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Rating:  -
This book has LOTS of really good information. But it is missing some significant stuff, Brion. PLEASE PLEASE do another addition and include SOME information about the following:
1. Chainplates. Nothing. How is a proper chainplate shaped, mounted, doubled, etc? Where do they go? What should you consider when changing from single boomking backstay to double backstays?
2. Bowsprits. Hardly a word. How is a proper bowsprit mounted? What kind of materials are appropriate for a bobstay? etc.
3. Stemheads. Hardly a word. Come on, what good is a rig if it isn't mounted to something????
4. Mast steps. The rig seems to float in air with this book, and no proper consideration is given to how it MOUNTS TO THE BOAT.
Other than that, it is a great book. Lots of good info, formulas, etc. Lots of great knots, lots of funny quips, good explanation of how single and double spreader rigs are stayed and shrouded.
But most of us also have boats to go along with our rigs, and it would be nice to have a WHOLE CHAPTER on how the rig connects to the boat, because many of us need to maintain, repair, and improve that part of the rig as well.
Good book, but it is incomplete as currently published.
Rating:  -
As a rigger myself, i thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it most informative and useful for my trade. However, there was little or no mention of brews OR 3 leets - surely this is an integral part of being a RIGGER? Also, there is only one rigger.
Me!
Oh, and Ryan Jendoubi.
Rating: -
Brion Toss has become "da man" in modern rigging in many ways, and a lot of that is attributable to this great book. It's a big, thick thing, loaded with information, not all of it easily absorbed on the first read. It's meant to give you a firm grounding in what rigging is, what it does, and how to inspect and maintain your own rig, how to adjust it, how to replace worn sections. Will it tell you everything you need to know to design a rig from the ground up on a serious racing yacht? Heck, no. It isn't meant to. What this book does is give you the tools you need to approach your own rig without fear and trembling - to realize that, after all, it's just a bunch of parts, and that you can comprehend and work with those parts, understand their roles, and get the most from your boat. Will you be forever independant of professional riggers? Probably not. But it goes a long way toward making that a realizable goal, if you apply yourself. And it should be known that this book is especially strong on traditional rigs, the more traditional the better. You'll learn how to worm, parcel, and serve, how to lace deadeyes, and why galvanized is great and stainless isn't stainless. And if that last sentence frightens you, you're probably not in the intended demographic. Rod rigging and carbon fiber masts are mentioned, at best, in passing, and largely for comic relief. Keep that in mind. Makes an absolutely perfect companion to Marino's "Sailmaker's Apprentice."
Rating:  -
THE COMPLETE RIGGER'S APPRENTICE by Mr. Brion Toss is a no-brainer simple compilation of standard rigging technique. Most of which can be found by reading past editions of old rigging manuals and from the writings of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, or from company product manuals. Nothing new or original has been done in this work; and the 'Compilation' of any subject matter has always been considered a cheap way of getting published.
Rating: -
This is one of my favorite books--because it teaches and it makes you laugh. Brian Toss's book can teach a beginner sailor more in 15 minutes just scanning the pictures than they could learn in years just knocking around on boats. If you are like me and think traditional rigging and splicing is cool stuff, then you will love this book.
The book includes some important basic things like sweating a halyard and less well known things like how to use a marlinspike and why your lifelines should be left a little loose, and more. I was pleased to see a drawing of what I called a bowline with a tucked tail--a more secure version of the bowline that I haven't seen in any other text.
Much of the material is just not applicable to newer yachts, but there are many illustrations of innovative techniques that a modern self-reliant yachtman could use to replace, or repair, things that break. Reading this book will help you find solutions to problems you will face at sea.
I don't think I saw anything relating to rod rigging or any discussion of modern fibers and rope. If you are trying to rig a modern sailing yacht, and think this book is your solution, you will be disappointed.
I guarantee you won't regret buying the book.
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