Why Colligo?
Rigging reduced to its elegant essentials.
From traditional sailing craft to modern multihulls, Mini-class racing boats and classic yawls, Colligo Marine offers simple, elegant and robust standing-rigging solutions for the discerning sailor. Form follows function in all of our products, which are custom designed in our California studio, prototyped by sailors around the world, and shipped directly to our customers. Browse the site to see what's on offer or contact us for more information. Thanks for visiting.
-John Franta & the Colligo Marine Team
What is 'Colligo Dux', and why should you consider it?
LIGHT & STRONG
Colligo Dux starts life as SK-75 12-strand synthetic fiber braided rope. While SK-75 is renown for it's low-stretch properties, Dux is transformed through a process of steam-heating and stretching the rope until all the 'constructional stretch' - that is stretch due to the braid of the rope tightening - is virtually removed. What's left is a rope vastly lighter than wire and with virtually no stretch. Diameter for diameter, it is also 2-5x stronger than 1x19 stainless wire.
UV RESISTANT
Chafe & UV are Dux's main enemies, but with care, both can be managed or eliminated. Preliminary data shows that Dux-as-standing rigging will last a minimum of 8-10 years, possibly longer. And that is completely uncovered. We cover Dux with heat shrink or Technora in high-chafe areas (like lifelines and outer shrouds). Properly installed and maintained, a Dux rig will easily last as long as a wire rig, if not longer.
EASY TO SPLICE
If you've ever splice standard Dyneema or other 12-strand braided rope, you can splice Dux. In fact, the inherent stiffness of Dux makes it even easier. We use a modified locking Brummel splice, with a bury 72x the diameter of the rope to ensure 100% breaking strength at the splice. We'll splice it for you, but we think once you 'learn the ropes,' you'll want to do it yourself. Plus, its ease of use is paramount in offshore safety in the event of a repair.
EASY TO INSPECT
Dux is uncovered and will not fatigue like wire rope, so no hidden surprises. When it has reached its UV lifespan it will start to get 'fuzzy,' indicating that it is about time to replace it. No scary surprises with sudden breakages. Plus, Dux doesn't store energy - if a line were to exceed its breaking strength, it would just part, and not snap back like wire or other, stretchier rope.
Like your wire rig? You can still use Colligo hardware!
FURLING GEAR
Colligo Marine is known for its hardware that makes the best use of Colligo Dux. If you've got a newer wire rig, but still want to take advantage of Colligo's strong and simple rigging hardware, try retrofitting one of our continuous line furlers on an inner forestay, drifter or Code Zero. More and more racing and offshore sailing yachts are going the way of the Vendee racers and using furling rather than hanked-on headsail options. Those guys use it and love it, and we think you will too.
LINE GUIDES
Great for applications from furling line leads to genoa car adjustments, wind vane self-steering control lines and more, our super-low-friction, detachable line guides can be bolted on deck, attached to a stanchion or placed on the mast to offer flexible solutions for line organization. Forged from solid aluminum and anodized for strength and hardness, our line-guides are rugged & durable - and they work!
LOW-FRICTION BLOCKS
Colligo Marine specializes in - and indeed holds the patents for - many low-friction hardware items, and our blocks are some of the most useful and most popular. Our big-boat snatch blocks, for example, come with a huge 6,000-lb. breaking strength rating and are great for spinnaker sheets and guys, mainsail boom preventers and other applications where there is mostly a static load on a line. And they cost just a fraction of standard blocks.
SOFTie® SHACKLES
Colligo's Softie® shackles, as they're affectionately known around the shop, are ideal for dozens of applications around your boat. They can be used in place of traditional bronze sail hanks on synthetic headstays, to attach blocks to the rail or fittings to the boom. 'Softies' also make great shackle-replacements on running rigging applications like spin sheets and sail halyards and come in various sizes.