All sail boats have one thing in common – they all have spars and rigging. Traditionally wood was used for spars and hessian rope for rigging. This is still used today on some boats however the most widely used material is now aluminium sections for the spars and stainless steel for the rigging. On performance yachts and dinghies composite materials particularly carbon fibre is finding wider use for spars due to its improved properties. On the majority of boats the mast is held in position with stainless steel wire (referred to as shrouds or stays) which is available in a wide range of thicknesses typically in the range of 2 – 6 mm diameter. The shroud is attached to the mast with a hook, T or Eye terminal fitting and then to the boat deck with an Eye or Turnbuckle. On many larger dinghies and yachts the rigging is positioned from the mast with a spreader – a short length of aluminium section positioned at an appropriate place. There are numerous parts and fittings available to ensure that the sails can be set and controlled by the skipper and crew.