The engineers at Harken have been busy of late putting the detail touches on the first pieces of their new through-deck fittings, gear akin to that offered by its one-time international distribution partner, Ropeye. The results out of Pewaukee are the ingeniously “Gizmos,” an ever-expanding line of “soft-attach terminations and through-deck pieces.”
Customers were asking for an assortment of through-decks in aluminum, says Harken’s Bill Faude. “Really, customers ask for lots of that stuff that lives between blocks and cleats and protects decks and line. There is a lot of development going on in this rigging space. We’ll do more Gizmos as people ask for quantities of them that make doing them possible, and we will participate with others where we can supply components they need.”
Initially, Harken will offer single-sided through-deck bushings to protect decks and lines from chafing when used in through-deck applications. Double-sided through-deck bushings are also available, engineered for installing soft attachment loops to protect lines from wear.
Padeye kits include a cross pin, waterproof cap and O-ring to convert a double-sided bushing into a through-deck, watertight padeye. The cross pin attaches the loop and the cap snaps over the top to keep water out. Bushings and loops are sold separately.
