

Shortly after I bought the book I decided to completely replace all the running rigging on my 36' boat. While I had New England Rope's instructions, I turned to this book for a second opinion on how to splice ordinary braid, StaySet-X, and T-900 (this experience obviously colors my feelings about the book). After experiencing the difficulties I reported above, I discovered my local library had Barbara Merry's (out of print) Splicing Handbook. While the latter doesn't have some of Brion's exotics like the Mobius Brummel splice, what it does cover is how this book should have done it.

Will I keep this book? Yes. Will I refer to it? Yes. Do I think it provides one-stop shopping for everything I ever wanted to know about rigging? No. The next time I want to do some rigging work will I go to other books for alternate views rather than implicitly trusting this book? Absolutely.

If you want to impress your friends with rope and knot tricks buy this book. If you were looking for a book that would actually assist you in rigging a sailboat ,save your money. Where is the info on standing rigging?,wooden spars sailtracks, spreader placement ,masts head configuration, boom vangs etc not in this book. This is just another book for armchair sailors with very little for the average sailor trying to build, modify, improve or just maintain their sailboat.

Brion Toss has become "da man" in modern rigging in many ways, and a lot of that is attributable to this great book. It's a big, thick thing, loaded with information, not all of it easily absorbed on the first read. It's meant to give you a firm grounding in what rigging is, what it does, and how to inspect and maintain your own rig, how to adjust it, how to replace worn sections. Will it tell you everything you need to know to design a rig from the ground up on a serious racing yacht? Heck, no. It isn't meant to. What this book does is give you the tools you need to approach your own rig without fear and trembling - to realize that, after all, it's just a bunch of parts, and that you can comprehend and work with those parts, understand their roles, and get the most from your boat. Will you be forever independant of professional riggers? Probably not. But it goes a long way toward making that a realizable goal, if you apply yourself. And it should be known that this book is especially strong on traditional rigs, the more traditional the better. You'll learn how to worm, parcel, and serve, how to lace deadeyes, and why galvanized is great and stainless isn't stainless. And if that last sentence frightens you, you're probably not in the intended demographic. Rod rigging and carbon fiber masts are mentioned, at best, in passing, and largely for comic relief. Keep that in mind. Makes an absolutely perfect companion to Marino's "Sailmaker's Apprentice."

This is one of my favorite books--because it teaches and it makes you laugh. Brian Toss's book can teach a beginner sailor more in 15 minutes just scanning the pictures than they could learn in years just knocking around on boats. If you are like me and think traditional rigging and splicing is cool stuff, then you will love this book.

The book includes some important basic things like sweating a halyard and less well known things like how to use a marlinspike and why your lifelines should be left a little loose, and more. I was pleased to see a drawing of what I called a bowline with a tucked tail--a more secure version of the bowline that I haven't seen in any other text.

Much of the material is just not applicable to newer yachts, but there are many illustrations of innovative techniques that a modern self-reliant yachtman could use to replace, or repair, things that break. Reading this book will help you find solutions to problems you will face at sea.

I don't think I saw anything relating to rod rigging or any discussion of modern fibers and rope. If you are trying to rig a modern sailing yacht, and think this book is your solution, you will be disappointed.

I guarantee you won't regret buying the book.

This book has LOTS of really good information. But it is missing some significant stuff, Brion. PLEASE PLEASE do another addition and include SOME information about the following:

1. Chainplates. Nothing. How is a proper chainplate shaped, mounted, doubled, etc? Where do they go? What should you consider when changing from single boomking backstay to double backstays?

2. Bowsprits. Hardly a word. How is a proper bowsprit mounted? What kind of materials are appropriate for a bobstay? etc.

3. Stemheads. Hardly a word. Come on, what good is a rig if it isn't mounted to something????

4. Mast steps. The rig seems to float in air with this book, and no proper consideration is given to how it MOUNTS TO THE BOAT.

Other than that, it is a great book. Lots of good info, formulas, etc. Lots of great knots, lots of funny quips, good explanation of how single and double spreader rigs are stayed and shrouded.

But most of us also have boats to go along with our rigs, and it would be nice to have a WHOLE CHAPTER on how the rig connects to the boat, because many of us need to maintain, repair, and improve that part of the rig as well.

Good book, but it is incomplete as currently published.

A great book. This work, aimed at the beginner, teaches a way of THINKING about ropes and rigging. Thus, it has many varied chapters on, e.g., forces, knots, rigging principles, and one very characteristic chapter which starts with "Like all arts, rigging is an attempt to finesse coherence out of ornery chaos, and the strangest things can save the day." There are lots of examples and illustrations, more than enough for your usual weekend sailor. The primary virtue of the work is that it demystifies all this rope and wire-work, and gives the practical sailor the thinking and doing skills to tackle the job. Of course, not everything is in the book, and a few typos creep in. You should probably not base the rerigging of your China Clipper exclusively on one of his chapters, just as you should probably not read "10 Easy Steps to Self-Defense" and then initiate a punch-up in your local dojo. This would be contrary to the prudence and think-thru-itiveness that Toss preaches.

There is even a chapter full of silly rope tricks to impress the younger generation. Rigger's Apprentice provides a mountain of useful information, then provides pointers to those who wish to go further into this fascinating practical art. I defy you to read this book, and not prop it up somewhere with a piece of string in hand, trying out some knot that Brion Toss is championing. It will convince your significant others that you really are going off the deep end with this sailing thing.

A very well written book in which Brion Toss describes all aspects of boat rigging with great aplomb. Included are details of 'Turks Head' knots, which have always fascinated me, and interesting details on calculating the stresses on jackstays - indeed all the stays. He obviously loves his subject and like all good communicators, this comes over in the text. I commend this work to any sailor who wants to do more than just sail boats; you will not be disappointed.

The Complete Rigger's Apprentice: Tools and Techniques for Modern and Traditional Rigging

Though there is much valuable information in this book, I found Toss's explanations of how to tie knots and do splices--especially splices--difficult to follow, at best. Sometimes his explanations (especially of splicing braided ropes), coupled with confusing illustrations, were unfathomable. At the same time, I highly recommend his DVDs on the same subject. He does an excellent job of demonstrating in person and explaining verbally how to splice.

If you want to simply understand how and your boat is rigged the way it is or you are doing your own work this is the book with which you must start,and probably, finish.

There's no reason not to buy this book, but a lot of them to buy it. Especially if you are into sailing and/or building boats.
Goes good with "Sailmakers's apprentice".
So buy them both. Why not?