This section covers the equipment a sailor deals with, from the sails and the wire that holds the mast up to the clothes, life jackets and electronics carried aboard. Each page explains what the gear is, how the main types differ and what the cited sources say about choosing and looking after it. Where sources disagree, we give each version and say who said it.
How these pages work
- Sourced, not guessed. Every fact comes from a named source listed at the foot of the page: official bodies such as the US Coast Guard, NOAA, US Sailing and the RYA, the sailing trade press, and in some places manufacturers. When a statement is a manufacturer's claim about its own product, we label it that way.
- Dated test results. Some of the most useful independent gear tests are years old. When we cite one, we give the year and treat its findings as history, not as a current ranking.
- No prices. We describe gear by category and use. We do not quote or compare prices.
- Rules change. Where a page states a legal or racing requirement, it gives the requirement as the cited source states it. Check the current rules with the authority where you sail, and for racing, with the event's Notice of Race.
What is in this section
The boat itself: sails and sailcloth, rigging, rope, winches, blocks and furlers, and anchors and ground tackle.
Safety gear: life jackets, harnesses and tethers, PLBs, EPIRBs, AIS man-overboard beacons and recovery gear, and VHF radio, AIS and chartplotters, including the end of NOAA's traditional paper charts.
What you wear: foul weather gear and layering, footwear and gloves, and wetsuits, drysuits and hiking pants for small boats.
If you are shopping, our buying guides group the same gear by use. If you are thinking about buying a boat, see buying a boat, and for what the law requires you to carry, see safety requirements.