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February 03, 2022 2 min read
Allen Brothers thimbles are an evolution from a product that has been used on tall ships for many years, originally made from wood and plastics. Thimbles can be used for lots of different parts of your boat from kicker cascades to a 2:1 halyard system.
These Allen Brothers thimbles have a simple design made from a single piece of high-grade aluminium that is CNC machined into its shape. The high-grade aluminium allows the thimble to have great strength while weighing so little.
The shape allows you to splice a line around the outside of the thimble and the low friction coating inside allows other lines to slide through the middle with ease.
Being low friction and having a smooth inside means your ropes wear less than a they would as a traditional loop or eye splice.
A thimble is a substantial weight saving over a 20mm block. With a higher working and breaking load than a 20mm block, they sound great. But they can't be used on everything. They are low friction but that doesn't mean they have no friction as they have no moving parts. Constant use under load and adjustment through the centre isn't recommended and a standard block would perform better in this application.
Thimbles can be used in lots of different places on your boat. From 2:1 halyard systems to traveller systems they can reduce the weight and the cost of replacing a damaged block. They can be also used on backstays as their low friction characteristics allow the rope to move while under a slight load.
Thimbles can be used from anything from over deck continuous control lines to tweaker lines for your symmetrical spinnakers to take up systems on asymmetric spinnaker halyards. With a great working and breaking load they can also be used in kicker systems and downhaul systems but you would need to check if your boat class allows this.
Thimbles come in a variety of sizes ranging from 15mm to 35mm and a selection of colours too. If you are interested in thimbles or splicing them into your new lines we can also do that for you. Simply get in touch with our team and tell us the length and thickness of the rope you would like them spliced to.
Explore our full range of Rope Thimbles or take a look at all of our Allen Brothers products.
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I rang to request some advice on replacement parts for my dinghy and was very impressed with the excellent advice and efficient delivery of the required parts. Many thanks
Great product, safely packaged, delivered on time, at a competitive price. One more thing - the person on the end of the phone is an actual person, informative, helpful, knowledgeable and pleasant. What more could you ask for.
The sales team were quick responding to our questions, dispatched to us promptly, and the product is a perfect replacement for our old tiller which ended up at the bottom of a lake!
It was time for me to upgrade to a newer Ilca and it was recommended that I get a Devoti. The price was competitive and the service from Andrew and his team was fantastic. I received lots of communication and the boat was delivered to me within 2 weeks. It is really great that Sailing Chandlery take the time to set up the rigging so that you can get straight on the water. I am very pleased with my new boat and am loving sailing it. Thank you Sailing Chandlery!
Ordered a dyneema RSAero halyard on the Thursday. It arrived by mid day on the Friday and was used on the Saturday. Excellent product and service. Thank you
Cover arrived after three days and is well made and completely covers the boat boom up . The straps and clips all work fine. Good product.
My local chandlery were unable to supply a white inspection hatch and so it was amatter of looking online. Sailing Chandlery had the cover I needed in stock at a good price and delivery. I had never used them before but the service I received was excellent with the delivery on time and the hatch is now fitted.
I will definitely return, especially with the discounts on offer. Thank you Sailing Chandlery!
Always happy with my orders from Sailing Chandlery. They are quick to post and very helpful when I have had a question.
Jason delivered the boat on time at Hayling Island Sailing Club. The boat was new and all the spars were in perfect condition. Jason came to pick up the boat and return the deposit which I gave at the time of the delivery. Every interaction with Andrew and Jason were handled very professionally. I will recommend to any sailor Sailing Chandlery in the future. I really appreciated how easy it was to charter this boat. Thank you very much. Jacques Kerrest
Prompt delivery, with helpful updates and time slot spot on. Perfect new sail at a great price and the number fixing service is well worth it. It even won its first race! Thank you.
I needed GBR letters for the ILCA Europeans and they arrived by the next post.
I made a mistake on my order and it was put right at zero cost to me ! Amazing !
I’ll certainly be back
Product exactly what I wanted
Excellent service and prompt delivery.
Had the boom and mast in stock. Order processed quickly, great service and local so could pick them up. Friendly and helpful staff as always. Thank you
Delivered on time after chatting by phone to a very helpful person at Sailing chandlery. Absolutely no complaint with this Company and will continue to use them for my sailing needs.
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