Captain Ron's

Sailing and Cruising Pages

Garhauer Marine Hardware

I told you I'd try to get something positive said about something in these pages ... I really like Garhauer Marine Bits ... they are the best in my opinion. Harken and Ronstan stuff is ok, no complaints there. It's just that Garhauer's stuff is better and it's cheaper. That makes it way better in my book.

Garhauer is not sold at West Marine ... (I would have said Marine Stores but I think West is the only one anymore)... which helps explain the price. They can keep their price down by first pricing the stuff to make a fair profit and then by selling directly to anybody who wants it.

If you haven't seen them at the boat shows, there's no mistaking their stuff. It's all made of highly polished stainless steel. Their blocks are strong, good looking and will last for years. I've owned several versions of their boom-vang blocks and just recently I replaced a pair of deck turning blocks with Garhauer cheek blocks. Theirs cost me under $30 each compared to $75 each or more for the same thing in Ronstan, Scheafer or Harkin and those were plastic or aluminum not polished stainless steel.

The major somebody that wants their stuff is Catalina Yachts. I've had some dealings with Frank Butler and his boys over there at Catalina and I can tell you they are the real thing. No fluff and stuff here, just real boat building business men that have an outstanding reputation for customer service. They like Garhauer products too and they are now standard equipment on Catalina Yachts. I'll bet they don't get any customer complaints about the blocks they use. Check their website ... you'll like their stuff too. http://garhauermarine.com/