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I.Grind · 25-09-2013, 23:15

WM- first day I wore them I trimmed spinnaker in the Vallejo race which I think is 20 miles running. They were well broken in by the end of the day. They did not last a year. I blew though some reinforced areas, stitching came undone, and that fake suede stuff jus sort of disintegrated. But i have to say they were very comfortable.

I wanted those Pro Racer Gill's but they were too bulky and seemed like they would interfere with my grip on the coffee grinder handles, so I went with the lighter weight Gill's. They wore out faster than the WM gloves but it was only the fake suede disintegrating, everything else held up fine. The reinforced palms looked less worn after a year than the WM did after one day.

Now I'm working the Ronstans. I think they'll last longer, but it's too soon to tell. I'll report back after Big Boat, that's pretty much hell for gloves. Very little fake suede, and the palm reinforcing is like carbon/Kevlar I think. I have a pair of work gloves, I think they the Home Depot brand iron something, maybe ironclad. They have the same material on the palm as the Ronstans and they've been throug hell, much of it sailing,and are holding up fine.

So I say: avoid faux suede and go for whatever Ronstan and Ironclad use for their palm. As long as their comfortable and last, doesn't really matter what their intended purpose was. Anything sold for sailing purposes is overpriced.

Teknav · 25-09-2013, 23:17

Buy one size gloves bigger than what you wear; finger-less. In warmer climate, it is not a good idea to wear very tight gloves.

Mauritz

S/V Alchemy · 26-09-2013, 12:26

Good advice. On the very first and last days of the season here, I wear full finger bicycle gloves (thin, but with rubber-stripped fingertips) and a woolen mitten that has the flip-top/Velcro mitten end, and fingerless woolen finger bits with a leather palm.

3M makes the with Thinsulate. They are too weak to last long for racing, but if you are sailing in weather close to freezing, they are the perfect and cheap solution. The thin bike gloves keep your fingers warm and the leather palms give you a bit of grip. When you are just steering, put the flap over the fingertips.

The end result looks a bit like this, and I learned about the "technique" way before I sailed as bike couriers have been using the "double glove/wool over thin" method for years, as it allows you to work a pen or a bike key while enjoying mitten warmth on exposed handlebars in winter. GENIUS!

hellosailor · 26-09-2013, 12:37

"a woolen mitten that has the flip-top/Velcro mitten end, "
Those are generally sold to hunters and called a "shooting" mitten. Hunters can use them to keep their fingers warm while they are waiting, then get a bare finger on the trigger when there's game in sight.

nb-
The way that sailing gloves FIT counts more than anything else, so I'd suggest getting what fits and feels best in a store. The best ones I ever found were Kevlar gloves sold by Mystic Seaport's store many years ago, which of course went out of production. They're a dull yellow knit material which happens to be friction proof and cut resistant and gets slightly tighter when wet.
These days you can buy similar gloves at any big hardware store, they are sold for trash and recycled handling. Buy a pair for $5? 10? and you can afford to cut the fingertips off (yes, you cut it patiently with a scissor or razor blade) and try it that way as well.

If you are ever paying out a line, letting it run slowly over your palm, you can get a nasty rope burn if the line is heavily loaded and it zips over bare flesh. With sailing gloves, you don't get burned. Kevlar being heat and cut resistant, it is perfect for the job and outlasts fake leather. Doesn't shrivel after it has gotten salty, either.

Not very pretty, but it really puts most materials to shame.

ryon · 26-09-2013, 12:59

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned why you should remove the fingers from your gloves: They can trap and remove YOUR fingers! Some of the ships I sail will not let you wear gloves because of this, and others are particular that enough of the finger material is removed.

I like building up callouses instead, but if you don't handle lines they're gone in a few days. Anybody want to go sailing?

Rhapsody-NS27 · 26-09-2013, 13:57

I didn't have gloves when I took ASA101 and had no problem. I've since bought a pair of Gill gloves with exposed index finger and thumb. They are very comfortable.

Getting started, you don't need much.

SV Sea Monkey · 26-09-2013, 15:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhapsody-NS27

I didn't have gloves when I took ASA101 and had no problem. I've since bought a pair of Gill gloves with exposed index finger and thumb. They are very comfortable. Getting started, you don't need much.

Agreed that it doesn't take much to get started, but even a mild rope burn can turn a first sailing experience into a bad memory. I never used gloves teaching ASA courses, but that was on larger boats than a Colgate (winches for all sheets and plenty of crew). I have sailed Colgates with and without gloves, though. In a Colgate with any kind of breeze, you will get rope burn easing the main quickly after a gybe if you don't have gloves on. There's a lot of sheet to ease, and hand-over-handing it just isn't fast enough--particularly with the tiller in one hand. Cheap gloves work as well as expensive ones for this. YMMV.